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A note from your editor

By Jonathan Corbet
April 16, 2014
If there is one thing that I have learned in my existence so far, it's that life brings no end of surprises, some of which are pleasant, others of which are distinctly less so. At the bottom end of that scale is where I would place a cancer diagnosis. But, I am sad to inform LWN readers, that is exactly what life brought me at the end of February.

The good news is that my condition, while serious, still has a good probability of being curable. Things were caught at a stage where, with a bit of luck, the disease can be evicted from my body and, eventually, this whole episode will fade into a bad memory.

The bad news is that getting there is not going to be a great deal of fun. Cancer treatment turns the body into a battleground, and, regardless of who wins, battlegrounds always suffer. My treatment has been underway for a couple of weeks now, and will continue, in various phases, through the end of the year. I am doing OK so far, but I expect that there will be periods where I will not be in a condition to figure out and explain the details of a complex kernel patch or community political situation.

It is very much my intent to continue to inflict my insights, opinions, and bad humor on LWN readers over the course of this treatment regime. But there will certainly be times when I'll have to cut back or drop out entirely. The rest of the LWN crew will continue to work to make LWN the best Linux and free software resource on the net, and they will certainly do a fine job of it. But please cut them a break if an occasional edition comes out a bit thinner than usual; they will have a lot on their plates.

Needless to say, my presence at conferences will be somewhat reduced for a while as well.

Happily, it is possible to gain access to top-quality medical care in the United States if one pays attention and is well insured. My previous experiences with the medical system have had the effect of causing both of those conditions to be met in this case. In the absence of ugly surprises (always a possibility in the system here, alas), the stress of dealing with this situation should not be accompanied by undue financial stress.

If there is a lesson in this situation (beyond paying attention to your insurance if you live in a part of the world where that is necessary), it is that we all need to pay attention to the health of our bodies and to keep up on our biological maintenance. As a community we are getting older, and any "biological debt" that we allow to accumulate will indeed catch up with us eventually. Step away from the keyboard and get outdoors, eat your vegetables, keep up with your health screenings, etc.

Should anybody wish to help, a good starting place would be to not ask for details on my condition or treatment plans; I do not intend to discuss such things in public spaces. For those of you who have ever thought about writing up some interesting work for LWN, this year might be a good time to put together an article — but please look at our author guide and talk to us before getting into the actual writing. We would also still like to hire another editor someday, especially if we can find somebody who can write about kernel topics. But, for the most part, the best help I can get is quiet support and understanding.

Many thanks are due to the (few) people in the community who already knew about this and have offered their support. More thanks to every LWN subscriber; it's you who, among many other things, allow us to pay the company's insurance bill every month. I am pleased and proud to be a member of this community — and I plan to continue that way for a long time yet.


to post comments

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 1:06 UTC (Thu) by whiprush (guest, #23428) [Link]

Godspeed, hope you for a full recovery!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 1:12 UTC (Thu) by atai (subscriber, #10977) [Link]

best of luck to you!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 1:37 UTC (Thu) by Shewmaker (guest, #1126) [Link]

Best wishes to you, Jon. I hope to contribute an article again, this year.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 2:48 UTC (Thu) by flewellyn (subscriber, #5047) [Link]

My profoundest sympathies, and I hope you have a speedy and painless recovery.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 2:53 UTC (Thu) by DaleQ (subscriber, #4004) [Link]

Get well soon! Take care of yourself and your family.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 3:37 UTC (Thu) by karath (subscriber, #19025) [Link]

All of my best wishes for a speedy recovery

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 3:51 UTC (Thu) by djwong (subscriber, #23506) [Link]

I hope you get well soon!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 4:29 UTC (Thu) by PaulWay (guest, #45600) [Link]

Wow, Jon, that's bad news - hope you have a speedy recovery and we can enjoy more of your warm, dry wit, your excellent technical knowledge and your amiable writing style in the future. Hope to see you at LCA in Auckland in 2015!

All the best,

Paul

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 5:13 UTC (Thu) by kees (subscriber, #27264) [Link]

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery; you'll be in my thoughts.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 6:46 UTC (Thu) by spaetz (guest, #32870) [Link]

I wish you will win that battle without too many losses. All the best!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 7:03 UTC (Thu) by Gollum (guest, #25237) [Link]

Best wishes, Jon! Hope you get better soon, without too much collateral damage!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 7:14 UTC (Thu) by NightMonkey (subscriber, #23051) [Link]

My best wishes for your health and happiness, Mr. Corbet. :)

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 7:46 UTC (Thu) by eyal (subscriber, #949) [Link]

Best wishes for a full and fast recovery.

As you have mentioned, eat your vegetables, but lots of them and in particular Cruciferous.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 8:06 UTC (Thu) by stefani (guest, #5846) [Link]

My best wishes.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 8:10 UTC (Thu) by rlehy (subscriber, #46873) [Link]

Best wishes to you!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 8:32 UTC (Thu) by tfheen (subscriber, #17598) [Link]

I'm very sorry to hear of this and hope you recover quickly and well.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 9:06 UTC (Thu) by paulj (subscriber, #341) [Link]

Take the time you need Jon, we'll continue to support you at least till you're back to 100%!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 9:07 UTC (Thu) by merge (subscriber, #65339) [Link] (1 responses)

Best wishes. Thanks for your work!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 9:15 UTC (Thu) by pierotimo (subscriber, #84525) [Link]

Best wishes John.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 9:28 UTC (Thu) by Darkmere (subscriber, #53695) [Link]

Peace and health to you. Remember to enjoy the air.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 9:31 UTC (Thu) by BlueLightning (subscriber, #38978) [Link]

All the very best, hope you get well soon!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 9:34 UTC (Thu) by mces (subscriber, #27668) [Link]

Best wishes to you, John!

Marco

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 10:17 UTC (Thu) by mbunkus (subscriber, #87248) [Link]

I am very sorry to hear that and wish you all the best.

I've been where you're now. Three years ago, at age 33, I got the diagnosis, and the following years where a mixture of operations, chemo therapy, hope, despair at the tumor having spread, and lastly: relief at being healed and cancer-free.

Your way won't be easy, but if the tumor is of a kind that has a good chance of being healable then take a heart: you will get through it. And please, as much as I value your articles, your insight into all things Linux you should and have to place your health first and foremost in the coming months. If that means letting LWN slack then let it! It doesn't matter. Defeating cancer does; it's all that does.

One very grateful and sympathetic reader.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 10:48 UTC (Thu) by stevem (subscriber, #1512) [Link]

Best of luck for a quick recovery Jon. The thoughts of your community will be with you.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 11:01 UTC (Thu) by amboar (subscriber, #55307) [Link]

Best wishes for the recovery Jon

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 11:28 UTC (Thu) by sspans (guest, #43276) [Link]

All of my best wishes for a speedy recovery

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 11:29 UTC (Thu) by andreashappe (subscriber, #4810) [Link] (1 responses)

My profoundest sympathies, get well soon!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 11:41 UTC (Thu) by rnp (guest, #50691) [Link]

Keep strong and keep fighting, you can win this one. I wish you a happy ending to this chapter of your life.

All the best,
Rafael.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 11:55 UTC (Thu) by tmorizot (guest, #1593) [Link]

Best of luck to you! Take care.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 11:57 UTC (Thu) by karim (subscriber, #114) [Link]

Thoughts go out to you and your family.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 12:09 UTC (Thu) by amarao (guest, #87073) [Link]

Keep fighting, come back healthy!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 13:20 UTC (Thu) by ORF.at (guest, #18855) [Link]

best wish and good luck!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 13:26 UTC (Thu) by ThinkOpenly (guest, #8005) [Link]

Stay strong, and get better soon!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 13:35 UTC (Thu) by skorgu (subscriber, #39558) [Link]

So sorry to hear it, I hope all goes well and you're back in full health as soon as possible.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 13:45 UTC (Thu) by kfiles (guest, #11628) [Link]

Best wishes for a complete recovery. Take care of yourself, and the community will take care of LWN.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 14:13 UTC (Thu) by butcher (guest, #856) [Link]

There is probably no other disease that makes you face both your mortality and your mettle like cancer. Here's to your success in beating it, Jon; you are in the prayers and thoughts of the Butcher household.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 14:37 UTC (Thu) by virtex (subscriber, #3019) [Link]

You are truly one of the gems of our community. Take care of yourself, get better, and I'll look forward to the day when you tell us your cancer is in remission.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 14:38 UTC (Thu) by dskoll (subscriber, #1630) [Link]

I wish you the best of luck and hope you have a speedy and complete recovery.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 14:43 UTC (Thu) by scripter (subscriber, #2654) [Link]

Thank you for your insights, humor, and high-quality coverage of Linux topics these many years. I'm looking forward to hearing from you for many years to come.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 14:43 UTC (Thu) by tjasper (subscriber, #4310) [Link]

Best wishes too, Jon. Not the best news, but the survival rates for cancer are better than they have ever been. Hope it's not too tough getting to be one of the survivors.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 14:49 UTC (Thu) by iarenaza (subscriber, #4812) [Link]

All of my best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Iñaki.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 15:26 UTC (Thu) by david.a.wheeler (subscriber, #72896) [Link]

I wish you the very best, and hope you soon have a complete recovery.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 15:45 UTC (Thu) by lclark (guest, #93653) [Link]

I'm very sorry to hear this, Jon. My thoughts are with you in your treatment. All the best, Libby.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 16:00 UTC (Thu) by PaulMcKenney (✭ supporter ✭, #9624) [Link]

Ouch!!! Our thoughts are with you, and we wish you the best for a speedy and complete recovery.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 16:13 UTC (Thu) by smitty_one_each (subscriber, #28989) [Link]

May Fortune smile on you and your doctors.
This news made my subscription renewal seem doubly imperative.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 16:22 UTC (Thu) by skx (subscriber, #14652) [Link]

Beyond the good wishes already expressed, which I share and echo myself, thank you for sharing your news with us.

To hear something so personal, and potentially serious, reinforces the belief that the editors and contributors here really are a community.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 17:23 UTC (Thu) by amcpherson (guest, #44132) [Link]

Our thoughts are with you, and please let us know if there is anything we can do.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 17:46 UTC (Thu) by NightMonkey (subscriber, #23051) [Link]

P.S. Whatever you do, Jon, and no matter how smart and crafty you feel you are, do NOT become a meth cooker. I saw a very long and detailed 5 year documentary on that on AMC, and it doesn't end well.

Just because you are good at understanding kernel internals does NOT mean you can outsmart the law.

;)

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 17:50 UTC (Thu) by ana (guest, #41598) [Link]

My best wishes for a fast recovery.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 17:58 UTC (Thu) by hnaik (guest, #64013) [Link]

Wishing you a very speedy recovery. Don't worry about LWN for the moment. What the community needs is not what you can write in these months of your recovery, but what you will continue to give us decades after the recovery. So don't lose heart and stay strong.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 18:13 UTC (Thu) by g2boojum (subscriber, #152) [Link] (3 responses)

Ugh. Best wishes and warm regards.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 18:16 UTC (Thu) by g2boojum (subscriber, #152) [Link] (2 responses)

Incidentally, perhaps now is the time for a $10/month subscription level? I'd like to increase it from $7/month, but $14/month seems a bit high....

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 18:30 UTC (Thu) by apoelstra (subscriber, #75205) [Link] (1 responses)

> Incidentally, perhaps now is the time for a $10/month subscription level? I'd like to increase it from $7/month, but $14/month seems a bit high....

One thing you can do is subscribe for a year at $7/month, then after six months increase it to $14/month. You won't pay more by upgrading, your subscription will just get used up twice as fast, so you'll need to renew after three months instead of the usual six.

If you do this repeatedly, the result is that you pay for a year at $7/month but have to renew every 9 months, which is effectively what you are asking.

And to Jon, as others have said I wish you a speedy and (as much as possible) comfortable recovery. Don't hesitate or regret to take time off — the community you have created is a great gift and is more than strong enough to survive the next year or so without your sacrificing your health for its sake.

$10/month subscription

Posted Apr 21, 2014 20:37 UTC (Mon) by edgewood (subscriber, #1123) [Link]

If that sounds like a lot of ongoing work, you could create a *second* account with a subscription at the $3.50/month level, then never log in with that account, except to renew once a year. Maybe add a suffix to your existing account name when creating the second account.

There is a bit more overhead for LWN (two financial services transactions instead of one), but since they offer subscriptions at the $3.50 level one would hope that the overhead is not a significant fraction of the starving hacker subscription. And besides, since it's really $10.50/month not $10, there's an extra $6/year to cover that overhead.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 18:18 UTC (Thu) by Shugyousha (subscriber, #93672) [Link]

A member of my family is fighting cancer as well so I know hard it can be. I wish you a quick and complete recovery!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 18:30 UTC (Thu) by jrw (subscriber, #69959) [Link]

I'm proud to be a subscriber. The entire software community, subscribers or not, has benefited from your work. I wish you a speedy recovery back to full strength.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 19:03 UTC (Thu) by tseaver (guest, #1544) [Link]

Best wishes for you and your family as you work toward evicting that bastard from your demesne!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 19:17 UTC (Thu) by shmget (guest, #58347) [Link]

My best wishes and hope for a prompt remission.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 19:17 UTC (Thu) by a9db0 (subscriber, #2181) [Link] (1 responses)

I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, and send you prayers and best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.

I know you want to keep the details private, but should you, at any point, need anything please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We, us, this community will likely bend over backwards to help you in any way we can. I may be speaking out of turn here, but I suspect not. We are here for you if/when you need us.

And I look forward to reading your pithy comments and dry humour for years to come.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 23:58 UTC (Thu) by csamuel (✭ supporter ✭, #2624) [Link]

I second that emotion.

Jon, take care of yourself and all the best with both the treatment and your normal life outside of that. You are a real gentleman.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 19:28 UTC (Thu) by _xhr_ (guest, #92665) [Link]

All the best wishes. Get well soon!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 19:37 UTC (Thu) by henrikb (guest, #58898) [Link]

That is terrible news. Best wishes, hoping for a quick recovery.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 22:41 UTC (Thu) by jrb (subscriber, #31610) [Link]

This was not good news to read this morning. )-:

Good luck Jon, and best wishes on a speedy recovery!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 23:11 UTC (Thu) by sdalley (subscriber, #18550) [Link]

Dear Jon, we love you. Take all the time that you need...

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 23:17 UTC (Thu) by JamesErik (subscriber, #17417) [Link]

Very best wishes for a full recovery, Jon.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 17, 2014 23:34 UTC (Thu) by raven667 (subscriber, #5198) [Link]

That sucks. I wish you the best of luck. Trite, but there is nothing better to say.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 1:47 UTC (Fri) by rfontana (subscriber, #52677) [Link]

Best wishes, Jon, and hope you get well soon.

As I remember saying at Collab Summit 2011, you are the most honorable journalist in technology.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 2:41 UTC (Fri) by SEJeff (guest, #51588) [Link]

The world is a much better place with you. Your work on lwn is nothing short of awe inspiring. Keep up the fight!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 3:27 UTC (Fri) by deepfire (guest, #26138) [Link]

Jon, first I wish you a return to being healthy.

Secondly, a more practical suggestion -- please, take your time to look up Thomas Seyfried, a cancer researcher from Boston. It appears as if there is something highly-effective that you can do personally, in addition to whatever is provided by the usual chemo/radio etc.:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/0...

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 4:30 UTC (Fri) by phunge (guest, #64180) [Link]

Best wishes, sir. We all owe you a lot, and now's a good time to say thank you.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 6:42 UTC (Fri) by danieldk (subscriber, #27876) [Link]

Best wishes, hoping for a speedy and good recovery!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 7:38 UTC (Fri) by lkundrak (subscriber, #43452) [Link]

Wishing you a very speedy recovery!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 8:01 UTC (Fri) by jospoortvliet (guest, #33164) [Link]

Take care, Jonathan. Get better!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 13:48 UTC (Fri) by vanbas.han (guest, #96679) [Link]

Best wishes to you. Thank you for your great work in the last few years.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 14:25 UTC (Fri) by Jandar (subscriber, #85683) [Link] (1 responses)

My best wishes for your full and fast recovery. The therapies are better and better targeted in the last years.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 16:01 UTC (Fri) by ismail (subscriber, #11404) [Link]

Best wishes and here is hoping for a fast recovery!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 18:44 UTC (Fri) by angdraug (subscriber, #7487) [Link]

Get well soon, our thoughts are with you!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 20:49 UTC (Fri) by tao (subscriber, #17563) [Link]

As many have already said here before me -- I wish you a full recovery. Take your time and get well!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 18, 2014 21:05 UTC (Fri) by winden (subscriber, #60389) [Link]

Odaijini kudasai!!!

Re: A note from your editor

Posted Apr 19, 2014 4:52 UTC (Sat) by a0273324@ti.com (guest, #94150) [Link]

Get well soon Jon! You have the strong support of the community! Take your time and looking forward to many more quality articles!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 19, 2014 13:01 UTC (Sat) by bourbaki (guest, #84259) [Link]

Best wishes to you, Jon.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 19, 2014 19:22 UTC (Sat) by lbt (subscriber, #29672) [Link]

Good luck Jon and I hope you beat it.

A huge thank you for putting so much into LWN and this is to let you know that I really enjoy reading and participating here.

I know how much pleasure I get when people enjoy my creations and I hope you feel the same knowing how much I and others enjoy LWN.

When you do hit the inevitable low points - think of just how much you are worth to all of us and try hard to crack a smile :)

From a distant one of your many friends.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 20, 2014 10:51 UTC (Sun) by caliloo (subscriber, #50055) [Link]

All my sympathies. It has always been a great pleasure to read you, and I'm sure we'll read you again someday. I wish you courage and a full recovery.

i hope you get well soon!

Posted Apr 20, 2014 12:37 UTC (Sun) by vivo (subscriber, #48315) [Link]

i hope you get well soon!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 20, 2014 14:53 UTC (Sun) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]

What a horrible shock that must have been.

Best of luck.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 20, 2014 21:53 UTC (Sun) by pboddie (guest, #50784) [Link]

Best wishes for a successful treatment and recovery, Jon!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 21, 2014 13:57 UTC (Mon) by unnique (guest, #9145) [Link]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 21, 2014 16:27 UTC (Mon) by ralphdegennaro (guest, #35718) [Link]

Best wishes and I hope for best outcome possible.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 21, 2014 21:49 UTC (Mon) by gerdesj (subscriber, #5446) [Link]

Best wishes for the future and I look forward to your full recovery.

Cheers
Jon

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 21, 2014 23:01 UTC (Mon) by zougloub (subscriber, #46163) [Link]

Wow, life hasn't been kind to you and your family, lately.
I not only hope that you'll get through this (second) terrible setback, but that you can go on, living a pleasant and healthy life, which you deserve.
Of course there is this egoistic part of me which wants to keep profiting from your golden eggs!
Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. There must be *a lot* of people behind you.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 22, 2014 4:32 UTC (Tue) by andza (guest, #72692) [Link]

My best wishes to you John!

Remember to do what feels best for you at every particular moment, be it writing out taking some time off. The rest of the editors together with the community will take care of LWN.net.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 22, 2014 8:23 UTC (Tue) by alinab (guest, #61613) [Link]

I hope you can beat this with minimum pain.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 22, 2014 14:19 UTC (Tue) by gerv (guest, #3376) [Link]

God bless you, Jon. I'll be praying for your recovery.

Your decision whether to talk about your experiences is of course your own, but I've been living with cancer for 14 years now, and I made a different choice:
http://www.gerv.net/cancer/

I hope the stories there are encouraging to you.

Gerv

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 22, 2014 21:07 UTC (Tue) by achiang (guest, #47297) [Link]

Here's hoping for a full recovery. Best wishes to you and yours.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 23, 2014 12:13 UTC (Wed) by fb (guest, #53265) [Link]

Please get well! My very best wishes!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 23, 2014 14:27 UTC (Wed) by kirschner (subscriber, #62102) [Link]

I wish you all the best for your recovery! Matthias

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 23, 2014 14:54 UTC (Wed) by gek (guest, #18143) [Link]

Jon, you have my (mostly) quiet support and understanding.
"Περαστικά!", as we say in my country.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 23, 2014 17:14 UTC (Wed) by dannf (guest, #7105) [Link]

Hoping for your speedy recovery!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 24, 2014 8:56 UTC (Thu) by airman (subscriber, #7341) [Link]

I whish you a full recovery, Jon.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 24, 2014 11:03 UTC (Thu) by fredi@lwn (subscriber, #65912) [Link]

ouch, too sad about that :-(

Shërim të shpejtë

Miracle Cure?

Posted Apr 24, 2014 20:51 UTC (Thu) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link] (13 responses)

There was a report in New Scientist (the first edition of the New Year - 4th Jan iirc) that fever is closely associated with "miracle recoveries". So catching flu might be a good idea :-)

The BCG vaccine is apparently used as a cure for at least one cancer, presumably discovered serendipitously, and the article surmises this could be the mechanism.

But the gist of the article, basically, was that fever was seen as a cancer cure for many years, but not really used effectively. Then an American doctor investigated it round about 1850, and discovered that there was a very strong correlation with fever and cancer recoveries - 80% of people who recovered were sick with fever shortly before.

So this doctor deliberately got his patients feverish, and achieved a high rate of recovery, often of cancers that even today are considered near untreatable.

Unfortunately, this fell foul of the belief that "fever is harmful", and as so often happens the baby gets thrown out with the bathwater. A drug gets banned even if the disease is worse than the side-effects of the treatment, if the side effects are seen as too bad.

Cheers,
Wol

Miracle Cure?

Posted Apr 25, 2014 2:02 UTC (Fri) by yodermk (subscriber, #3803) [Link] (12 responses)

First, I too am very sorry to hear this and hope and pray for a quick and full recovery.

On the subject of "miracle cures".... I hesitate to mention this, but I am kind of reading this right now so it is definitely relevant. "World Without Cancer" by G Edward Griffin. http://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Cancer-Story-Vitamin/...

His thesis is that cancer is by nature a vitamin deficiency like scurvy, rather than something inherently bad. It is at its root nature's way of healing injuries; the problem comes when the healing stops and the cancer cells are still there.

The solution? Vitamin B17, which is found in the seeds of many fruits and some grasses. Apparently it can both prevent and cure cancer.

The entire medical and government establishment says this is quackery. Mr. Griffin gives what I think is a pretty good amount of evidence in support. Perhaps the best are the tribes in Asia who eat a lot of apricots, including seeds, and have NEVER had a case of cancer - until Western food came in. Same with Eskimos, who got Vitamin B17 through musk ox meat. Why then do the "experts" reject it? Because it would kill the multi-billion dollar cancer cure industry overnight!

Other things to note.... the book has MANY positive reviews on Amazon saying in their experience it works. The few negative reviews don't make any serious attempt to rebut it. Also, this is the third edition; it was initially published in 1974. It apparently has some staying power. Also, Amazon sells B17 tablets which, themselves, have a lot of positive reviews!

I certainly don't want to make intrusive advice (especially if it could be quack), and don't want to make light of your situation. It is just something that may be worth thinking about. If I was in the situation, I can say that I am convinced enough that I would be seeking B17 rather than "traditional" cures.

And, I suppose I should subscribe again......

Miracle Cure?

Posted Apr 25, 2014 13:06 UTC (Fri) by mpr22 (subscriber, #60784) [Link] (11 responses)

RationalWiki has the following useful information about the so-called "vitamin B17":

In practice, this has not been shown to happen; in fact, where laetrile breaks down into three substances (including cyanide) is in the small intestine, and several scientific studies have shown it useless as a cancer treatment. Laetrile fans often cite anecdotal evidence of individual cases where laetrile appeared to work, but in every case where a statistically significant sample size was studied laetrile has not been shown to be effective. Laetrile is still presented as a "suppressed" treatment by many conspiratorially-minded quacks.

Miracle Cure?

Posted Apr 26, 2014 14:52 UTC (Sat) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link] (2 responses)

I know of two ways to prevent cancer. One relatively reliable method that still fails from time to time is to be a naked mole rat (for reasons as yet unclear: the downside is that the causative factor appears to make you *look* like a naked mole rat). The other, totally reliable, is to be unicellular.

You may find both of these to be both difficult and undesirable approaches.

Cancer is a disease of multicellularity. If there were an easy way around it, if it were just a deficiency of some magic thing or other, we would already synthesise that magic thing and cancer would not happen (since it affects the young as well as the old, if at lower rates, and thus clearly puts cancer sufferers at a substantial selective disadvantage). We do not. Instead natural selection has built us a massive fortress of genetic defences and DNA repair mechanisms and controls on the cell cycle and even cancer-detecting assassin immune cells -- and *still* all this eventually fails. Thirty thousand nuclear DNA mutations per cell per day will eventually take their toll.

The only cure we have for all that accumulated damage is long-term cellular stasis and/or another round of natural selection, and unfortunately the only way to do that is to go back to single cells again and battle it out, best of umpty million sperm or ova win (yes, ova undergo a similar selection process, though at a different stage in the human lifespan). Of course, the result of that process isn't us any more -- it's our children, who will statistically be cancer-free -- and old age free, and mitochondrial damage free -- for N more years than we will.

Miracle Cure?

Posted May 2, 2014 20:37 UTC (Fri) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link] (1 responses)

Doing my MSc, I came to the conclusion that sugar is a very nasty bioweapon. Fasting lets the body's repair mechanisms cut in and work - and could well allow those mechanisms to cut in and "cure" cancer. Or it might not - but fasting is a very good way of ensuring a healthy body and longevity. On the other hand, snacking and preventing your blood sugar levels from dropping is a sure-fire way of getting obese, diabetes, and heart/vascular disease. Adding cancer to that list is not much of a stretch.

The main thrust of the New Scientist article, however, was that they think the immune system DOES recognise cancer cells. The problem is, there is a cascade needed to fire up the immune system and, because you're not "unwell", your immune system is trying to fight off the cancer while it's on a "peacetime" footing.

That's the whole point behind the fever, or as I suggested, "catching flu". The immune system fires up in full force, and as a side effect of firing up to fight the flu, the cancer-fighting cells get fired up too. Which is why BCG is apparently used for some cancers - as a vaccine it triggers a feverish immune response.

Cheers,
Wol

Miracle Cure?

Posted May 6, 2014 22:39 UTC (Tue) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]

The essence of that article (assuming it's the same recent one I'm thinking of) is that cancers evolve to suppress the immune system. The relevant bits of the immune system do indeed recognize that something is wrong (after all, the cancer cells are displaying all sorts of weird crap on their surfaces, likely including a pile of foetal proteins that should *never* be displayed to a mature immune system), so it starts to sound the alarm, and then gets suppressed, and wham, the signalling cascade is blocked before it starts.

Obviously, as with everything else cancer does, this suppression is a reuse of things the body does in other conditions, which are then desirable: it's part of a crucial general defence mechanism against immune hyperactivity -- you can't really call it "autoimmune disorders" because autoimmune disorders are never this bad. Mice bred with immune systems that lack the receptor for that suppressor die in days.

Everything I've read about the fever thing suggests that it messes up cancer cells both by generally firing up the immune system (making it that bit harder to suppress) and *also* by raising body temperature: cancers, like virally infected cells though for different reasons, are notably worse at dealing with elevated temperature than normal cells.

Miracle Cure?

Posted Apr 26, 2014 14:58 UTC (Sat) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link] (6 responses)

Oh gods I just looked at that. They're trying to use a cyanide against cancer cells? Cyanides work by stalling the electron transport chain in mitochondria (almost literally a sort of cellular suffocation, since the net effect is that oxygen is no longer usable as an electron acceptor: the rest of the chain still works fine but is clogged with electrons with nowhere to go); cancer cells live in relatively hypoxic conditions and are strongly selected for use of fermentation instead. It is not unheard of for cancer cells to have entirely dysfunctional mitochondria, which not so coincidentally suppresses apoptosis as well, also something beneficial to a cancer cell. Such cells wouldn't even *notice* a nice dose of cyanide.

So if this thing worked it would preferentially poison *normal* cells and leave cancer cells largely untouched: just what you don't want.

Miracle Cure?

Posted Apr 26, 2014 23:56 UTC (Sat) by mathstuf (subscriber, #69389) [Link] (3 responses)

Hm. I thought cyanide worked by replacing oxygen in the red blood cells (due to similar geometry) but not being able to be removed thereby causing asphyxiation. Or is this just a second way cyanide kills?

Miracle Cure?

Posted Apr 27, 2014 2:07 UTC (Sun) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239) [Link] (2 responses)

Carbon monoxide will bind with haemoglobin sufficiently strongly to prevent oxygen from binding, which sounds like what you're thinking of

Miracle Cure?

Posted Apr 27, 2014 4:59 UTC (Sun) by viro (subscriber, #7872) [Link] (1 responses)

That, or a confusion with methaemoglobin. That one *does* bind cyanide, but that's actually a mechanism of an antidote, not poisoning (amyl nitrite leads to conversion of hb to methb and methb binds cyanide stronger than cytochrome c).

Miracle Cure?

Posted May 2, 2014 18:40 UTC (Fri) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link]

I can't remember exactly what it is, but when working with cyanide people usually have a simple antidote to hand. Iirc, it's two simple solutions which, when mixed, form some ferrOUS chemical. You can't keep it pre-mixed because it oxidises to ferrIC.

Swallow that, and it preferentially binds cyanide and takes it out of circulation for you.

Cheers,
Wol

Miracle Cure?

Posted May 8, 2014 0:38 UTC (Thu) by yodermk (subscriber, #3803) [Link] (1 responses)

I don't understand all the biology of it, but Griffin's claim is that there is an enzyme that releases the cyanide *right at the point of* the cancer cells, and another enzyme that prevents it from killing other cells.

Very fascinating, if true ...

Miracle Cure?

Posted May 8, 2014 3:10 UTC (Thu) by Cyberax (✭ supporter ✭, #52523) [Link]

Which enzyme? We know quite a lot of them pretty well by now and it'll take a very unusual enzyme to reversibly bind cyanide ions and release them in tumor cells.

Besides, tumor cells are much less sensitive to cyanide (it's even sometimes used in lab to kill healthy cells in cell cultures) because they preferably use anaerobic metabolism.

Normal cells are pretty much hardened against cyanide and can de-toxify in one hour a dose that can be lethal if administered momentarily. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiosulfate_sulfurtransferase enzyme is used for it and it's rate-limited by the availability of sulfurous acceptors.

Miracle Cure?

Posted May 8, 2014 0:34 UTC (Thu) by yodermk (subscriber, #3803) [Link]

That is certainly the view of the scientific establishment. I think careful attention needs to be paid to Griffin's book, however -- he gives a pretty wide variety of well documented evidence to support his claims.

I'm not saying I'm 100% sure he's right, as I'm not a scientist or an investigator of this type, but I do think it is highly plausible.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 24, 2014 20:58 UTC (Thu) by zack (subscriber, #7062) [Link]

My best wishes for a prompt recovery, Jon.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 24, 2014 21:26 UTC (Thu) by mihaic (guest, #59633) [Link]

I hope you will make a fast and full recovery.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 24, 2014 21:38 UTC (Thu) by sergi (subscriber, #117) [Link]

I wish you a prompt recovery, Jon.

I don't know you personally, so I can only tell from your writings, but you really come across as a genuinely good person.

Thanks a lot for all the effort you have put into LWN over the years, now please focus on your health first and foremost. I look forward to the day when you'll tell us about your complete recovery.

Sergi

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 25, 2014 2:22 UTC (Fri) by jeff_marshall (subscriber, #49255) [Link]

Jon,

While we've never met, I've been reading your site for years and greatly respect the work you do here. Because of you the world is a better place, at least for me.

Here's hoping for a swift recovery!

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 25, 2014 2:50 UTC (Fri) by RamiRosen (guest, #37330) [Link]

Best wishes for a fast reovery.

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 25, 2014 22:59 UTC (Fri) by HeathPetersen (guest, #14116) [Link]

I will pray for you. If your personal strengths are anywhere near your technical, editorial, and political strengths, you will pull through this.

Heath Petersen, LPN

A note from your editor

Posted Apr 27, 2014 21:03 UTC (Sun) by poruid (guest, #15924) [Link]

Houd je taai !
Best wishes from Amsterdam.

A note from your editor

Posted May 1, 2014 16:59 UTC (Thu) by DrMcCoy (subscriber, #86699) [Link]

Belated, but still, best of luck!

A note from your editor

Posted May 5, 2014 13:52 UTC (Mon) by gnacux (guest, #91402) [Link]

Best wishes to you. Hope you recovery soon~!

A note from your editor

Posted May 6, 2014 14:48 UTC (Tue) by bluefoxicy (guest, #25366) [Link]

Christ, dude, don't die. I was just looking through your writing for examples of good writing; the community lacks members with your combined skills in written communication and computer technology.

A note from your editor

Posted May 12, 2014 13:25 UTC (Mon) by filipjoelsson (guest, #2622) [Link]

I hope and pray for your full recovery!

Having been away from the site for a while, this was sad news! I'm happy to hear that the subscription pays for those necessary insurances, though. I do second the sentiment that it may be time to raise the subscription fees a little bit. (I realize it's a question of finding the sweet spot, but raising 50c and $1 on the two lowest levels wouldn't drive people off, would it?)

Best wishes!
Filip

A note from your editor

Posted Jun 24, 2014 3:12 UTC (Tue) by bduncan (subscriber, #6886) [Link]

While I've subscribed for over a decade, I don't get here often enough for my liking. There seems to be less spare time these days.

I've always enjoyed your writing style and insight however. I found this news after renewing today and reviewing some of the issues I'd missed.

Very sorry to hear and hope that you have a speedy recovery. Take a break whenever you need it; we're all pulling for you and would rather see you for the long haul..

Take care.


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