This is a post by Lisa from the acor mm list.  Lisa, I agree with your sentiments here.  I will not say this on the acor list as I get too much grief posting on issues such as this.  Working to return to "normal" is important to me though to look at me you would think I am far from it.   I consider my outlook  an important part of my pursuit of healing.  I know this may sound a little touchy feely but I believe it.  I will try to find the original posting of "the new normal."  David  ps-caregivers should feel this way too.

Date:    Fri, 19 Oct 2007 23:13:27 +0300
From:    Lisa Suhair Majaj <lmajaj@CYTANET.COM.CY>
Subject: Re: new normal

I almost didn't post this, since I'm a caregiver not an MMer.
I hope I am not out of line, and I apologize if I am.

But, I just want to say that I am not yet ready to accept a "new normal".
I still want to fight to get back what we lost.  (And yes, it is a
"we," because the family members who aren't ill also participate
in the losses.)
I have read enough accounts of people who returned to health with other
cancers
that I simply refuse to accept the statistics of conventional medicine.
I think it is too early in the game to give up hope - for instance, to
settle for the
"one year" which one doctor we spoke to gave us.
("Gave" us? who is any human being to "give" another human
being a life span?)

Call me unrealistic. I'm with Sandra. I want my husband to be one of the
people they use the term "cure" about. Or, we'd settle for a really
long remisssion  -- like the guy who used the Gerson protocoal and is
still in remission
27 years later.

Like I said, if I'm out of line, I apologize. I just don't want any new
normals.
The old one will do just fine, and I'm prepared to fight for it.

Lisa