My name is Abby and I am 73 yrs old. March 2009 I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I was devistated. I was told my best chance was to have my bladder removed.That was very hard for me to come to grips with. So I got on the internet and found help. A wonderful lady contacted me and gave me some good advise. She put me in contact with a bladder cancer survivor near where I live. My new friend is my "angel warrior". She helped me through some very tough times and she has given me advise that is pricless. Having gone through this, she knew the questions I should have been asking but had not even thought of. I spent a year going through all the normal treatments, Chemo, etc. Finally in March of 2010 I had my bladder removed. I can't tell you how afraid I was. I chose the Ileal Conduit because my husband passed away in April of 2005. Being alone, I thought this was the best/safest way to go. Now that the surgery is behind me and I am on the road to recovery I am glad I did it. It has been 5 months since my surgery and I volunteer one day a week at my local senior center, I babysit my great-granddaughter one day a week and I bowl with the seniors one day a week. When I was told I had cancer I thought my life was over but that is not the case. Life is different but not over. I can never thank my "angel' enough for the help she has given me. She still supports me to this day. If I can do this at my age then I have hope that someone reading this will have faith that they can do it too. God Bless.
