Nothing to worry about

I had my first scan of this year yesterday morning (stayed in the day hospital for nearly a day, as they also checked my blood values and you always have to wait a while for the results). Once more, a good result! My condition remains stable and nothing bad is happening to my body. I suppose a lot of other cancer patients would wish for that.

It helps, of course, that I live in Belgium. Here, the study of cancer and how it can be treated is very much advanced and about the best in the world. Moreover, if you take an extra insurance above the amount everyone pays automatically with the wages or pension, you don't have to pay a dime - unless you go for treatment that is not yet recognized. In my case, my oncologist told me there are three ways of treating me. They have to start with the first one, which is medication (pills that are a sort of chemo). Next would be immunology. But the longer I can do with the pills, the better. Perhaps by that time there will be other ways of treatment already.

Our scientists claim that in ten years' time cancer will be some sort of chronic disease, easily treatable. That's great news and I hope it become reality. Now, even with all the advanced treatment methods, people still die of cancer. When I got my diagnosis, four other in my circle of acquqintances got the same news. By now, two and a half year later, I'm the only one around.

So, I do realize that a good health is the highest value in the world. What can money do, when you're terminally ill? Just look at the former sultan of Oman. All the riches in the world, but he died anyway. They couldn't even help him in Leuven.