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Cancer and an Accellerated Life
One of my younger brothers is in the hospital recovering from surgery from colon cancer. He seems to be doing well and the family has been suppor
tive. My nieces went to the trouble of having Thanksgiving dinner a week early so that he could enjoy it. My sister and my nieces have worked hard to keep the family intact. I'm grateful.
My grandfather Clarence Bott had colon cancer and died of it in 1937, he was only forty-two. He was adopted by Jaob Bott and it's possible that his father died of colon cancer and that is the reason for the adoption. My father was only thirteen when his father died. In 1970 my uncle Bob died from the disease, again at age forty-two. In 1992 Bob's son, also named Bob, died at age thirty-five. My older brother Brad got colon cancer and had surgery but died of a heart attack while recovering. He was only forty-eight.
There have been other kinds of cancer in the family and other problems. I read a report saying this defective gene also expresses itself in ovarian cancer. One of my sisters and other relatives have contracted that.
My father died in a car accident when he was forty-two years old. He had the defective gene and there is a good chance he would have come down with col
on cancer had he lived.
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Not long ago a representative from Human Resources came to our center telling us that the company would be offering us health care if we retired. The rule thus far had been that we couldn't get health care until we turned fifty-five. We could collect our pension anytime after thirty years of service but no health care. This change was incredible and meant I could retire in the coming year.
We didn't receive our promised information packets in the mail and eventually we were told that the health care was being offered but not to our center. The announcement had been a mistake.
The letdown was substantial.
Now I have to wait until I'm fifty-five. That will give me thirty-seven years with the company. I am not complaining. I know innumerable people who would love to be able to retire at fifty-five. Working another sixteen months will be more of an annoyance than a hardship.
As I've written, my genetic history give me a sense of urgency.
I read once. At fifty you still have time, but no time to waste. Truer words were never spoken.