Sadly cancer is something that affects everyone these days, even those of us who do not have cancer will be affected by the hardship it brings to a family member, close friend, colleague or someone we know - not to mention the lives it has taken & almost everyone has a heartfelt story to tell about how cancer has affected them or someone close to them.
There is no known cure that can completely 100% eliminate this condition which takes on so many forms & can lay dormant in just about any part of the human body so research in this field is vital - already many lives have been saved by what is currently known but with more funding critical research will eventually develop new techniques/possible cures that could triple the number of future lives saved.
For us as a family this year has been particularly difficult due to Cat's mother (Virginia) becoming seriously ill late last year/early this year.
It took a month after being hospitalized for medical professionals to establish a diagnosis (stomach cancer) then a further month before they could agree on a suitable course of action (three rounds of chemotherapy then a major operation that will take place later this month to remove more than half of her stomach including the remaining tumor, mean while being 100% drip-fed with absolutely no physical consumption of food or water).
We are all doing everything we can as a family to support Cat's mom & dad through this difficult time & even though Virginia still has the operation looming we are all really optimistic for the final outcome.For many years my wife Cat has been a big supporter of Cancer Research (regularly donating) & this year she has decided to take part in the Race For Life (a charity event that raises funds for Cancer Research).
If anyone would like to show their support & sponsor Cat in this event here is the link to their official Cancer Research/Race For Life event website (Cat will be listed there as Catherine Broster).
Anyone who sponsors Cat, I would like to say bless you & thank you for your support - even though this is the first time I have officially spoke out about this I would like to thank all you MySpace friends who have been so supportive particularly when I sent out earlier bulletins this year explaining family members were ill.
Below: Virginia (Cat's mom) being visited in hospital by Prince Charles (taken earlier this year before the diagnosis was made).
Again, thank you to everyone for all your kind words & especially to everyone helping support this event. Best Wishes Always
AORPETE