One of the worst things that can happen to anyone is hearing from their doctor that they have cancer. In some situations, medication, treatments, and therapies are available that can help patients beat the disease. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for everyone.
Redditor u/UnderstandingThis430 went massively viral on the ‘Confession’ online group after revealing that she is terminally ill with bone cancer. So, she decided to get a credit card and take on debt to buy whatever she wants during her remaining time on Earth. Read on for the full story, including how the internet reacted to the post. Bored Panda has reached out to the author for comment, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from her.
It would be a devastating shock for anyone to find out that they have cancer
Image credits: Kateryna Hliznitsova / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
A woman who is terminally ill with bone cancer opened up online about how she’s taking on credit card debt to splurge on everything she wants
Image credits: CardMapr.nl / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Markus Winkler / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: UnderstandingThis430
The sad reality is that bone cancer often affects young people
The NHS explains that primary bone cancer is a rare type of cancer, with around 550 new cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom each year. Primary bone cancer begins in the bones, while secondary bone cancer spreads to the bones after developing in another part of the body.
Some of the main symptoms of bone cancer, which most often develops in the long bones of your legs or upper arms, include:
Persistent bone pain that gets worse over time and continues into the night;
Swelling and redness (inflammation) over a bone, which can make movement difficult if the affected bone is near a joint;
A noticeable lump over a bone;
A weak bone that breaks (fractures) more easily than normal;
Problems moving around—for example, walking with a limp.
Osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer, mostly affects children and young adults under 20 years old.
Ewing sarcoma most commonly affects people aged 10 to 20 years old. And chondrosarcoma tends to affect adults aged 40 and over.
There are various factors that increase the risk of developing this type of cancer
Image credits: Kateryna Hliznitsova / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
People who are at a higher risk of developing bone cancer include individuals who have had previous exposure to radiation during radiotherapy, have Paget’s disease, or have Li-Fraumeni syndrome. This type of cancer often affects young people because of their rapid growth spurts during puberty.
Bone cancer treatment often involves a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. “Generally, bone cancer is much easier to cure in otherwise healthy people whose cancer hasn’t spread,” the NHS writes.
“Overall, around 6 in every 10 people with bone cancer will live for at least 5 years from the time of their diagnosis, and many of these may be cured completely.”
The author’s story reached a ton of people around the globe. At the time of writing, her post about her bone cancer and credit card debt had 95k upvotes and garnered 8.3k comments.
Many internet users had encouraging comments for u/UnderstandingThis430, as well as advice for what else she could do, including getting more credit cards and ideas for what she could buy with all the money that she has available.
The author later shared online how she made lots of “random purchases,” including jewelry with her handwriting for her family, lots of delicious food, jellycats, clothes, candy, etc. She also found other ways to treat her relatives. On top of that, she donated lots of food to her local food bank and is looking for ways to thank the cancer charities in her area.
What are your thoughts about taking on credit card debt after finding out that you’re terminally ill, dear Pandas? What advice would you give the author of the viral post if you could talk to her directly? Has someone close to you ever had cancer? What did you do to support them during that difficult time? If you feel like sharing, you can open up in the comments section at the bottom of this post.