When your health MUST come first....

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BONDGIRL

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I was listening to an interview on the radio early with Brian Lenihan.. The guy has cancer, but most of the talking was saying, he is fit for work now and will be throughout, "although the chemo will take its toll"....
I wish him the best and hope he beats the cancer...
BUT I was really ****ed off listening to him, going on about work work work? Speaking from experience within the whole CANCER terrible world, chemo etc is sooo hard on the body and soul and mind, also on your loved ones who are supporting you, my gut feeling would be take a yr break from work or whatever until you are your best again...
It doesnt matter if you are well now, the treatment is going to beat you down and it will be hard to get back up and I think having work as a major extra worry is not going to help! I felt like shaking him and saying wake up, forget about work, concentrate on you and yours.

What rest of you think?
 
BONDGIRL said:
I was listening to an interview on the radio early with Brian Lenihan.. The guy has cancer, but most of the talking was saying, he is fit for work now and will be throughout, "although the chemo will take its toll"....
I wish him the best and hope he beats the cancer...
BUT I was really ****ed off listening to him, going on about work work work? Speaking from experience within the whole CANCER terrible world, chemo etc is sooo hard on the body and soul and mind, also on your loved ones who are supporting you, my gut feeling would be take a yr break from work or whatever until you are your best again...
It doesnt matter if you are well now, the treatment is going to beat you down and it will be hard to get back up and I think having work as a major extra worry is not going to help! I felt like shaking him and saying wake up, forget about work, concentrate on you and yours.
what rest of you think?
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I think he's just focussing on keeping life as normal as possible. We're all different and maybe that is what is keeping him going at the moment. He might change his mind in a few week's time but fair play to him, he's staying and thinking positive. I don't think we should be judging him and how he's reacting.
 
I take my hat off to the guy.

He's seen his father die a terrible, lingering death while in political life and he's chosen to keep his shoulder to the wheel.

Like all politicians he is driven by ambition, but I sense a level of commitment to his position.

Whether it'll be a good or bad thing totally depends on how his treatment works out.

Nevertheless doing that takes a certain kind of courage.

Well done that man.

ONQ.
 
No bad feelings towards the man at all, but I wish RTE would remember he is just one of hundreds/thousands in this situation.

Radio 1 today seemed to be devoted entirely to him any time I tuned in. To say their coverage was fawning is an understatement in my view. "Would you say it is a cancer of the <can't remember> or is it <can't remember> cancer ?" Does the detail matter to the public ?

They could have picked any of the many in the cancer wards today, tomorrow, next year and given them the same attention and the level of sympathy from the public would be the same.

z
 
zag said:
No bad feelings towards the man at all, but I wish RTE would remember he is just one of hundreds/thousands in this situation.

Radio 1 today seemed to be devoted entirely to him any time I tuned in. To say their coverage was fawning is an understatement in my view. "Would you say it is a cancer of the <can't remember> or is it <can't remember> cancer ?" Does the detail matter to the public ?

They could have picked any of the many in the cancer wards today, tomorrow, next year and given them the same attention and the level of sympathy from the public would be the same.

z
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Its about profile, and I doubt it if he actually wanted any intrusion.
 
Anyone hear Anne Doyle reading the 6.00pm news on Radio 1 this evening (Monday) her voice was positively beaking with emotion as she reported Brian Linehan's response to dealing with his illness.
 
I agree with Bondgirl and Zag on this.

Much as I have sympathy for anyone with an illness, and I have known several with Cancer, he should show good example by taking a year off as previously suggested.

On the plus side he can afford the very best in health care. Before I get shouted down, I do realise that this doesn't gurantee a successful outcome, but it certainly doesn't decrease the chance of one.
 
The guy has cancer, but wants to get on with things while he can, that's all there is to it.
 
Are people seriously criticising him for carrying on a normal life? My father did exactly the same thing. He lost his battle but he fought to maintain a normal life when he could for as long as possible. It's just the type of person he was and maybe Brian Lenihan is the same. Sitting around would of killed my father a lot quicker. Give him a break. Its a personal choice and not about showing a 'good example'.

By the way, I had a thread deleted over Christmas criticising the media coverage of this because I apparently we are not allowed to talk about someones medical condition even if I wasn't to the extent that this thread is so don't be surprised if it gets removed.
 
lightswitch said:
I agree with Bondgirl and Zag on this.

Much as I have sympathy for anyone with an illness, and I have known several with Cancer, he should show good example by taking a year off as previously suggested.
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He should do what he feels will work best for him and his family, in consultation with his doctors. I don't think it's anyone elses business and it's a bit arrogant to assume that what we would do in the circumstances is what he should do also. As for 'showing good example', I think that's an extraordinary remark.
 
liaconn said:
He should do what he feels will work best for him and his family, in consultation with his doctors. I don't think it's anyone elses business and it's a bit arrogant to assume that what we would do in the circumstances is what he should do also. As for 'showing good example', I think that's an extraordinary remark.
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I dont know why it is an "extraordinary remark". He is in a very senior leadership role in this country, why should he not be expected to show good example?

Stress is not helpful to any illness, clearly he is in a very demanding and stressful role, he is not helping either himself or the country by not taking time off. As Bondgirl said "I felt like shaking him and saying wake up, forget about work, concentrate on you and yours."
 
lightswitch said:
I dont know why it is an "extraordinary remark". He is in a very senior leadership role in this country, why should he not be expected to show good example?

Stress is not helpful to any illness, clearly he is in a very demanding and stressful role, he is not helping either himself or the country by not taking time off. As Bondgirl said "I felt like shaking him and saying wake up, forget about work, concentrate on you and yours."
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Has it even entered the equation that he's doing and dealing with this exactly how he wants to and that it's entirely up to him? There is no text book for dealing with cancer, there's no model to set a good standard by. Maybe he feels the best way for him to deal with what's coming up is to continue with his role.
 
lightswitch said:
I dont know why it is an "extraordinary remark". He is in a very senior leadership role in this country, why should he not be expected to show good example?

Stress is not helpful to any illness, clearly he is in a very demanding and stressful role, he is not helping either himself or the country by not taking time off. As Bondgirl said "I felt like shaking him and saying wake up, forget about work, concentrate on you and yours."
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Why is taking time off a good example? I find this all very bizarre. As long as Brian Lenihan feels fit and able to the job, he should be allowed do it if that is what he wishes. I find this attitude patronising to cancer patients.
 
Its not intended in any way to be patronising towards Cancer patients. I supposed if you believe, which I don't, that an extremely stressful job will aid his recovery, then I respect your point of view. I simply dont agree with it.
 
More power to him for wanting to carry on.
Whereas I disagree fundamentally with nearly everything he has done as Minister I would'nt for a moment doubt that he is a man of the highest integrity whose only motivation is service to the country.
Best of luck to him.
 
Stress suits some people. I respect the choice Brian Lenihan has made, his choice and his alone so who are we to judge that.

As an new admirer of his and someone who can't stand what FF has done to Ireland I hope that he continues as well as Finance Minister as he has in his last budget against all the odds.

Hopefully in his first full day back at the job he'll tackle the senior civil servants who pulled a fast one while he was out sick.
 
It's a personal decision.

A member of my family is currently undergoing treatment for cancer. Once his doctor gave him the OK to return to work, even on a part-time basis, he was legging it to the office.

10 weeks at home, mostly by himself, wasn't good for his sense of well-being - his mood picked up noticeably after being back at work for a few days.
 
Hopefully in his first full day back at the job he'll tackle the senior civil servants who pulled a fast one while he was out sick.[/quote]


Hardly , he defended the Government's u turn decision yesterday as he said the initial severity of the pay cut was unfair.
 
Deiseblue said:
More power to him for wanting to carry on.
Whereas I disagree fundamentally with nearly everything he has done as Minister I would'nt for a moment doubt that he is a man of the highest integrity whose only motivation is service to the country.
Best of luck to him.
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Why do you disagree fundemantally with everything he has done while still holding him in such high regard. How can someone so "right" get everything so wrong?
 
lightswitch said:
I dont know why it is an "extraordinary remark". He is in a very senior leadership role in this country, why should he not be expected to show good example?
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Because what he's dealing with now is a personal and very distressing situation. Implying that he should give up work, even if this is not how he wants to cope with the situation, because it is setting a 'good example' to everyone else seems very inappropriate to me. This kind of remark would make sense in a situation where he is preaching one thing and doing something else or where he is behaving irresponsibly or outside the law. He is doing none of these things and, as I've already said, it's his own business how he deals with this very personal crisis.
 
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