Hello again, Mr. Mass55th,
how tragic to hear of your unfortunate son’s health predicaments!
I am truly sorry to read all he had to go through, but from the bottom of my heart I would wish him the very best for the future.
The chemotherapy must have been particularly gruelling for your unfortunate son, and I really pity him. It is always a dreadful chore for the body and soul of the patient - that’s why I decided not to get one for my adrenal cancer (a real orphan disease, as ony one or two persons in a million per year get it), preferring an extra-intensive radiation treatment.
This was due to the recommendation of my family doctor, since the only chemo treatment available for adrenal cancer is Mitotane. This stuff is almost archaic nowadays, as it has been used to treat AC since 1959, having originally been used in veterinary medicine. Its side effects are very considerable, so my family doctor had to call an expert on AC, ultimately advising me to forego the chemo, since no cancer cells had been found in my body, thanks be to God!
If that had been the case, I would have had to bite the bullet and get the Mitotane; still with an uncertain outcome...
Hopefully one day cancer will be relegated to the history books, just like polio, the plague, the pox, or leprosy.
Even the White Death, as tuberculosis was once called, and which claimed the lives of about 25% of adults in some countries, has been overcome - at least in the wealthier parts of the world.
May your dear son recover fully! :-)
And about Martin from Munich: he was right. In Germany, if it’s your birthday, you are, so to say, morally obliged to invite your guests, to be the host.
Furthermore, it is no wonder that he brought you flowers. If you are invited to someone’s house in Germany, you normally bring a gift, unless you are financially in real dire straits - or, of course, if it was an impromptu visit, which your guest couldn’t possibly have foreseen. Or, if you are really close friends :-)
Flowers are very popular as a gift, although, if you know your host’s literary or musical preferences, you could give him or her a book or CD instead. Wine, chocolates or other confectionery are popular gifts as well :-)
So, I hope I haven’t been rambling for too long. Now I’d like to wish you and your dear ones all the best, and - read you soon :-)
Sorry it’s taken me so long to respond back to you. Thank you for your kind words regarding my son. The hard part for me as his mother, was that he was living in Indiana while he was going through this, and I live in the middle of New York State. I drove out to stay with him as often as I could, but I’m grateful that his then girlfriend was with him through the whole experience, and he wasn’t alone. They’ve since gone their separate ways, but remain friends, and speak often. My son has since moved back here. It doesn’t matter how old your kids are, you never stop worrying about them.
Did you suffer any side effects with the radiation? I have a friend whose husband was diagnosed 7 or 8 years ago with cancer of the pharynx and larynx. He had extensive radiation treatments. The radiation destroyed his salivary glands, and so he has no saliva, and has to make sure he drinks plenty of liquids when he eats. The doctors tried medication to help him, but none of it worked. The cancer he had is rare...not prevalent in this country, and his prognosis was not good at the time, but thankfully, he’s been cancer free for well over 5 years now.
I think I told you my father was born in Holland in 1904, and came here with his family in 1913. My grandmother died of TB in 1920. I always wondered if she might have contracted it on the ship they came to the U.S. on, but of course would never be able to prove it. And my grandmother on my mother’s side went back to Canada when she got sick. She died on the operating table during gall bladder surgery in 1946, the year before I was born. I had to have my gall bladder out in 2015, and they couldn’t do it laparoscopically, so you know her death while undergoing the same surgery, was on my own mind at the time. I didn’t say anything about it to my surgeon until afterward. John Murtha who was a Democrat Rep. from Pennsylvania underwent gall bladder surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital the end of January 2010, and died of complications 11 days later. He had laparoscopic surgery, and they somehow damaged his large intestine during the procedure, and developed an infection. Sadly, even with modern surgery methods, these type of incidents still occur.
Thank you for clearing up the birthday question. I told my oldest son over the phone on Sunday, that I had asked you about it, and read what you said in reply. I asked him if he knew that at the time, but he said he didn’t question it, or Matin, and figured it was a German custom as Martin had said.
It’s been a pleasure corresponding with you. I hope you continue in good health, and I will keep you in my prayers.