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Thank you for sharing your story. It is really moving and helps me understand the perspective of one that was diagnosed. So many of my circle of friends are getting cancer diagnoses that I almost feel as if t was creeping towards me. (In fact two were recently diagnosed a few weeks apart.) Although you feel deep shame about your smoking, I just want to say that cancer is a disease with so many causes we just don't know why, sometimes. But I'm glad that you've kept healthy all these years.

Thank you again for sharing.

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Jun 1, 2023Liked by Patrick Jordan

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This was such a moving thing to read, thanks for writing it. I think one of the only things harder than to have it yourself is to see someone you love going through this. My Mom was diagnosed and I helped her through her whole journey, to the end (and it wasn't the cancer so much as all the things done to excise it from the body). May you stay cancer and illness free. I feel like this kind of experience can help anyone better cope with the other issues that life throws at you. May you continue to be a grounding force in the center of the storm!

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Wow, Patrick! That is a very emotional note you penned! Thank you for sharing and I'm so happy you are cancer-free!

I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Melanoma behind my left ear in 2018. The doctors were quite concerned because it was a form of skin cancer and it was close to my brain. So, I underwent surgery to have it excised. The good news was the biopsy of the margins was clear so I only required one surgery; however, during the check to see if the cancer had entered any of my lymph nodes, the head of the University of Washington radiology department expressed concern about the size of some lymph nodes in my chest.

At this time, Paul Allen was undergoing treatment and subsequently died of lymphoma. I was also scared and concerned.

Fortunately, after many tests and some biopsies, I was declared free of lymphoma but diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease called Sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is usually associated with firefighters and those exposed to lots of smoke. Go figure.

Anyway, my Sarcoidosis is under control and my Melanoma has not come back. Fingers crossed.

So, Patrick, I have empathy and appreciation for what you've gone through and hope you never have cancer again!

Your friend, Ernie

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