Emily, that is crazy how our situations sound just about identical! While it does suck to not know "why" you get cancer, especially while you're so healthy and at a young age, I completely agree about having the advantage of being able to bounce back quicker. It's a double edged sword, really. On the one hand, getting it at a young age is horrible (getting it at ANY age is horrible, but I believe everyone understands what I mean) because of the reality that even with advancements in the medical field, nothing is guaranteed. Of course that doesn't at all lower my spirits in terms of being completely confident I'll kick it's butt, but I am a realist and I do understand how serious it is, I just don't focus on that aspect. On the other hand, our bodies can handle more and recover much much faster. My age was the main reason I wasn't given a flap, they said my body is strong enough to heal well without one. Also, there are worse things than not being able to eat spicy food anymore. I would learn to deal with that. I will definitely take you up on the PM offer. =]
Fishman, reading that provided me with the best laugh I've had in a while! Thank you for that!
Barbara, I completely agree with you! I love my girlfriend to death for all she's been doing for me and how much she's been here, my family as well. But that alone time to relax when it's just me and Timber is time that really just lets me rest, all while I can sit back and reflect on things and still have company and relieve some of the built up stress. I actually wrote a paper for my college psychology class about the effects animals have on people, and there are studies that show so many positive effects, such as simply petting an animal releases endorphins that help you relax. There was also another study I focused on that talked about how kids with autism who generally don't connect with anyone and hate being touched, find ways to really connect with dogs because the dogs love unconditionally and they show such patience with the kids. A lot of people highly underestimate the value of having pets.
