My housemate was diagnosed with lung cancer three weeks ago. She's 68 and this is her third round. First was melanoma in her 30's, the second bout called for part of her colon to be removed last year. Now she has a tumor the size of an apple in her lung and attached to the chest wall and there is another tumor near one of her ears. I didn't know about that one until I spoke with her son last week. I think she's been trying to keep this whole ordeal low key, but you can't really keep this kind of stuff on the down low. She started chemo and radiation last week. Radiation will be once a day M-F and chemo will be three times a week. They are trying to shrink the lung apple before they crack her chest open and remove it.

She's been living at her son's for a week now, since our place is 45 stairs up on the third floor and the treatments make her really tired. If her kids have their way, she'll move out of our place and stay in the East Bay where they can look after her. She's fiercely independent and It makes me sad to think she might be losing her independence as well as having to live so far away from all the regular things in her life. She's lived in SF for over 45 years.

I've never been this close to someone going through cancer treatment and it's making me very sad.