Konnie:
I think many of us are acutely aware of how fortunate we are in relation to others with more serious medical problems. My brother-in-law died of brain cancer a few years ago. It was a slow, agonizingly difficult process; he literally lost the ability to speak, write or, in the final stages, even move his hand. He died at home, by his request, with his wife, my sister, at his side. They lived quite a few states away and I only learned of this from her letters and calls. She avoids talking about it now and stays busy with managing an apartment house in Manhattan that she inherited from her husband and traveling a lot.
When I first received my AN diagnosis I immediately thought of my brother-in-law and his horrific decline and demise but after a few hours I had reassured myself, via internet research, that what I had was a benign tumor that would not kill me if it was addressed, just as my doctor had stated when he gave me the diagnosis. Since then, I've successfully undergone surgery and radiation and enjoyed a splendid recovery - for which I'm eternally grateful. I know other AN patients have not been as fortunate and I pray for them, daily. I also realize that while we can be grateful for not being worse off (having a cancer diagnosis, for instance), pain is pain and whether it be facial paralysis, excruciating headaches or any of the other AN-related issues so many have to deal with, while you're going through it, knowing others have worse problems does not always bring solace. Still, this thread proves that most of us are grateful and have gained a new perspective on life and its vicissitudes. I'm one of them.
Jim
