Beth Gifford:  

As of now, I’m eagerly looking forward to being at our reunion but want to give a heads-up beforehand. It’s not some big secret and there’ll be no way around it once I’m there. It’ll be easier if word gets around without having to explain everything then, since I can’t speak at the moment-- but I also don’t mind talking about it if people ask, since this happens to be my normal life. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hurthle Cell cancer in Jan. 2005. It’s a rare form of thyroid cancer with no known treatment, and has metastasized throughout my body despite having tried a number of treatments, clinical trials, gray-label chemotherapy, and naturopathic treatments over the years. I’m still living independently outside of Seattle, being only parent to my two daughters who are now 24 and 18 (my ex-husband moved immediately to Germany to marry again after our divorce in 1999), and until fairly recently, people tell me (generously if not truthfully ;-)) that I don’t look sick. Stubbornness has its place! Now things are not quite that hidden. One lymph node tumor next to my t...Expand for more