Turning Back the Clock

Have you ever wished you could have a do-over?

I have a friend that was diagnosed with breast cancer a month after I was. The type of cancer she had was estrogen progesterone. Deb’s tumor was so large that she was advised to undergo radiation first in order to shrink the tumor. She then had chemo and a radical mastectomy followed by reconstruction. It has been an uphill battle for her, but she has maintained her positive attitude. Deb’s doctor’s recommended that she have a hysterectomy after her treatments because of the type of cancer that she had. Deb’s husband disagreed and felt that they needed to pay off the medial bills that they already had before acquiring more debt.

Deb got a phone call a few weeks ago from her doctor. The cancer is back. It is now in five different areas of her bones. She is frustrated and angry. She underwent a hysterectomy a few days ago, but she wishes she would have done it sooner. While this is impossible to do, I know that we all have things in our past that we could do over again. Some of these things are still possible. If I could have a do over, I would have not been a sun worshipper. I would not have gone to the tanning salons and fried my skin. Even though I knew there was always a chance of getting skin cancer, the idea of actually getting cancer didn’t seem real. Now as I go about my daily skin care routine, I find myself taking extra care with sun screen and making sure my children know the dangers of skin cancer, as well as giving themselves a routine physical for lumps, moles and anything out of the ordinary. I know this might sound like a strange thing to some of you, and even though it is only a small thing I wish I could go back and change, I have to remember that what we do today will always impact our lives tomorrow