Exellently said, Leroy. I couldn't agree more.

Sent by Nancy K. Clark | 9:47 AM ET | 11-15-2006

Leroy, your words are exactly right, and they don't just apply to cancer. So many of us seem to re-live our pasts and wish we could go back in time to change something. But we cannot. "Don't waste any precious energy on worrying about the past" are words many of us should post on our bathroom mirrors and read every day. We cannot change the past, but we can still change our futures. Regardless of how you got there, wherever you are now is your starting point. We all should expend our energy on the real question: "where do I go from here?"

Keep fighting, keep writing, and keep the faith, my friend.

Sent by Joe Robertson | 9:49 AM ET | 11-15-2006

I agree completely. How someone gets cancer is irrelevant once one has it. Put your energy into living each day and getting better or at least surviving. Once you have cancer, nothing is going to change the fact that you developed cancer. That being said, I'd love to know what caused my lymphoma four years ago, but purely from a curiosity point of view and looking at it from a distance.

Hang in there Leroy! Congratulations on proving them wrong again!

Sent by Art Ritter | 9:51 AM ET | 11-15-2006

I agree with you about people with cancer not wasting time worrying about why they got cancer. It makes sense to focus precious energy on other things...like healing and living each day to the fullest. However, as a deeply affected family member of several loved ones who currently have cancer or have died of cancer in the past, I can't help but try to pinpoint some things that may have triggered it. I do this not for the purpose of assigning blame, nor for having it all make sense, and not even purely for the selfish reason that I don't want to get it if I can possibly avoid it...but because I have a son and other relatives I don't want to see affected by it. My brain can't help but compare the habits of the family members that got it with the habits of the ones that didn't. Though I will probably never know if Im right, I do have some theories. Some of them are conventional (eat more veggies, less red meat, keep pesticides and harsh chemicals out of the house) and some are not (I'm suspicious about marijuana use and dental full head x-rays).

Logically, I know that trying to predict what is and is not "healthy" is probably about as accurate as pulling a number out of a hat. Medical professionals and studies change their minds about such things all the time. Still, a mother has to go with her instincts and do the best she can. Im not out to win a popularity contest. I'll be promoting the things my gut tells me are healthy and discouraging things Im worried about. Even if it's futile, I am comforted by the thought that I'll never look back with regret because I'll know that I did the best I could for my family with the limited information I had.

Mr. Sievers, thank you again for what you do. I look forward to your thought provoking words every day. I wish for you and also for my family members with cancer a true blue honest to goodness miracle, complete elimination of the cancer from your bodies. For everyone else, I wish for a true medical cure or a definitive answer on what causes it for preventative reasons.

Sent by Nichole | 10:31 AM ET | 11-15-2006

Hey, Leroy,

I second the motion.

Sent by Ruth White | 10:33 AM ET | 11-15-2006

Thank you for talking about this. I am a breast cancer survivor as of today and have left all blaming thoughts behind me. It will truly suck the energy out of a person by carrying on the blame. Nobody knows when the end comes and living every day as the last is very important.

Thank you for your great comments. I look forward to reading it every day.

Sent by Inger Bowen | 10:34 AM ET | 11-15-2006

While it is true that we don't know what causes cancer, and we should never blame people for getting cancer, I think its important to distinguish between agonizing over the past (bad) and learning from it (good). If there are lessons there, people shouldn't ignore them. And for those who don't have cancer (yet, at least), I think minimizing potential risks is valuable, albeit not a guarantee of anything.

Delving into the past, wondering about causation, wanting to design and understand prevention methods, in that it can inspire research into the causes of and cures for diseases like cancer, are important responses to having a disease intrude into your life. So I don't think "looking back" is all bad.

Congratulations on outliving that prognosis in style! Keep going strong!

Sent by Carri | 10:36 AM ET | 11-15-2006

Well, I agree with you, Leroy, though I have to nitpick a bit with the way you started out: "I totally disagree."

Terri was just telling you the way she feels. It's not up to you or anyone to tell her how she "should" feel! I don't imagine she consciously chooses to feel "haunted by depression and self-loathing" nor that she feels that way all the time. Don't we all have our ups and downs? I say it's okay to feel however we feel.

As for looking back and trying to find a reason or something/someone to blame, initially I blamed the doctors who had pushed me to take hormone replacement therapy. But nowadays, I never think about a reason. AS you say, cancer just is. And the same could be said for so many other dreadful diseases or conditions that people suffer from. The husband of my friend is paralyzed from a rare spinal affliction that struck last year out of nowhere. Another friend just had surgery for a brain tumor (not malignant). And another has congestive heart disease. It's all just life! One thing or another will get us sooner or later, so looking back or seeking reasons is just a waste of precious time.

Sent by Doris | 12:31 PM ET | 11-15-2006

Leroy,

Many years ago there was an individual (perhaps it was commentator Linda Ellerby — my memory is not always reliable) commenting on her battle with cancer. The comment she made that made a strong impression on me was: "There's only two types of people in the world — those that have cancer and those that have not yet been diagnosed." This comment really made me think about cancer in a new fashion — one that speaks to the commonality and pervasiveness of the disease. I've come to believe that cancer cells are present is all of us but that typically our body's cells keeps them in check. Then somehow, something allows them to get the upper hand, they divide and grow into the tumors and masses that enable detection. Chemo attempts to destroy or shrink the cancer mass enough so the body's own defense system can once again begin to keep the cancer cells in check. That's my theory — there's absolutely no science to back it up. But it makes sense to me. And blame never comes into it. As some of your other readers said — it's just life.

Sent by Patricia Acosta | 4:29 PM ET | 11-15-2006

I am going to have my mother read this post. I know she blames herself for my cancer, as crazy as that might seem (since my cancer is in no way even thought to be genetic). I just know how much this has weighed on her, and the toll it has taken. Thankfully my continued remission is starting to help.

Sent by Brit | 5:34 PM ET | 11-15-2006

Best of luck to you Leroy. I read you comments (and those of your readers) every day. I have to say that although I agree with you that no one know what causes cancer, and one should not blame oneself for getting it, it is still productive to examine the past. As Carri says, there is a difference between agonizing over the past and learning from it. Since being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, I have reexamined my past lifestyle and made some changes. I don't blame myself, but I feel good trying to do something proactive and positive to stay healthy. I have changed my diet, I exercise more, and I have a much more positive attitude. Doing those things, even if they don't prevent cancer from recurring, makes me feel stronger and happier.

Sent by Liliana | 10:58 AM ET | 11-16-2006

I have thought about this issue also and am at peace with the idea I was just unlucky. I say at peace because I know my disease has caused a great deal of heartache and sacrifice on all the people close to me. I sometimes find it unbearable to watch my wife suffer through my bad days and tentative future. But in the end I know my disease was no ones fault.

It is therefore sometimes difficult for me to watch people I know and love engage in activities that you know may lead to tragic consequences. I want to just grab some of them and tell them, "what are you doing smoking a pack of cigarettes a day? You know in some way you are killing yourself and the result will be that all those around you will suffer. You will also suffer more because you had a chance to do something about it." No one deserves cancer but finding peace with it is far more comforting than wishing too late you could have done something about it.

Sent by Dave | 11:01 AM ET | 11-16-2006

Tomorrow I meet with the doctor to decide exactly where I stand and what my options are. So tonight is kinda rough for me, wish I could give my mind a rest.

Sent by Michael Stettner | 1:19 PM ET | 11-17-2006

At this point, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that the majority of cancers are linked to environmental toxins. Every time I sit in the doctor's office and read the tips on avoiding cancer, I'm struck by the fact that all the tips are about personal responsibility — exercise, healthy diet, being a non-smoker, and the like. This is good advice, but what is lacking is information informing the public what a toxic soup we live in. Part of the blame is clear, the public health has been sacrificed by both polluting economic activities and our consumer culture.

Sent by Kaitlyn Tikkun | 6:12 PM ET | 11-20-2006