Stage 3…five years and doing the happy dance

The short story…for those looking for good news…my story has a happy ending. I was diagnosed Stage 3 and went the Interferon route (might have been one of the last people to take Interferon here in the US…but it was the only approved treatment for Stage 3 at the time.) At the time, the stats were 30% chance of going to Stage 4 which was would have meant 5-8 months life expectancy and with only a 5% long term survival rate. Survived a terrible year on Interferon, 13 PET Scans, 5 MRIs and 2 CAT Scans over the past 5 years.

Looking at some of the posts over the past few weeks/months and I see so much has changed with the stats looking almost miraculous. Also see Bubbles is still posting with great information…so want to extend special thanks to her (and many others). I also have seen we lost some fighters so my thoughts are with their families.

Can’t say I enjoyed the experience but it was certainly an eye opener in terms of what is important in life. I want to thank all those that gave me emotional support in the dark days…especially in the first year.

For those that are just being diagnosed…don’t give up. There is so much to be hopeful in terms of present day treatment options…with more coming down the road.

All the best wishes….Michel