Hmmm, interesting thread. I'd forgotten about it entirely.

So back when this was started I had no idea that I'd soon be faced with EXACTLY what this discussion is all about. When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer in May of this year, I really didn't know WHAT to tell anyone, let alone the good friends I'd made at Mudcat. I wasn't actually being TREATED for anything....I was just waiting for an available operating date for something that I was told would be VERY risky...not just the removal of a kidney, but trying to stop things from spreading. I continued to post in my normal 'tongue in cheek' way, and only told a couple of folks that I was feeling 'a bit under the weather'. Same thing in real life. Only Heather and her sister knew how grave the situation was.

My feeling was that telling folks the extent of my illness would have been a colossal downer, and no matter WHAT the outcome, would have changed the nature of all my relationships forever. I chose to be as cheerful as my situation allowed, and I got lucky in that I had a superb surgeon and the operation date came through in time (I'm fine now), but I WAS getting to the point where I was going to write a 'farewell' to my fellow Mudcatters, and a separate one that would have gone on my website. Guess I would have made quite a few phone calls as well....and tried to keep them as "up" as possible.

I look at the situation now, and I don't see it as morbid....just a part of the process.....but BOY!! Am I glad I didn't HAVE to write that final post!! Ha Ha!

Cheers, and good thread kat.

Rick