MESOTHELIOMA SURVIVOR PAGE - THERE IS HOPE

Dear Fellow Cancer Patient:
Dear Fellow Cancer Patient:

No one likes to read a lengthy letter, but maybe this will help you have a better chance of conquering your cancer and improving the quality of your life. I'm Dick Bloch. In March, 1978 I was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and given 3 months to live by an outstanding doctor. I am now healthy, cancer free, and devoting myself along with my wife, Annette, to helping the next person with cancer have the best chance of beating it. I'm not saying you can have the same success I did, but if you try, you have a chance.

The biggest and the hardest single thing that you will be required to do in the entire battle is to make up your mind to really fight it. You must, on your own, make the commitment that you will do everything in your power to fight your disease. No exceptions. Nothing halfway. Nothing for the sake of ease or convenience. Everything! Nothing short of it. When you have done this, you have accomplished the most difficult thing you will have to accomplish throughout your entire treatment. And I don't care how serious or how minor you are led to believe your cancer is.

If it is minor, great. Your commitment should not be difficult to abide by. If you are told you are going to die in 3 months or 3 years or whatever, then it makes that commitment that much more vital. There are a lot of "terminal" people alive, healthy and cancer free. There is no type of cancer from which some people have not been cured. There is no type of cancer for which there is no treatment.

To give up requires no commitment. You can stay in the comfort of your own lifestyle. Fighting means a complete change of lifestyle, absolutely leaving your comfort zone. There will be doctors doing things you might not like. There will be lots of work for you to do. There might even be some pain and suffering and certainly, lots of new and unexpected experiences. You must decide that the end is worth the means because you are the only one who can do it. No one else can do it for you. There is no half way. It's all the way. But when it is all said and done, no matter what the results, I've never met anyone who felt it was not the best way. Go for it with no second thoughts or regrets.

Remember, once you have made the commitment, everything else is relatively easy. There will be pleasant experiences. There will be unpleasant experiences. But I can promise you it is not as difficult as making the decision to make the commitment.

The next step you must take is acquiring knowledge. You, personally, must find out all you can about your disease. When you try, you will be amazed how simple and interesting it is, and I assume you have no medical background. First and foremost, talk to your personal doctor who diagnosed you. Be certain to tape record or write down all his answers. You are not a professional and you will be confused and forget. After a while, you will be amazed at what you understand. And remember, this is your life. It isn't your doctor's, it isn't anyone else's. If you want help, you had better help yourself first. Later you can count on others to help you.

Find out what kind of cancer you are supposed to have. This would include type, stage, grade, location, size, spread, receptors, differentiation, virulence, type of treatments it is receptive to, type of treatments your doctor believes it is not receptive to, and anything else your doctor can tell you. Telephone 1-800-4-CANCER. This is the U.S. Government's Cancer Information Service. Everything is free. Ask for a PDQ state-of-the-art cancer treatment printout for your type and stage of cancer. This will show you the recognized standard therapy for your specific disease. Next ask for a PDQ printout of clinical trials for your specific type and stage of cancer from the entire U.S. This will tell you briefly about every experimental therapy currently available for your disease. Get accustomed to calling 1-800-4-CANCER for most things you want to know and be very specific in what you request. The wonderful people there are trying to help you but they can't guess what you're thinking.