<p>Viewer - I can definitely relate. I went through two bouts of Stage 3 cancer in 1999 and 2002 and I thought I had it licked when it reappeared in Fall, 2007 as Stage 4. I found out just about the time my son was applying to colleges. I was in middle of my month-long hospital stay when he found out that he had been *rejected<a href=“not%20deferred”>/I</a> by Yale SCEA. Bummer! I wasn’t in much of a position to help until late Winter, early Spring 2008, when he had some music auditions and scholarship interviews that I could go with him on.</p>
<p>He was accepted to Harvard at the end of March, 2008, and other than letting family and a few friends know we didn’t actively bring up the subject. If someone asked where he was going, we said Harvard. We didn’t say “Boston” or “a small school in Cambridge”. They asked and if they couldn’t handle the answer, they shouldn’t ask. I still will drop the “H-Bomb” if someone asks where he graduated. I think it’s silly to worry about what the other person thinks, but then I am not very PC. A lot wanted to know how we could afford Harvard (presumably because of my illness), but we just explained that Harvard had a wonderful FA policy (and we didn’t call it a scholarship) and (for us) it would be cheaper than attending BSU, the local/regional default.</p>
<p>By the time he was ready to move to Harvard, I had finished my chemo and I was determined to be there. I hope you can too! If not, then Parents Weekend is only a couple months later. Enjoy it for your son.</p>
<p>I was never part of a cancer support group, although I know a lot of people who are. It’s just not my style. But, I have no hesitancy about talking about it with anyone who asks. I want them to know that they don’t have to dance around the subject. FWIW, I believe that a positive attitude and a belief that your doctors are doing the right thing can go a long way to improving your chances. Best of luck, and again, enjoy your son’s time at Harvard.</p>