Resolutions for 2024?

True.Toxic friends or relationship can make your life miserable and often depressed.Life is too short to not to cast them away from your life

I'm on my friend.
Luckily I don't have toxic friends to get rid of.My only issue is shortage of money and struggling to make ends meet. I'm 72 and out of work and so no income or assistance to support me with my basic every day living requirements.

Thank you for your kind words…I’m keep telling myself daily that I did the right thing but as you know there’s always those days when you keep doubting yourself. Someone told me once when I found out I had cancer, make peace with your life…this was coming from from my younger sister who happens to be the cruelest person to me, that was a mouthful. I know at the end of the day it’s what matters that counts, yesterday has passed, tomorrow hasn’t happened yet, we live in the present and that’s why we call it a gift.

When I was first diagnosed, I got something like the same advice from the Canadian Cancer society website. Right after diagnosis, lying alone in the middle of the night in a hospital bed, I went to the section on advanced cancer, and it basically said in more-polite terms "put your affairs in order and prepare to die." 😕

That was a low point for me. Fortunately, my oncology team was more clued-in and helped me to understand that these days stage 4 cancer doesn't always mean the end is nigh, and that I still have many years of living left to do.

@northoftheborder, thank you for your understanding…I never felt optimistic about my cancer even though I was stage 1b and later on I was 1a..you would think that I’d get positive feedback about early detection…this was not the case, I have a thoracic surgeon who performed both operations but before I had the second treatment he was speaking very negatively to me about my condition…without much explanation he tells me we’re trying to get you another year and also he was commenting on another nodule that he was sure it would turn to cancer…he said they can’t remove it surgically but perhaps I might have to to do radiation. I never felt comfortable with this doctor, he might be a good surgeon but he lacks the basic skills of compassion and empathy. I would have gladly changed doctors but this isn’t possible. I have never been on a social media and I don’t plan to but it really was a good choice to come here, I don’t feel so alone or doomed as before and reading about the successful treatments and how long people are living today with stage 4 cancer, this is very encouraging and better than medicine. I recently saw a program about lung cancer and they said it was the only cancer that was declining in death rates, this is due to early detection and the better scans they have today, this is very encouraging news for those of us who always felt so hopeless. Good luck to you and stay strong and positive.

I'm happy it helped. Everyone's situation is different. I've lost friends quickly, and I've had friends and relatives survive 20+ years with conditions that were supposed to be quickly terminal.

While my whole extended family was concerned about me and my cancer (and the spinal injury that went with it), one young relative died suddenly from an allergic reaction, and another even-younger one had a major stroke during routine surgery (they're working hard at rehab, just like I am).

None of us knows our best-before date. A cancer diagnosis doesn't change that; it just makes it harder to pretend otherwise.

That’s very true, only God knows when it’s our time, the staging of cancer is also something that I’ve read isn’t accurate either. I always think about my friend Billy, he received a complete lung transplant and was told that he would get about 3-5 more years to live…he was able to live 16 more years, in fact his case is in the medical journals for having reached such a long gift of life…later on he travelled around giving speeches about the benefits of organ donation, it was his way of giving back. It’s because I have had the privilege of being his friend that I can calm myself down when I get afraid…sending you lots of positive energy and also to tell you that I will keep you in my prayers🙏👍

I agree with everyone. One day at a time. If you mess up. Wake up the next day and start over. If you want to have fun the Mayo Clinic locations are always looking for volunteers. I volunteer at 3 different locations. SO much fun seeing many people every day. Every day is different and interesting. I look forward to each day I volunteer. And you are appreciated by everybody you meet.

I can relate. For 2024, I also plan to divest myself from negative and destructive people. Other people can bring you down. I won’t allow that anymore.

I agree with you and tell myself all the time that I made the right decision and when I have days where I feel unsure about my decision I reach out to the good people here and share my thoughts, this usually helps me a lot, thank you for your support.