[Sundae]

One of Mum's oldest friends has one of our favourite friends; tumerous growth. Fucking cancer.
The growth is malignant.

It's in his thigh and Mum says it's visible, and as hard as wood. Ignored by his wife, who went with the if-we-don't-talk-about-it-it's-not-there approach. Same woman who told Mum all I needed was "tough love" and she shouldn't let me live with them any more. And we know how that worked out. Although having mistakenly read a letter Mum sent to a friend this May I think I know what was behind that advice. Mum wrote that I was 42 and living like an 18 year old - not a word about my mental health issues or how hard I'd been fighting my addiction. Huh.

Anyway.
Prognosis not good.
The consensus seems to be that once you can actually SEE cancer, you're looking at excising it. And it's high up enough that it would mean a complete limb amputation. 73. Not a great age for massive surgery.

Still, the full diagnosis is not yet in. There is still a little hope.
I don't like his wife, but he was always very kind to me. He's in the system now, so at the very least he'll be getting some pain relief. He's been in serious pain for well over a year now.

In different news, I went to see Still Alice last night (special showing at Otley Courthouse with a Q&A after). Yes, I knew it would upset me. Yes, I cried. I cried my way through my own tissue and then through the one the man next to me offered. Fuck dementia as well.