As I ran tonight, I thought about how lucky I am. How fortunate am I, I thought, to be able to come home from work and have the choice to go for a run? There are many who would pay a high price for the privilage. I virtually skipped along my usual route grinning the whole way.
The phrase, like a cancer has become overused. Once, it was a powerful phrase painting an image of a painful, malignant and tenacious agent that quickly spreads and is out of control. A search of Google throws up a multitude of headlines; illegal drug usage, the financial crisis, the cricket match fixing scandal, bullying and violence (even homosexuality and Islam) have all been described recently as being like a cancer. Surely, this over-usage merely dilutes its power to the point where the phrase is but a pale and watered down cliché used to describe anything that is mildly disagreeable and a little difficult to shake.
Of course, cancer (and I'm talking about malignant cancer) is so much more than mildly disagreeable and difficult to shake. It is not like a head cold. It is capable of causing extreme pain, anguish, fear, disfigurement and death. Its treatment is often slow, painful, unpleasant and not guaranteed to work. It will touch all of us in some way at some point during our lives.
Great news it is then that the survival rates for certain types of cancer have increased. The flip side of this tale is that other types of cancer have shown little improvement in survival rates. I'm pleased to report that my brother found out today that his first scan, following a recently completed course of chemotherapy, has come back clear.
One day at a time but it's good news all the same...
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