Keith Goodrum

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUuh3b3Ol2w[/youtube]

I left the blog post up Yesterday Was A Sad Day up for the past week because Becky has been sending people here to give them an update on her cancer. You know it can be tough telling people bad news over and over again. I wrote the post for different reasons, but it also had another benefit. I’m happy that this post was able to help Becky in that way.

Again, I can’t express enough how much I appreciate everyone who has contacted us with their support. It has been great to get all of this positive energy.

Thank You!

I’ll keep everyone updated on Becky’s progress. Mostly on Twitter, but also here on the blog. If you don’t hear anything, then that will mean good news. This is truly something where no news is good news.

Becky has joined Twitter & will add her unique experience. You can follow her at http://twitter.com/Becky_speak

Thanks again everyone… and have a great weekend!

Sitting in the Doctor’s office yesterday, Becky & I got the news we were hoping not to hear. Becky’s cancer has metastasized from her breast to her 2nd right rib.

I just sat there stunned. I heard him say some things after that like “We caught it early… this is very treatable… surgery at this point would be too evasive… you will not need chemotherapy…”

But I sat there wondering why did he say metastasized?

Why do they talk to people using industry jargon?

Can’t they just use plain English?

After all metastasized is just a fancy medical term for moved. The cancer has moved from her breast to her 2nd rib. That’s easy enough. Does it make it easier to deliver bad news by using medical jargon? I don’t know the reason, but it probably sucks telling hundreds of people a year they have cancer. It has to be a toughest part of their job.

At this point he started explaining Becky’s treatment.

She will have to come in once a month for an IV treatment for 1 1/2 – 2 years, and then hopefully it will be moved out to once every 2-3 months. But, this is a chronic condition… more medical jargon. I guess it would be tough to say you are going to be on the drug forever, but that’s what it means. Barring any new medical breakthroughs this treatment will be forever.

Then he turned to me & said because it was caught so early I would have Becky around for a long time. I guess he was saying the outlook was good… wait I’m sorry the prognosis looks good.

He asked us both if we had any questions. We both asked questions & he answered them. Mostly questions about treatment & what to expect.

One thing I’ve learned about getting information from medical folks.

They do not like to give up much information… so you have to learn how to ask the same question many different ways. It becomes a cat & mouse game. I believe it’s because so many variable come into play that it’s hard to accurately predict the outcome of any disease or treatment. But if you don’t ask & ask & ask… you won’t get any information.

As all this was winding down I started thinking about Becky.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what must be running through her mind. The shock, questions, fear, anger. The uncertainty that now hangs out there staring you in the face.

I’m not sure how she dose it… She is the person who has to deal with this dreaded disease. She is the one who is going to go through the treatments & deal with the side effects. Some of them could be nausea, vomiting, fever, fatigue, depression, bone pain (ironic… the drug treatment for bone cancer has a side effect of bone pain). Then add on top of all that, she has to deal her cancer returning.

But it’s like Becky says… it’s just another thing you have to deal with.

Personally I think it would have been nice to catch a break on this one.

What it boiled down to is… I have no idea what she’s going through. I have no perspective, no experience… I haven’t walked a mile in her shoes. I really can’t imagine what it would be like hearing a doctor say you have cancer.

For me it’s extremely frustrating watching this unfold – again.

The love & support of our family & friends is so important in our lives. They are there to celebrate the victories & to offer a shoulder to cry on when needed. It’s soo awesome to know someone is there for you through the good times & the bad.

I love Becky with every fiber in my soul. I knew she was the one from the 1st day we met. We have been married for 22 years & I love her more today than ever. And my love for her grows stronger each day.

It was so hard watching her go through this the 1st time. Now, she has to deal with it again. This is something I cannot protect her from. I can’t pull out my tools & fix it. This is one of those moments in life where I wouldn’t hesitate for a nano-second to take this bullet for Becky… but I know I can’t. All I can do is be there for her & support her.

The next best thing I can do is to ask for your help.

One thing I noticed that really cheered-up Becky the last time she went through treatments. It was getting cards, notes or emails from people. They would be words or encouragement, support or even humorous. She kept them close & would read them when she was feeling bad. It’s funny how simple little gestures from people would help lift her spirits.

I would like to give Becky something she can look at anytime she needs some cheering up. Something she could read & would help lift her spirits. So, here’s my request for help from you. Could you take a quick few seconds & leave a comment for Becky. It could a few words of encouragement, sympathy or support. A few quick words would be great. Just something she can read & know there are people thinking about her.

Could you also help spread the word….

Also, if you could do another thing… Would you consider helping me get the word out about this? It would be nice to have lots of comments for Becky to see. So, if you could send out a twitter about this, stumble it or as Gary Vaynerchuk would say… Friend me up. I would really appreciate the effort… as would Becky.

I would like to thank everyone who has already sent us well wishes, thoughts & prayers. Becky & I really appreciate all the emails, tweets, comments & other communication. It really helped while waiting for the test results. I tried to reply to everyone, but I could have missed someone. If I did I apologize & this is my of saying thanks to those I might of missed.

Yesterday Becky & I discussed this question on our walk with Gypsy. We haven’t had this conversation in a good year or so. However the last week has brought up a lot of things we haven’t talked about in a good year or so. When you stare cancer in the face it changes your perspective. And these conversations take on a whole new meaning.

But… What if you did know how long you had to live?

Randy Pausch in a way did. He had pancreatic cancer & was given 3-6 months to live. The following video is his last lecture he gave to his students and staff at Carnegie Mellon. The lecture found it’s way on to YouTube, where it’s been viewed over 3.3 million times. Here is the description from the youtube video…

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. For more, visit www.cmu.edu/randyslecture.

Randy Pausch passed today. May he rest in peace.

I’d like to thank Jonathan Paston for the heads up. I read about it today day on his blog… 2 Months To Live. Thanks dude. Here’s the video.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo[/youtube]