tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post1978597036567310852..comments2023-05-24T23:33:57.516+10:00Comments on My Unwelcome Stranger: Advice, blood and brainsDenis Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-27888461872342290452013-07-19T08:32:49.155+10:002013-07-19T08:32:49.155+10:00I was going to comment this on another post, but i...I was going to comment this on another post, but it seems more fitting here.<br />I started reading your blog beacuse I came by chance to some article written about it and it tickled my cursiosity because you remind me of a friend of mine: He was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 16. He could have been bitter about it, becase who wants to spend their teenage years doing treatments? But he simply put some humor to it (a very dark kind, one of the things we shared) and lived life to it's fullest.<br />He once told me that it's not that much the disease that kills a person, it's the news.<br />Well, I'd love to tell you that he won, but sadly he did decided it was enough 16 years later, and he passed away novermber of last year.<br />Well, lets go back to what I first wanted to tell you: You two share this unique view on life, you got this horrible news and instead of simply giving into it, you made something of it and it's what I admired of him and what I admire of you.<br />I'd love to tell you something like "they'll find a cure soon" but I've always been a very realistic person, which doesn't mean I'm not optimmistic. <br />So, keep your attitude up, you are an example =)Sonia Hamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17639502883075949884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-33938624565441655872013-07-13T18:19:23.398+10:002013-07-13T18:19:23.398+10:00Denis, I really appreciated the 'we' you u...Denis, I really appreciated the 'we' you used in this post - thank you for thinking (but how could you not?) of expressing yourself in that way. It's a small thing, compared to what you are facing, but often goes unacknowledged.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-62198394205445978252013-07-12T14:27:19.491+10:002013-07-12T14:27:19.491+10:00Just found this. So very sad to know. If not for D...Just found this. So very sad to know. If not for Denis I would never have completed a university degree as a mature-age student. Thankyou Denis, thankyou a thousand times.j1morishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08376023554946569794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-51138639845712902682013-07-12T04:07:36.662+10:002013-07-12T04:07:36.662+10:00My sister died of glioblastoma. I know just what y...My sister died of glioblastoma. I know just what you mean. The offers of snake oil ranged from the well-meaning ("Have you tried vitamins?") to the wild-eyed ("The medical establishment doesn't *want* to cure it! It's a cash cow for them!")<br /><br />I enjoy your blog very much... you're a terrific writer.An Americannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-7590202954681744692013-07-12T01:00:05.828+10:002013-07-12T01:00:05.828+10:00Well said, Bob. It remains to be seen how well I a...Well said, Bob. It remains to be seen how well I am travelling. The multiplier effect is now strongly in train. If we are to avoid self-delusion then it must be said that the complications are adding up daily.<br /><br />You are right about <i>The Selfish Gene.</i> No other explanation makes this much sense. For all sorts of reasons it is evolutionarily better to have a Use-By date built into the organism, and the reproductive capacity of human cells proves it. It's a terrible irony that only cancers by-pass this process, but even more ironically, by killing their hosts they seal their own doom.<br />Denis Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786035137418348609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722735165669239585.post-29183542107214760252013-07-10T18:12:58.133+10:002013-07-10T18:12:58.133+10:00I guess acceptance of the reality of any situation...I guess acceptance of the reality of any situation in our lives is what counts, Denis. We can try to change or improve that reality and to subsequently accept any such gains or losses as our new reality. I know it is easier, sometimes, to embrace the fantasies of our minds ... to dream about sudden legacies, cures, divine plans, or ideal personal relationships. It is a question, really, of whether we want to live a life of integrity - albeit sometimes brutal - or to live a self-deceptive illusion for as long as it lasts. I think you are travelling well. PS: I note reference to the philosophy of 'The Selfish Gene' which, along with Robert Ardrey's four books on the genetic imperative, changed my take on life some 40 years ago.Bobnoreply@blogger.com