Have your children been helpful to you during your time with PCa?
My kid(s) have been fantastic in helping me! - 60.0% - 6 votes
They live far away, but I know they would help if needed - 20.0% - 2 votes
They have offered to help, but I have told them I can handle it - 10.0% - 1 votes
They have helped in other ways (such as financial) - 0.0% - 0 votes
They could have helped me more, but that's OK - 10.0% - 1 votes
Other (Tell us) - 0.0% - 0 votes
81GyGuy
Veteran Member
Joined : Oct 2012
Posts : 3789
Posted 9/16/2014 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
Poster kmclark1 in a recent thread posted the high school essay that his daughter had written, giving her reaction to and her way of living with his PCa. It was written from the heart and was truly moving to read.
I responded in the thread by mentioning that my own two sons had been so very helpful to me in my own dealings with the beast, and that a number of us were surely fortunate to have our own such kids.
My own two boys have, for example:
(1) taken time from their own lives and jobs to assist me whenever and however I have needed it
(2) driven me to and from Dx, TURP surgery (getting up at 4 AM that morning to drive and get me to the hospital by 6 AM!), and numerous times to and from radiation treatment
(3) taken care of the house (paying bills, getting groceries, etc.), the cars (gas, maintenance), the yard (raking leaves, mowing grass)
(4) taken care of phone calls, emails, letters, etc.
(5) and lots of other stuff!
Have your kids done such things as these for you, as well as many others that you might think to mention?
I have even set up the survey above for us to mention specifically how well our kids have done for us.
This is a chance for some of us to be proud parents and brag on what great kids we raised and how helpful they have been!
Redwing57
Veteran Member
Joined : Apr 2013
Posts : 2827
Posted 9/16/2014 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
My two sons live states away from us. One's married and thoroughly involved in his own home and career. The other is on his own, served our country as a US Marine, and is now successfully pursuing his career and education. We rarely ever talk about PCa except when it first surfaced, and when I tell them the occasional test result.
My wife has been my rock, and my indispensable caregiver both physically and morally. I'm not sure where I'd be without her.
The boys have their own lives, and at least for now my disease status has no effect upon them. They don't send cards, they don't ask about it, nothing much at all. I don't know if they ever even think about it, and I kind of hope not. It doesn't need to burden them, hopefully for a long time and maybe never. They'll have a PSA test at some point in the future, and likely we'll discuss it some more then.
Jerry
Posted 9/17/2014 8:05 AM (GMT 0)
My two kids have been great, especially my daughter who was in medical school when I was diagnosed. She was in her last year, doing her "rotations" where she would work for/with doctors in various specialties for several months each. By one of those fraught coincidences she was working with a pathologist who specializes in PCa when I was diagnosed and she discussed my diagnosis with him. He offered a second opinion on my biopsy and suggested that I have a second set of slides made from my biopsy samples (called recuts.) Those were sent to him along with the original report and, while his finding agreed with the first pathologist in terms of the location and extent of the tumor*, he graded it as Gleason 7(3+4) rather than Gleason 6(3+3) as per the first pathology.
In addition to being an agent of destiny, playing a part in one of those coincidences that may you go hmmmm, she was also a sympathetic ear during my decision making process. She was the only family member with whom I discussed my decision making process with regard to Active Surveillance (which both surgeons I had consulted were pushing).
My son has also been great -- sympathetic, understanding with my occasional moodiness, and supportive. His role has been smaller because he is not a doctor but I am sure that, should an emergency emerge where I require Graphic Design and/or Art Direction he'd be right there for me.
So, yeah, my kids have been great.
* One core out of 16, tiny involvement (3-4 percent).