"The Past Cannot Be Changed; The Future Is Still In Your Power."

[Anonymous]

     So you've just been diagnosed with a so-called "terminal" disease. After the shock and panic passes you have some decisions to make. And they will be choices that you will have to live or die with. This is a handbook to help you realize that you have choices, that you are not alone-as hard as that may be to believe. You can find a strength inside you that you never knew you had. You can call the shots in spite of statistics that may be reported to you. It doesn't matter that you aren't a doctor. You know your own body better than anyone else in the world, so educating yourself with technical information will be important. Your attitude will be your greatest weapon in your fight for your life.

         Who am I? Well, my name is Katherine Hepler and my friends call me Kat. I am 40 years old and I was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer in April 1995. Only 200 cases a year are reported in the United States. The prognosis wasn't that  great even with the surgery they wanted to perform. At first I thought that I would have the surgery, because I know that miracles with technology exist. However, after doing some research, the 35% chance of survival they gave didn't look too promising to me. It came down to examining side effects of the surgery and ultimatly the question of quantity of time vs. quality time.