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News on commenter “strcpy”

The New Neo Posted on by

I’ve received word from long-time commenter “strcpy” that he’s been taken ill and is awaiting a definitive diagnosis, but it appears he has some form of cancer. Please join me in wishing him well and add your prayers, if you’re the praying kind.

Comments

News on commenter “strcpy” — 63 Comments

  1. Thinking of you, strcpy, hoping that things turn out well. I hope Neo will keep us informed about how you’re doing.

  2. I got my lab results in today, I have a fast growth stage 4 cancer that has spread to my lymph systems. It is exactly on the transition from my esophagus to my stomach so one can choose which type to call it and be correct.

    It is supposedly rare in people under 60 so there is little survival statistics for people may age. It is considered incurable and leave and average life span of six months to a year.

    I primarily have three hopes: that the statistics for a 35 year old work out better (assuming I respond quickly to treatment), one of the large cancer institutes knows something the local cancer groups do not, or God decides it isn’t my time and heals me.

    Were I work is going to do whatever they need to do to keep my insurance running through to the end so that is one of the brighter spots, at the least it makes treatment and easier process to get done especially if there is something radical to try.

  3. strcpy:

    I don’t know you, but I wish you well. If I come up with any experimental therapies that I feel warrant your attention, I will post to this thread. May God bless you. You are not even five years younger than I, and I hope your life is spared.

  4. strcpy: I am so sorry to hear that. I hope that you defy the odds. I’m glad your insurance won’t be a problem. Please keep us informed.

  7. Praying for you.

    Remember that the survival statistics are for folks who trust doctors when they say they’ll be dead in six months– the mind is very powerful.

    There’s a guy in my folks’ home town who was told he had six months to live about eight years ago. Three years ago he went looking for a job, because he was tired of setting around waiting to die, and is still going.
    I don’t know how old he was at diagnosis, just that his kids graduated several years ahead of me and were nearly out of college when he found out.

  8. strcpy, My best wishes and prayers go out to you and yours. Cancer can be a difficult and demanding roommate to share a body with. But don’t give up hope.

    7 years ago I was diagnosed with a Stage 4 cancer that was located primarily in my tonsils and throat but had spread to my lymph system. I have already lived longer than I was told to expect and am still working full time. I hope that you have similar results.

  10. I’m very sorry to hear that, strcpy. I hope you respond well to treatment. The longer you can hold on, the more chance a genuine cure will be discovered.

  11. My prayers are with you. May you be made well and whole. I hope you beat the odds and if you don’t, there’s a reason.

    One way or the other: It’s not the end; it’s just the beginning.

    Psalms 36:6-11

  12. Praying for you strcpy!! Never, never, never give up. May Saint Michael the Archangel go to battle with you and God please grant you patience and strength.

  13. Don’t know you, but certainly I empathize. In 1991 I was diagnosed with lung cancer. An egg-sized lump and most of my left lung were removed — a nasty experience I wouldn’t repeat. At the time, I didn’t learn that the survival rate for lung cancer was 15 percent; I read that later. But I have been fortunate since: good job, supportive friends; return of cancer “unlikely now;” a gradual and incomplete spiritual overhaul; retirement. I’m old now, and the complications of emphysema will eventually take me, but I’m more or less at peace with my mortality. I was just telling a friend that some greater consciousness appears to determine the major life-and-death events in our lives; that our role is learn from them. Consider putting your life in the hands of that grander self of yours.

  14. Really hope the best for you. Hang in there and don’t surrender. Us 35 years olds have to stick together 🙂

  15. strcpy,
    Sorry to hear the news. I wish you well, and hope everything turns out the way you want it to. Our prayers are with you.

  16. strcpy:

    I hate to hear that man. My wife and I will pray for you. May God bless and keep you through your illness.

  17. Strcpy,

    We live in a world where medical professionals can do amazing things. As Churchill said, never, never, never, never give up.

    Remember to keep good thoughts and to laugh often; as a 3 time survivor, I have found that this is, perhaps, the very best medicine.

    God bless. You will be in all of our prayers.

  18. So sorry to hear this, strcpy. My very best wishes go out to you. Be strong – you can beat this!

  19. strcpy:
    As an oncologist, I urge you to get to a MAJOR cancer center ASAP.
    First of all, you are probably not Stage 4, from what you wrote.
    Second, depending on what’s really going on, you may need skilled surgery. You will definitely need chemo and radiation regardless of surgery.
    Experimental protocols are experimental; that means no one knows whether the experimental treatment arm is better or worse than best established therapy. “Experimental” is not ipso facto a good thing to get.

    Neo has my email address. I will be glad to help one-on-one should you wish. I am retired, but was listed in in Best Docs when I practiced.

  20. strcpy,

    I’m new to neo neocon’s blog and not familiar with you or your philosophy yet I wish you well. Keep your spirit strong.

    Food for thought: If the odds are long and you cross the finish line first the pay out if humongous. Long may you run. 😉

  22. *sigh*

    strcpy, I’m sorry to hear of your illness and I’ll certainly offer prayers for your recovery. Hang in there, friend. That was a brave and strong post you made – shows a lot of strength of character.

    God bless…

  23. strcpy, May God decide that neo and the rest of us need you more than Heaven does!

    I’m a survivor of a somewhat rare childhood cancer. Remember – statistics are a group level indicator and don’t accurately apply to the individual.

    I will add you to my Rosary intentions.

  24. Very sorry to hear of this. Fight like hell and all the best to you. I’m not spiritual but I strongly believe in positive energy and will. Keep yours strong.

  25. unless it is in the supraclavicular lymph nodes, GE junction tumor with nodal metastasis should not be stage IV

    get PET scan
    consider chemoradiation
    restage
    consider esophagogastrectomy

  28. Huan:
    strcpy is a civilian, not a doc, though you clearly are. So clean it up for him; “consider”? What do you mean? I know, but will he?
    He won’t be ordering his own PET, may not know what that is, or why it’s indicated.

  29. Aw, hell strcpy, I’m knocked backwards reading that. God, I’m sorry it’s happening to you.

    Fight the hell out of this, man. Medical science has reached some impressive highs in the fight against cancer, and can accomplish a lot. The specialists at the larger center may indeed have a different viewpoint regarding the severity and survivability of this. So listen to your instincts there and take Tom’s advice: Go to that big center. Second opinions from specialists are never wasted.

  30. “unless it is in the supraclavicular lymph nodes, GE junction tumor with nodal metastasis should not be stage IV”

    Sadly it is. My lymphatic system was were the cancer was first found, the GE cancer was primarily found because of trouble eating. I have little to no other signs that this is going on. It was originally thought I had fairly advanced lymphoma from the original ultrasounds and CT scans. Biopsies and the resultant tumor showed that to not be the case.

    The doctors have some hope that since everything else is turning up good that if the chemo works well that I’ll be outside the study group they are basing statistics on.

    The Doctors pretty much mirrored what was said above but each test was the “this is not likely at all”. This was a large reason for the extended battery of tests and taking so long to give me any answers.

    I do intend on going to one of the major cancer centers, I have my first full meeting with the oncologist tomorrow morning and plan on discussing that and several other things. I needed at least an afternoon to absorb what was said.

    My general feeling is that there are thins I can control and things I can not. For things I can not I have to trust God to do what is right and for those I can I have to use all the tools God has given me to do the right thing. If he wants me now then it is just time, if not then I think He will give me the path to continue on.

    All doctors make mistakes but at least I live in a fairly decent sized city and the primary cancer group is the one for a pretty sizable region of the South East. As such I’m more inclined to figure their diagnosis is correct but for anything this major a second or more opinion is never a bad idea, especially given the low likely hood for success “experimental” treatments can’t really have a lower likely hood.

    I still fell fairly good and I have hope that I will continue to do so.

  31. Well, I hope things go well for you.

    What does “strcpy” stand for? I’ve always been curious about that.

  32. strcpy,
    From your posts it seems you are handling such devastating news much better than I would. You have a great philosphy, and I admire your courage and equanimity. Thanks for sharing this. I hope you will stay in touch.

    Since you are fighting and doing everything you can control, I will join the rest of neo’s group in praying for you. God bless.

  34. strcpy

    nodes next to the esophagus and stomach (regional nodes) would not make it stage IV
    nodes enlarged on endoscopic ultrasound are clinically positive but not necessarily cancerous
    PET scan nodes are more concerning for cancer
    but regional nodes are treatable

    best wishes
    positive attitude, hope and faith have been shown to be advantages. don’t lose them 🙂

    SE cancer centers of note:
    Duke
    Emory
    Gainsville
    Moffett

  36. Sounds like you’re in good hands, strcpy.
    it’s not doubt about the diagnosis that merits a major cancer ctr, it’s primarily the surgical expertise.
    And if the supraclav. (behind/above the collarbone) nodes are involved, surgery is normally out, in favor of chemo plus radiotherapy.

    Your local skills in chemo and radiation may equal those at a major cancer ctr; it depends on the docs, their competence, their aggressiveness on your behalf, and the radiotherapy equipment–IMRT is today widely available.

    Finally, you are not a statistic; statistics just tell you how serious it is, cannot predict how you will do. A median survival time states that half of the patients are dead at X point in time, BUT THE OTHER HALF ARE NOT. Median survival does not predict how you will do.

    Be brave and endure. Good stuff happens too.

  37. Best wishes for a strong recovery that beats the odds, strcpy! Although I’m sure the treatment will be stressful, don’t neglect to make time for wonder, joy, faith, and hope.

  38. Continue to keep strong strcpy, there are a lot of people praying for your health.
    God bless you for sharing this on a day when most people could not have, and keep us updated.

  39. Miracles happen every day. Keep your positive attitude. As another commentor has suggested – find things to laugh at. When I’m feeling down I go to YouTube and watch old Sid Caeser kinescopes. Also Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on first” routine – which never fails to tickle my funnybone. Here’s hoping for the best for you …

  40. strcpy –

    I can’t even begin to fathom what you’re going through now, but I, like everyone else here, will have you in my thoughts.

    Don’t ever feel bashful about coming here for support or whatever we can possibly provide you. I don’t want to sound like a hallmark card, but in the few months I’ve frequented this site, I feel like the “neo” crowd is my internet extended family. You’ve been here at least since I first showed up, and I do feel struck in a deep way by what’s happening to you.

    That’s not tripe, and neither is my heartfelt battle cry:

    FIGHT this bastard. We’re with you.

  41. strcpy –

    My prayers are with you. Perhaps the most powerful prayer is simply “Lord, please help me”.

    Never underestimate the people in your life. When I got sick, I was stunned at the amount of people who reached out to me, it was a real George Bailey moment for me.

    And you cannot go wrong with the Marx Brothers “Duck Soup”.

  42. strcpy,

    You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Neo has built up a tough little family here, and we will all be pulling for you.

  43. strcpy:
    My heart goes out to you, just as with everyone else in here. Please be strong and up beat. We all are thinking of you and praying for you. I, too, am a cancer survivior, having my entire right lung removed 6 years ago and a brain tumor 3 years ago. Still up and at ’em every day. So roll up those sleeves!

  44. Damn, so young.

    My friend defeated breast cancer and her opinion is a positive attitude goes a long way. That’s the only advice I dare give.

  45. I’m a bit late to this, but I wish you the best in your trial. I had a stage 1 melanoma a few years back…nothing compared to what you are going through. But, is was enough to scare me, and the courage you are showing is truly inspirational.

  48. Praying for you here too, strcpy (and for your loved ones as well), for excellent medical care, and for the best treatment possible to be given to you.

  49. Healing happens. I pray for complete and perfect healing for you, and the peace that passes understanding throughout your ordeal.

  50. Praying for you, strcpy. There are many cases of miraculous healing and medical breakthroughs out there, and I’m hoping that you’re one of them.

  53. Best wishes for you. I read neo and comments almost every day, just to get some wisdom but I have never commented until today. Fifteen years ago my fourteen year old daughter was dia. with cancer . She went through expermental coarse of surgery and chemo for 9 months at Stanford U. After which we were told that she would have no children. Fifteen years later she is married with 2 year old twins and a six year old. Also she is a chemo nurse who is taking care of a 18 year old with the same cancer.

  54. Wishing all the best for you, strcpy, and I join others who have commented on how brave and strong and positive you sound, so soon after such shocking news. We are all pulling for you.

    I don’t know whether or not it helps to hear about others who have beaten the odds or not, but others have done it so I’ll join in. I have a friend who was about your age quite a few years ago when she was told — first by her oncologist, then by a larger hospital, then by Sloan-Kettering — that her lung cancer was untreatable and that she should go home, put her affairs in order, and say goodbye to her young children. Instead, she consulted one more doctor (at a big cancer center) who thought surgery was worth trying. She has been cancer free ever since and is now a grandmother. I so hope for a similar ending to your story!

  55. It ain’t over ’til it’s over, or until the fat lady sings, or….
    You can’t get a hit, much less a home run, unless you swing at the ball.

  56. Prayer up from Texas! Although it might be easier to say those prayers if’n I knew how to pronounce strcpy. I fear some strange Russian is gonna get the benefit of “Lord, help out that feller with the name I can’t say”.

    And the folks at my church are gonna look at me weird if I try to put “strcpy” on the prayer list.

  57. Stringcopy! hang in there. My sister (in Nashville) had liver cancer (metastatic), and she was told she had six months to live: she lived for two and a half years after that, and drained every bit of life’s nectar in those years. She went out on a real high note, too, because she was, in her last month, at peace. She was graced with a near-death experience, a hepatic coma: the doctors had the DNR conversation with us and everything. Miraculously she revived, regained speech, and said “I just want to report back to you all what I saw and heard while I was in the coma.

    “God and Jesus are everything they tell us they are. And it doesn’t really matter when we go, because we’re not going anywhere. We’re all One. And it’s all love, love. I heard your prayers for me in my coma, even people who were in different cities; I tried to say ‘I love you, too,’ but no one could hear me.

    “And I finally know and believe how much you all really love Me. And I’m not afraid any more.”

    Hugs, hugs, hugs. Prayers, too. And like the people say, statistics are well-nigh meaningless in any individual case.

  59. strcpy,

    Thank you for sharing the news with us. I’ve enjoyed your thoughts and if I could see you I’d give you a big man hug.

    I will pray for you many more times.

    Love,

    Baklava

  61. “And the folks at my church are gonna look at me weird if I try to put “strcpy” on the prayer list.”

    Haha, I never really used it to hide my name, its like the old CB handles – just something that adds to the fun.

    “Brian Luethke”

    I’m scheduled for Vanderbuilt next week for a specialist on this type of cancer, my local doctors have a fairly aggressive treatment plan that is somewhat more optimistic than they were originally.

    the next big step is my first round of chemo – if the cancer responds well then there is a good chance of remission. Average length of remission is fro a couple of months to a year, however this type of cancer is really unusual outside of unhealthy 60+ so I’m in uncharted territory. The oncologist said if they can get at least 5 years of remissions they would be willing to bet in some major advancements by then.

    So great deal is going to hinge on how the Chemo works (or if Vanderbuilt has some new procedures).

  62. strcpy: get a vowel!

    That is encouraging news. I will be hoping for very good things. I agree that your age may be an advantage—hope so!

  63. strcpy,

    Life circumstances have made it difficult to participate at neo-ville lately, but I recall you and your comments from years ago.

    In aging I’ve realized the dizzying brevity of life, whether it be 20, 40, 60, or 80 yrs. It’s what we do with that time, (cliched to death, I know). Make it count because it’s all prep work for eternity. God uses events, (health, economic, etc.), to bring us back to dependence and eventually trust, in him.
    Follow the excellent advice given here and elsewhere, do what you have to do, then give it to him.

    Prayers for you from me and mine.

    There is a new blog-site dealing with the painful and difficult and God redeeming those situations in amazing ways. Hope to see you there.

    Godmakeslemonade.com

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