Cancer: Taking a minute to remember those who perished and those still fighting

I was on Facebook today and saw Euge post this as her status:

Every person has 1000 wishes, a cancer patient only has one: to survive. I know that 97% won't post this as their status - be one of the 3% and post this as your status. Do it for at least an hour, for those who have died of cancer or who are still fighting.

I thought I'd do a post dedicated to those who were taken from this world by cancer and those still fighting. I personally know many who suffered from cancer and many who perished. One of whom actually just had surgery a year ago. If you know him personally, please respect his privacy and refrain from mentioning his name here.

He discovered a lump on his right knee which was later identified as myxoid liposarcoma, a "malignant adipose tissue neoplasm". In general terms, it was a type of connective/soft tissue sarcoma. It actually took him more than a week after diagnosis to acknowledge it because apparently this type of cancer occurs almost exclusively among middle-aged men, with only a chance of 5 out of 1000 people too. He was 18.

The removal of the tumour was successful and since then, he's been attending periodic check-ups to ensure that there is no recurrence of cancer-cell growth around his knee, abdomen, and lungs. Though things look promising so far, he's still recovering from the surgery that removed more than a third of the muscles on his thigh. It took him more than 3 months to regain enough strength to jog for 10 minutes before pain takes over.

I hope that with his story, I can bring my small but supportive audience to acknowledge the pain, fear, and hopelessness cancer has brought millions of people. Please remember those who died due to cancer and support those who are still fighting and recovering.

To my Canadian friends, please visit the BC Cancer Foundation and make a donation. BC Cancer Foundation works with the largest hospitals in BC and the University of British Columbia (UBC) to research into more effective treatments for cancer. For example, the patient I mentioned above authorized his cancer to be donated to UBC for research. I am a student and know how hard it is to make a generous donation that seems significant. Even a small donation of $10 would make a great difference. For my friends located outside of Canada, you can find several agencies you can donate to at this World Cancer Research Fund International page. Send this post to as many people as you can and help promote cancer awareness. For every person that makes a comment on this post, I will add $1 to my donation. Thank you for reading this post and supporting!