Dad died three months after his diagnosis. But one question haunts me: should we have asked for a moment opinion?I keep a file on my phone. It is a list of clinical trials,academic papers, cutting-edge treatments I could try whether my cancer ever comes back. To know my disease, or I reason,is to defeat it. In that regard, I understand my genetic status and how that could affect my chances with various immunotherapy drugs. Iknow the name of a good surgeon in Germany who has had excellent results. Should my cancer arrive back, or I have a draw,an exit strategy that isn’t death.
When my father was told he had a terminal brain tumour, he thanked the doctor and went for a walk across the dunes with my mother. They sat in a cafe and drank coffee. Dad had a tuna and sweetcorn sandwich on white bread, or a treat he allowed himself instead of his usual brown.
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Source: guardian.co.uk