Cancer To Be Or Not To Be Let'n Go

This book is an example of what could happen when someone gets a latent stage of cancer and learns to deal with it while going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The story time line is completely true and talks about real emotions, fears, and problems being faced through the healing process with their rewards. It even gives examples of both in various chapters. Again Ms Anderson has taken her cleverness of combining her short stories to tell a larger story in this book. This is her third real try at telling her stories and this one is about a cancer survival story, so she hopes to keep your attention. Ms Anderson chose to write this book as a first person and changed her name to Carla instead of using her real name Paula Jean or PJ. She felt that if the story was told as a first person that the reader will be drawn into the story and possibly experience some of the emotions, fears, and problems that she faced while going through actual cancer treatments. What you are about to read this book will seem familiar in many ways because Ms Anderson had shared similar ideals in her past books. There are many of us grew up believing that woman should be subordinate to men and that marriage should be taken seriously. The Bible also teaches this idea. In Jeremiah 3:8 the prophet talks about being allowed to divorce under the circumstances of adultery. Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 19 verifies this premise. On Impulse, Carla commits adultery and was caught up in her sin. In fact, the person that she committed adultery with had already tried to kill himself in the past by overdosing on alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and marijuana. This all caused him to suffer a severe heart attack at an early age of 42 years old. He had several stints placed but even today continues to follow the above path. After some time she completely stopped her interactions with him, her life started to change for the better. She was able to live a less stressful life. The problem is she would be by herself. She would continue to make many financial mistakes and decisions through being impulsive. In hindsight Carla would regret some of these decisions, but in the long run would learn to accept these mistakes and chalk them up to growing pains. Carla was rewarded for her faithfulness. She continued to work as a Registered Nurse with the Texas state hospital system was placed in charge as a Charge Nurse during the night shift on an acute psychiatric unit. Due to her returning to work to soon, she couldn't accept this position and ended up working on a Geriatric Medical unit. While working on this unit she is finding some peace and solitude. She even has been excelling in her position and has been allowing herself to grow as a stronger nurse. Because she wants to be the best nurse possible for the clients that she cares for, she tends to be an overachiever and does more that her peers mainly without being asked to do so. Carla still is impulsive because she tends to end up being in the middle of conflicts and does continue to say some things that she doesn't mean. Sometimes these conflicts cause Carla and her peers to become hurt emotionally and psychologically. During the Diagnosis Process, Carla finds out that she does have a severe medical problem. This problem was found purely by accident when she was riding on a motorcycle ride with a few friends to Austin, Texas for The Republic of Texas Bike Fest. During this ride (which she lead), she complete almost passed out. Part of this was due to the heat, but the rest was related to a medical problem that she wasn't aware of at the time. Carla did survive this event with no further complications. Shortly after this event, Carla had a lump the size of a small baseball on the left side of her neck. She had just had her lower teeth removed due to a potential abscess and had just finished up a 10 day round of antibiotics. Because this lump was starting to affect her swallowing and breathing she decided to inform her primary doctor. This doctor did see her the same day that Carla called her. Once the doctor made her initial assessment, Carla was sent immediately to the main Audi Murphy Veterans Hospital for a CAT scan of her neck region. For Carla going through a CAT scan caused her to face one of her first fear. This was the fear of being confined to tight spaces. Carla will face more fears similar to this during the diagnostic process. A Cancer Diagnosis, as Carla was diagnosed with a large mass on the side of her neck, she started to become afraid. She knew through being a nurse for so many years, that this mass could be Cancer. The level of the Cancer could be minor or a Stage 1, or serious a Stage 4. She also knew that some of her close friends have died from Cancer, so she needed some real answers. The diagnostic process took the Eye, Ears, Nose, and Throat (ENT) clinic a month to diagnose the Cancer. Carla was at the VA hospital a lot during the month of July 2011. She was poked at with needles and had a complete body scan to assure that the Cancer was only localized. Through these various tests Carla was very afraid and asked member of her church to be there for her to see her through the testing and the final diagnosis. Finally by the end of July Carla did find out her answer. She was diagnosed with a Stage 4 Cancerous Mass that affected at least 3 Nodes in her neck. This mass was so large that it was 180 degrees wrapped around her internal jugular artery, which is very serious. The good part is that the mass was only localized to her neck. Once Carla heard this diagnosis she definitely continued to be very afraid. She became very tearful and knew that soon she would have to make some major decisions quickly. This was to decline treatment or to undergo treatment. Research and a Major Decision, in this Chapter Carla talks about some of the research that she did about her Cancer. She did talk to emergency counselors at the Cancer Research Center locally and at their main headquarters. While doing so she was very tearful because she still knew that a decision still had to be made about her Cancer. This Cancer center was very helpful. Through them Carla found out that on the positive end, that the Cancer she had has about a 93-95% turn around or cure rate. On the negative aspect is in some cases this cancer can return. Of course receiving this news made it even more difficult for Carla to make her decision. She was torn at many levels. She was also confused because she had never really been this close to having to face death herself. Finally Carla had to place her life and decision into the hands of her believer Jesus Christ. "For I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance." Philippians 1:19, the New International Version (NIV) Bible. "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; and be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13; the New International Version (NIV) Bible. Now that you have read some of these teaser chapters Ms Anderson will get to the meat of her true Cancer story. I hope that you enjoy what you read. Sometimes a military career changes our lifestyle and way of thinking about life. This is similar to the story that you will see is the cases in this book. Finally Ms Anderson shares the love that she has for her Brother Jesus, and Father God. She knows that if she passes, or her body dies in this world, that she will finally be in her new home in Heaven.