“Maybe it will go away” are the five most dangerous words in the English language.

Sign in a Medical Office

Cancer is insidious. It sneaks up on you when you least expect it.

At age 68 my husband James was healthy and active. He was a runner, averaging about 70 kilometres on a weekly basis. Early mornings, (we’re talking 5:00 a.m.) he would run anywhere from 3 to 12 km. Every day. Every, every, day. Rain, heat, snow, wind, didn’t matter. He’s like that. 

In August of 2014, James was just finishing a 12 km run. He felt an extraordinarily sharp pain in his right leg. It stopped him in his tracks but after a brief rest he walked the rest of the way home. 

That sharp pain was his warning bell.

James could not run after this incident — it just hurt too much. However, he could walk, garden, and ride his motorcycle. He was thinking he had pulled something in his knee and it would get better. On its own.

Now, it’s a known fact women seek medical advice sooner and more frequently than men. I don’t think my husband is any more stubborn than anyone else; it’s a common trait. The difference is what a person chooses to be stubborn about. James is stubborn about reaching out and asking for help. Especially medical help. (Again, not too unusual.)

I’m including this part of the story because it’s an important aspect to many cancer diagnoses. Most of us at some point have said “Maybe it will go away”.

This particular insidious and sneaky cancer was hiding behind my husband’s robust health. He’d never really been sick before and was not on any medications. Not even so much as a statin. That’s what kept him from calling his Doctor, and when he did, and other medical resources became involved, the predominant explanation was that the pain was the result of a runner’s injury. 

So, everybody missed it. 

In the meantime, we were trying to plan a vacation. We wanted to fly to Phoenix Arizona, rent a Harley-Davidson and tour about. Well, a rider needs all of his/her faculties and especially so if I’m the one on the backseat. We were starting to butt heads over what to do.

Until… we had to call 911. We’ll continue the story next week.

Stay safe everyone.

Anne Milne is an every Sunday blogger.  Temporarily, this blog will be focussed on telling our cancer story. Please share if you know someone who may benefit. Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.