Living With Cancer
and still loving life
Most of us know someone who is dealing with cancer, or we have cancer ourselves. One in eight Americans will develop prostate or breast cancer sometime during their lifetime, or get a different cancer. You may not be aware of others having cancer because we don’t talk about such things, especially men when they get prostate cancer because it makes them feel less than. Cancer scares us like nothing else because we think that if we get it, we will die. This is no longer the case if our cancer is detected early and treatments are begun.
What I want to do is further the conversation. I will post every so often, either about my journey with cancer as it continues to unfold, or about what others have said about their cancers. I’ll describe the medical procedures and therapies, but I’ll also share stories of how it feels to have cancer and still find a way to enjoy every day. On some days, the enjoyment part is hard to do.
Three years ago, I found out I had prostate cancer, but it wasn’t the kind that most men get where they can sit back and watch to see if it does anything. Mine was aggressive and something had to be done now. I ended up going through internal brachytherapy radiation where radioactive needles were inserted into my prostate, and five weeks of daily external photon radiation. I was also on a chemotherapy drug called leuprolide for a year that stopped the production of all the testosterone in my body. Each of the therapies has had significant side effects, and I’ll talk about them.
Dealing with cancer is not for the faint of heart, but we don’t have a choice if we want to live. During my treatments, I experienced the grace of fellowship with other cancer patients and felt the deep compassion of the nurses and doctors who come to work every day to keep people alive. They held me up.
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I want you to know that you are not alone.
Thank you for taking a look!
Mark
© 2025 Mark Liebenow