So much cancer. đź’” Why???

Anonymous
We just got a call that it’s time to go to say goodbye to another friend with stage 4 cancer. He is early forties with kids. He will be dead by next weekend, likely.

What is going on? Why so much cancer now? I know so many people with cancer lately. And these are super serious cancers: pancreatic, glioblastoma (3 people, one a child), colon, melanoma, lung. They are mostly young too, of the people I know with cancer or who have died of cancer, the majority have been under fifty. And it’s not geographic, these are friends and family across the US. And they haven’t been unusually ill or unhealthy or whatever, they were fine until the day they were aggressively not fine.

I’m just heartbroken but also angry, it feels like something serious is going on. Rates of cancer are rising, this is seen in studies but it is also my reality. I don’t want more calls like this and it feels like I’m getting more not less.

I don’t really even know what to say. I’m just angry and upset and putting that out into the world.
Anonymous
I’m seeing this a ton as well as a doctor. I try to live in the moment. I don’t know if tomorrow is promised to me. My money is on microplastics.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing this a ton as well as a doctor. I try to live in the moment. I don’t know if tomorrow is promised to me. My money is on microplastics.


OP here. I know I am emotional now but I am seriously thinking of retiring early, I feel I may not get a retirement. I’m all over the place tonight. I know it’s just processing and grief but I feel so hopeless.
Anonymous
Op - you’ve known 3 people who got glioblastoma?!

That’s a lot for a pretty rare cancer.

I have acquaintances who have had (and beat) breast cancer and a cousin who lost a battle with colon cancer.

I don’t feel like it’s everywhere, but maybe my circle is smaller than yours.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Op - you’ve known 3 people who got glioblastoma?!

That’s a lot for a pretty rare cancer.

I have acquaintances who have had (and beat) breast cancer and a cousin who lost a battle with colon cancer.

I don’t feel like it’s everywhere, but maybe my circle is smaller than yours.


OP here. Yes. One a child, one age 80, one 45. All dead now. Not geographically centered either.

I have a larger social and family circle because of a fairly large extended family but it’s not that crazy.
Anonymous
Could be pills. Years of these chemicals does something to your body. And pills upon pills interact.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Could be pills. Years of these chemicals does something to your body. And pills upon pills interact.


OP. What pills?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Could be pills. Years of these chemicals does something to your body. And pills upon pills interact.


Lots of the people I’m seeing with cancer are young and healthy and not on any pills.

- PP who is the doctor
.

Anonymous
I’m seeing it too OP, friends, family and coworkers and my own child was precancerous and will be monitored for life. Most no genetic history. I think environmental triggers will be found to be:

Microplastics, chemicals in our foods banned elsewhere, pesticides and pollution
Anonymous
I'm seeing a lot of cancer too, though largely in older people. But I'm not talking 90--I'm talking 60s and 70s. I don't know if the rate of cancer has increased but it definitely seems like the leading cause of death among people I know.
Anonymous
Sadly this is nothing new. We don’t have good preventative care to catch it early.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Sadly this is nothing new. We don’t have good preventative care to catch it early.


This is my thought. I’m sure with environmental reasons there is more cancer, but agree with above. This is not new.

We talk about cancer a lot more than my parents did. It was “the c word”. We know a lot more people now than we did at age 20. Also as we age, the greater the risk and the more the occurrence of certain types of cancer. Out circle of friends is getting older. Also I can hear about people all over the world. I see something shared related to a cancer in my social media feed a lot.

Breast cancer numbers are definitely up! There is more today because more women are getting tested and it’s being detected earlier. This ironically is a good thing.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Op - you’ve known 3 people who got glioblastoma?!

That’s a lot for a pretty rare cancer.

I have acquaintances who have had (and beat) breast cancer and a cousin who lost a battle with colon cancer.

I don’t feel like it’s everywhere, but maybe my circle is smaller than yours.


DP I know one 50+ man with glioblastoma so that's my only personal knowledge, but I have definitely heard of more cases lately or the information is just more widely available.
Anonymous
I feel likes it's a phase of life:

-Young and single
-People couple up and get married
-Have babies
-Around the time kids are in late ES and early MS, people start divorces
-Around this same time and through kids in HS, friends and parents and friends of parents start getting cancer. In my circle, mostly breast cancer, but also colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and also bladder cancer. It's hard for immediate families and I felt like I was forever making meals for others
-Then it's care-giving for your parents
-Parents die
-Your own kids start having kids and now you're the Grandparent

Rinse, repeat
Anonymous
The food and chemicals that were in the house of my host family in 90s, would get anyone sick. My body recognize the lousy food, but the kids had no chance. They never knew the difference.
The family trusted the government would never allowed harmful chemical or bad food to be sold. They went on and on how great their country is. I grew up eating locally grown, organics meat, milk, vegetables. I got sick eating the cereal alone. The sugar really got me.
We just buried a 40-year old. She was the youngest of the family that moved here early 90s. They also think all products must be safe to use if sold in stores.
Both families would pull out breeze and spray it in closed room as if it really cleaned the air.
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