My father died 23 years ago today from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He was 59. He did not drink or smoke and seemed to live a life in generally good health. His illness and death caught the family off guard.
Cancer does that. It hides from us; it steals from us. I reflect on how much his cancer took away from my family. His grandchildren, all graduated from college now, lived their life without his presence. His friends, neighbors, co-workers, customers, lived their lives void of the help, wisdom, and passion that he had to share.
The anniversary of his death stirred me to visit the NIH (National Institutes of Heath) PubMed website and type “hyperthermia” and “non-Hodgkins lymphoma” into the search bar. Two studies popped up, showing positive clinical response treating with hyperthermia back in 1996. study 1 study 2
I was surprised at the result. Part of me reflected, “maybe the doctors could have done more,” or “did I miss an opportunity to find a better treatment.” I take a bit of solace that in 1992, our “great age of information” was still six years away. Google search did not exist.
Now, there is certainly no excuse to be uninformed. If you, your family member or friend, have cancer, search “hyperthermia cancer.” You don’t have to be an advocate, just be informed. Find out what the research says about how hyperthermia benefits cancer therapies. If you have your own story about hyperthermia, please share it.
Surviving cancer is not just about you. It is about those of us left behind.