Cancer--I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!

My dad had it, and has also had colon cancer. Both were treated with surgery and did not require additional treatments.

So whatever you do don't lose hope! Fortunately this is a part of the body that one can survive without.

Scribbling you both on the prayer list

Sorry to hear of your friend. I also have a friend with Multiple Myeloma cancer. It seems that everyone has a close friend who has a cancer. Cancer--- it sucks.

I'm sorry, Kyra. I know so many men who have struggled through prostrate cancer, including my own dad, and all have made it through successfully. As I understand it, it is quite a slow growing cancer. My dad was diagnosed back in 1992. He was told his cancer had returned and spread throughout his pelvic region in 2006 and of course he had additional surgery and intensive hormone therapy treatments. Turned out that was an incorrect diagnosis second time around and actually he had five blocked arteries to his heart and he had emergency open heart surgery. He's nearly 75 now and quite healthy and works full-time at National Parks and walks daily. I hope you pass on to your friend that all the people I've known who have been through this came out ok in the long run. I'll be thinking of him.

Thanks so much for that info Jennifer. (((hugs))) So glad to hear this awesome news about your dad. Yes, I will DEFINITELY pass this on to him.

Thanks Matt. Yes, it does seem like SO MANY are touched by some type of cancer. It's awful. :o(

Nicole~Thanks sharing info about your dad....I will pass this along to my friend. I know he's a bit freaked right now and all the "good news" I can give him will help... I'm sure. Also, thanks for your prayers.

Thanks so much for your prayers Bob.

I hate cancer too and I am sorry for your friend. I hope that things go well for him.

Thank you Eileen. So sorry to hear about your grandpa. :o(

Thanks Iris. So glad to hear that your sis is okay now.

Sandra~Thank you.

Kyra, my high-school buddy, decorated Vietnam Veteran and college roomate Gary Starbuck was diagnosed with prostrate cancer in 2000. He was treated and the cancer went into remission.

I talked about Gary in "The Air Cavalry" about us picking up a hitchhiker in Colorado.

Gary's cancer returned with a vengance early this year and he died at home last Saturday, 5-12-07 in Riverton Wyoming. I feel for your friend and for Gary's wife of 34 years, Kandace. I also hope your friend's treatment goes well and that he recovers.

I'm so sorry, Kyra. I know how you feel. (((HUGS))). You and your friend are in my prayers.

i don't have any medical advice, however I have some emotional advice for you. Stick close to your friend....don't press but be there in case your friend needs a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. I have lost an uncle and several friends to prostrate cancer and it is a hard one to deal with. However, caught in time, we were told, it has a good prognosis and the individual can live a good life. I will keep you in my prayers....remember, sometimes the best medicine is a good friend with broad shoulders!~ God Bless!

I will keep your friend in my prayers.

hi there- I am so sorry!! My father died of this. A friend of mine went to the Mayo Clinic and they cured him apparently quite expensive but darn good.

So sorry to hear this news Kyra, but it is one cancer that has better recovery rates than a lot of the others. I will add your friend to my thoughts and prayers. There is a lot of information on the web. My DH had to have a biopsy done and I searched for information about a year or so ago and found there were many treatments. DH's brother had surgery over eight years ago and he is still fine.

(((hugs))) Kyra, this kind of news is always a shock. The prognosis for stage 2 (there are 4 stages) is pretty good. 99% will live at least 5 years, 92% will live at least 10 years and 61% up to fifteen years.
Thanks for bringing up a subject most men are queasy about. A good friend of mine died of it years ago. There's no excuse; men, go and get an annual prostate exam!

Kyra, I am so sorry about your friend! I will pray for him and you too.

Ky, that is so sad. I will be praying for him.

A blessing will come his way. Hang in there.

Hi Kyra, and a hug from me. Two members of my extended family have had prostate cancer and recovered. Doing just fine.....in many cases it seems very treatable. I hope your friend is one of them.

Oh, Kyra. I'm so sorry. Why are we all so surrounded by that dreaded disease now? My aunt has terminal colon cancer and doesn't have long to live. One of the reasons I went home was to talk to her. It was a good conversation... my dad died of lung cancer, my best friend's daughter died of cervical cancer, and I could go on and on. I hope your mom is doing okay, my friend. You are a wonderful spirit and we all love you. (forgive the lateness of this reply, been out of town and such)

Thanks to all of you for your heartfelt...very sweet replies. Please be assured that I have read them all and each has touched my heart.

My heart and prayers go out to you. Good thing they caught it in it's early stages so there's a good survival rate. You didn't mention what kind of cancer so I really can't give you any advice but know my love is with you.

Thank you Amanda. My very good friend was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Unfortunately, stage 2 requires removal. It's almost impossible to catch at stage 1, but he's lucky he caught it now, because stage 3 is terminal.

Keep encouraging your friend, Kyra - I know you will. You may not have medical advice to offer him, but your prayers and loving friendship will be important as he goes through his treatment. Blessings!

I'm sorry to hear about your friend!

Sorry about your friend. My father was told by his doctor to have the surgery, instead he took another route with the shots (hormone therapy).
He was fine for a while but it spread. He passed away Oct 2005,he lived 9 years after finding out. There are different treatments but I think it depends on what stage he is in. I will be praying for him

I don't know a thing about it, but I will wish him luck.

I am so sorry to hear about your friend. I hate Cancer too.

stage two, could be worse. I hope everything works out. Surgery is the first line treatment. Then maybe chemo if appears in lymph or elsewhere.

oh i am so sorry. i just found out one my friends has cancer as well. you don't ever think these things are going to happen. you will have to let us know how he is doing over time.

|Kyra, my gradfather had stage two prostate cancer and opted to go with the surgery. He was a very, very active man and loved fishing and helping people.
He lived well into his latter 80s and it was his heart not cancer that took him.

Blessings

sorry to hear this about yet another person diagnosed with cancer...the Harvard Medical team is now here at Gather and perhaps you could ask their opinion...best regards to your friend .......thx for com to me on my images!

*my new group serious photo critique is now open and i am awaiting one image per member at this time.....i intend to post my first crit Saturday...let me know if have any problem joining and i will send an invite....5 of us made it in fine,but 2 others say they can't join .....my settings are set to "open to all",so i have not a clue what the prob could be now (i originally goofed and had it set to private...LOL)

regards,gayle

Miz Kyra - I'm sorry about your friend - think positive Salud..

I am so sorry about your friend, my prayers are with both of you.

My prayers are with your friend. What has he decided?

Kyra, Cancer is a much hated word in my family as well. I am only 41, but I have lost both of my parents to it. My dad about 20 yrs and my mom about 5 yrs ago. They have made so many strides in treatment already. Your friend has been added to my prayer list as well.

I am a two time cancer survivor so there is hope for everyone. But men often don't get to a doctor in time, most just don't want to go to any doctor, but in the stage this is in, it is curable, or treatable so I wish him luck and send my prayers and blessing. This disease is a terrible one but we are catching up with it.

My Uncle is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer right now too. He just had some radioactive seeds put inside him. My thoughts and prayers are with you Kyra.

I lost my father to prostrate cancer. It was horrible. That was over 10 years ago and they have come a long way in researching new treatments

Dana Farber has a prostrate cancer center the link is: http://www.brighamandwomens.org/onlinecancer/prostatecancer.aspx?CMP=PS_G_DFBWCC_PR
There is also a toll-free # to call. Here it is 1-866-294-8288.
Feel free to email me anytime.

Have been away and am just catching up. I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I hope you and he are doing okay. His prognosis sounds really good, and I will be praying for him and for you. My brother was diagnosed with Melanoma skin cancer on his forehead and just had surgery. They say he should be fine. There is so much they can do these days to treat cancer. Take care.
(Even my cat is a cancer survivor.)

Kyra I am sorry to read this about your friend. Prostate Cancer is one type of cancer where the treatment has improved immensely over the past 10 years.
I started out my nursing career as a Urology nurse back in the '80s and even then stage two prostate cancer had a fairly positive diagnosis. The surgical procedure has been streamlined and doesn't involve as much of the surrounding anatomy as it used to. My room-mate's current BF has just come out of his first full year post treatment for the same thing and is living a full productive life and is still sexually active (he's 56 or so). In the old days the more radical surgical treatments left the victim's impotent.
Web MD is a good resource for information as well as the NIH National Library of Medicine website at :
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/medlineplus.html
the lead article on their homepage this week is about prostate cancer. This site will give you links to hundreds of different articles and support groups for you both to check out.
I hope this is able to help him make his decision and wish you both luck in the coming battle.

Oh, Kyra... I'm so sorry to read this about your friend's diagnosis. I wish we could eradicate the threat of cancer from our lives. I don't have any insight to pass on with regard to prostate cancer, but I know that love of his family, and friends like you, will help him get through his journey. I'm sure your friendship means very much to him.

I am so sorry . My thoughts and prayers are with you both.

I very sorry to hear about friend, my thoughts will be with you both.

I am so sorry about your friend! We hate cancer too! I lost one of my best friends March 10, 2006 from breast cancer, and my MIL has stage 4 lung cancer and my FIL has stage 4 colon cancer- this has not been a great year. I wish someone could find a better cure than chemo and radiation!

Thanks so much for all your super kind and thoughtful replies. I truly appreciate each and every one of them.

Update: My friend had his surgery about 3 weeks ago. It looks like they got all the cancer so there will be no treatment for now. He'll be going in for regular blood work so that if it returns...they can catch in early.

Thanks again for all the awesome replies! *group hug*