October Is Liver Cancer Awareness Month
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

October Isn't Just Breast Cancer Awareness Month, It's Also Time To Remember Liver Cancer

In loving memory of Roland Benton Gray III.

2056
October Isn't Just Breast Cancer Awareness Month, It's Also Time To Remember Liver Cancer

When asked about cancer awareness, the things that come to most of our minds first are pink ribbons.

Back when things were normal, October was dominated by pink. In a sense, it still is — sporting events, concerts, award shows, TV shows, and ads are filled with pink ribbons. This is a very serious disease that kills tens of thousands of people each year (while this is mostly women, men do get breast cancer and occasionally die from it). You see support for survivors of breast cancer everywhere you look, but in a month dominated by pink, where is the emerald green?

October is also Liver Cancer Awareness Month.

Liver cancer is an efficient killer — according to CDC statistics, localized liver cancer (Stages I and II) has a five-year survival rate of just 26%, compared to 99% for breast cancer. When it spreads to the surrounding tissues or lymph nodes (Stage III), that rate drops to just 10%. That number is 86% in breast cancer patients. When it spreads to other parts of the body (Stage IV), liver cancer's five-year survival rate drops to just 4%. In breast cancer patients, Stage IV survivability is 28%.

But it makes sense that breast cancer takes the spotlight in pop culture. It is estimated that around 270,000 women in the US will be diagnosed with the disease in 2020. That is compared to an estimated 33,000 people to be diagnosed with liver cancer. As we have seen though, the latter has a much higher mortality rate. It is estimated that out of those 33,000 people, 27,000 will lose their battle — according to the CDC, the number of people in the US that get the disease has been rising for a while.

This month is an emotional one for me, because my dad lost his seven and a half year battle with liver cancer on December 1, 2019.

He battled the disease multiple times as he went in and out of remission. After countless radiation treatments, multiple rounds of chemotherapy, major surgeries that removed 33% of his liver among other things, and a lot of pain, there was only so much we could do. As the cancer kept coming back and eventually spread to his bile duct, we knew that it was only a matter of time.

The whole story of the end of his life was very storybook and beautiful in a sense, but the main idea of that story is that he lived. Death found him very much alive. His life didn't end on cancer's terms, it ended on his terms. He was strong, and his memory lives on through the people he touched.

To all survivors of liver cancer, breast cancer, and any other type of cancer — you are brave, you are strong, and you are loved. The memories of those we lost to these horrible diseases won't be lost, and I, along with many others, hope that one day we can find a cure.

Report this Content
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

48536
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

30840
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

954725
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

178620
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments