Prologue: Don't you think cancer is a disease that has nothing to do with you?

Is cancer a familiar disease to you?

It is said that one in two Japanese people will develop cancer, so in reality, it is a very familiar disease.
I myself thought cancer had nothing to do with me until my mother was diagnosed with it.
I never dreamed that a close family member—let alone my own mother—would develop cancer.
Moreover, it was a diagnosis of cancer of unknown primary, which is extremely rare.

I was what you might call a "cancer family beginner," but given the nature of cancer of unknown primary, I faced many difficulties and found many things I wish I had known sooner. Honestly, I still feel that more public awareness is needed regarding cancer (as well as the physical changes and accessibility issues that accompany it).
In particular, because treatment options for cancer of unknown primary are limited, it is a very painful battle. I have keenly felt that it is one of those cancers that is difficult for others to understand, often met with reactions like, "What is that? Does such a cancer even exist?"

Therefore, so that others in a similar position to mine in the future won't struggle, can access the information they need, and don't feel like they are fighting a lonely battle, I would like to write down my experiences and advice in this note as a memorandum.

Precisely because it is a cancer that few people or families have experienced, I am driven by a sense of mission that this might be useful to someone in the future, so please watch over me warmly.