Thursday, October 22, 2009

OCTOBER 22, 2009


This video is amazing.  Kim's husband, Deron, did a follow-up to the "Pay It Forward" story that kpho.com did for Kim and Deron over the summer.  Deron is truly one of the strongest, most amazing people that I have ever met.  He was with Kim through good times and bad, through the highs and the lows, and he was with her literally until the end.

I honestly don't know Deron as well as Kim's other friends.  She and I had a very brief friendship, one definitely centered around the battles we were/she was facing, and my time with Deron was very limited.  But, the few times that I have had a chance to talk with Deron, to see the love he had for Kim, were just unbelievable.  He's truly a survivor.

This story just reinforces that you need to get checked.  At the end, they talk about one of Kim's best friends that had her colonoscopy and had pre-cancerous polyps removed.  I know this person, and when I learned of her situation, I was floored.  No, somehow, there aren't words to explain what I was feeling.  Stories like Kim's, mine, and so many others are spurring a slow but true shift in the way that society, media and the medical community view colorectal cancer.

If you haven't had a colonoscopy and you are over 18, PLEASE talk with your doctor, especially if you have a family history or symptoms.  Don't explain the bleeding, cramping, weight loss, or changes in BMs away - find out the cause and get it taken care of. 

Comments:

"Don't explain the bleeding, cramping, weight loss, or changes in BMs away - find out the cause and get it taken care of." I agree.

If I hadn't told myself that six months of loose stools was just the flu I might not have been Stage 3 by the time I was diagnosed with colon cancer!

My sister had three colonoscopies after my diagnosis and all had precancerous polyps. She's going in for a complete colon resection after Christmas. Imagine if she had not been checked. She would be in the same place I am, and that's not good.
October 24, 2009 at 1:25 PM
Blogger Whidbey Woman said...

I'm speechless. A very moving video. God bless Kim's family.
October 24, 2009 at 2:45 PM

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