Dying of Cancer

My mom died in 2023 from ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed in 2022, underwent surgery to remove a large tumor, underwent chemotherapy and died in July of 2023. There were no experimental drug trials offered as alternative therapies. There was no semblance of medical science advances. No antibodies against a specific protein on a cancer cell. No attempts to stop cancer cells from growing by targeting angiogenesis. No oncolytic viruses were injected into her body to take out cancer cells. No RNA anti-sense drugs, no RNA interference, no DNA gene therapy, no new anything. Just surgery, chemotherapy, death. 

And it was not a very good existence. My mom became weak to the point we were ready to put her into a nursing facility. She lost her appetite often and simply had to force herself to eat something for energy. In the end we found her lying on the couch unable to get up. We called 911. She went to the hospital. The nurse told us that our mom would be released later that day. Nope, was our response. Two days later my mom passed away at the age of 77.

I suppose this is how we go. At 77 you are in danger of succumbing to a number of things. Our cells have kept us going for over 28,000 days. We wake up with renewed energy. We go to bed with the energy spent. We wake up recharged. Along the way we may do bad things regarding diet and exercise. We may breath in air pollution. We may challenge our systems with drugs, alcohol, and/or tobacco. When we feel something is wrong we go to the doctor and they diagnose the symptoms. 

As each day comes and goes we are one day closer to the end. As we approach the age of 77 we are getting close. We don't know how long we have but that is for the best. A positive attitude can go a long way. 

Sleep is biochemistry inside the brain. Our bodies need to sleep so our cells can be replenished. There is a cleansing process that occurs during stage 4 sleep. There is a pleasant dream phase called REM. If we drink too much the biochemistry shuts down the day in a sudden sleep. We call that passing out. We awake before the normal amount of sleep feeling poisoned. Food can also affect the sleep process. Too much Western society fast food or processed food will also cause trouble. A day of eating mostly vegetables and natural food with a fair amount of exercise that ends at the same hour (no drugs/alcohol/cigarettes) will lead to a pleasant nights sleep with an awakening with restored energy. 

In the end my mom was not pleased with how she slept. She awoke with little energy. She made her way to the recliner where she would spend the day. Good Morning America was followed by Gunsmoke, Leave It to Beaver, Happy Days, The View... The last show made her an angry old person. The old time shows made her happy as if in a state of REM sleep. No mental challenges. The future was filled with chemotherapy and ultimately death. I don't mean to be depressing but for her it had become real. She did not have the energy to fight back. 

So that is all. Cancer is wrapped up in the complexity of our DNA. It makes itself known when we can no longer stop the force it has on the overall system. We have little to show for our research. Just money spent and careers of the successful scientists.