When my dad was diagnosed the very first time with cancer it was cancer of the larynx. It was a disheartening diagnosis but not an insurmountable one. As the family gathered to hear the information, I don’t remember that anyone perceived it as a death sentence. Mom and dad told us the bad news in a straight forward, factual manner. I remember they answered our questions to the best of their ability. The tumor would be removed and after a several weeks of radiation therapy all would be new again. I think my dad looked at this illness and healing process as a job, a challenge and a goal he was given that would have to be completed for the sake of his family. The family prayed, said the rosary, made special offerings at Mass and lit candles. Dad had the surgery to remove the tumor and recovered rather quickly. Just a few months after treatment was completed he celebrated the birth of his first and only grandson. Life was good.
Within the year dad noticed a swelling in his neck. An appointment was made with the specialists and after testing, the diagnosis was confirmed as Hodgkins Lymphoma. The family continued to pray for strength and healing as well as for knowledge and guidance for the physicians. The treatment plan this time was for dad to receive six months of oral and intravenous chemotherapy. Even though dad did not have a port he never complained about the nurses having any difficulty finding a vein to administer the chemo. Even now dad was a sturdy fellow and his body still had reserve capacity so he was able to handle those six months of treatment without too many complications. At the time of dad’s diagnosis, the chemotherapy drugs were tremendously toxic and he was extremely sick on many occasions. The course ...
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...nger swallow anything and had to have a naso-gastric feeding tube inserted. He was wasting away and weighed only about ninety pounds now. The weeks dragged on, we had another family member die and dad asked, “Why her, God? Why not take me?” Dad didn’t talk much, and when he did his voice was not much more than a whisper. I spent many hours through those long nights just holding his hand, touching his arm or softly massaging his skin. He was in and out of consciousness but I believe he could hear so I talked and I read to him quietly. I knew at the end dad was ready. I stroked his head, I held his hand, I told him what a good father he had been and that it was okay to go. I told Dad that we would take care of mom and the boys would be fine. I held tightly to his hand, fearful of letting go, and told him how much we all loved him and that it was alright to go.
Losing a family member to cancer is like getting hit in the face with a load of bricks. Going through the process is like a never ending journey to hell, especially after the death. I am constantly reminded of the little things, pleasant and spiteful. The love in my heart for my grandmother caused me to experience the most pain in my life.- cancer is an insanely draining, vindictive, not to mention an-emotional rollercoaster.
“I still recall… going into the large, darkened parlor to see my brother and finding the casket, mirrors and pictures all draped in white, and my father seated by his side, pale and immovable. As he took no notice of me, after standing a long while, I climbed upon his knee, when he mechanically put his arm about me and with my head resting against his beating heart we both sat in silence, he thinking of the wreck of all his hopes in the loss of a dear son, and I wondered what could be said or done to fill the void in his breast. At length, he heaved a deep sign and said: “Oh, my daughter, I wish you were a
I rushed out of the bedroom confused. I began to realize what was going on. I ran to where I last saw her and she was not there. Never before I felt my heart sank. My eyes filled with tears. I dropped to my knees and felt the cold white tile she last swept and mopped for my family. I look up and around seeing picture frames of of her kids, grandchildren, and great grandchildren smiling. I turn my head to the right and see the that little statue of the Virgin Mary, the last gift we gave her. I began to cry and walked to my mother hugging her. My father walked dreadfully inside the house. He had rushed my great grandmother to the hospital but time has not on his side. She had a bad heart and was not taking her medication. Later that morning, many people I have never seen before came by to pray. I wandered why this had to happen to her. So much grief and sadness came upon
She woke up with a severe pain in her side and began to have difficulty walking. Any kind of ailment was unusual for her as she had always been a healthy person. This particular Friday morning took her and everyone around her by surprise. Her daughter immediately took her to the hospital where they immediately began to run tests. Several hours later the grimed faced doctors said, Mrs. Flores you have cancer all over your body and it would be best to call all your family together. Forty-seven year old Billie, the pillar of her family, was going to die. Within hours Billie and her eldest daughter were on a private medical plane being flown to Houston to receive emergency treatment. Billie had no other words to say other than “God you are in control of my life”. After several hours of flight, mother and daughter landed in Houston where an overwhelming sense of peace embraced on them. Surgery was scheduled for Monday but after the x-rays came back doctors immediately took her into surgery. There they found several tumors, one that caused significant damage. This particular tumor had eaten part of her vertebrae and compressed her spinal cord, leaving her paralyzed. After surgery Billie began to ask God if it was her time to leave. His response to her was, her work was not done. That is all Billie needed to hear, it was time to fight. Billie and her daughter prayed day in and day out. Two
When she learned she had Cancer, she organized herself into a one-woman battle squad. Anyone who knew my mother knows that sitting down and letting the sickness take over was just not in her. She took the eighteen month prognosis they gave her , smiled, and threw it out the window. Shortly after her diagnosis,...
Guess what? I was right about the air. A few days later, my father said he felt really hot. Over the next few days, black spots and boils started appearing all over my father’s body. I knew that he was soon going to die. As he lay on his deathbed, he told me, “John, once I die, the officials are going to board the house up. I don’t know...
We found out on December 26, 2013, my family and I were in South Carolina visiting family for Christmas and we were about to take a new year’s trip to Florida. At that time we were living in Honduras and I was in 7th grade. I was just a normal kid who enjoyed life living in Honduras, going to a private school and playing tennis every day. Nothing horribly bad had really happened to me yet in my life. Finding out that my dad had Leukemia meant more than just he could die, it meant that life as we knew it would totally change. He was diagnosed with a really rare type of Leukemia that couldn’t be treated in the Honduras, so that meant that we had to move, in the middle of 7th grade. The day my sister and I found out, we went to see him in the hospital. He didn't look too good and was about to start crying. I never thought that from that day on, to enter
During the Spring of 2012 my mother became ill with bilateral breast cancer. During this time I was in school and unable to travel to see her or assist my brothers. Being that she was the only family member I lived with it was difficult to focus on my schoolwork as well as think about my mom and two brothers who were at home with these problems. My mother would recover and return to health a year later after surgery and treatment, but the issues continued to arise in our home.
Imagine having to wake up each day wondering if that day will be the last time you see or speak to your father. Individuals should really find a way to recognize that nothing in life is guaranteed and that they should live every day like it could be there last. This is the story of my father’s battle with cancer and the toll it took on himself and everyone close to him. My father was very young when he was first diagnosed with cancer. Lately, his current health situation is much different than what it was just a few months ago. Nobody was ready for what was about to happen to my dad, and I was not ready to take on so many new responsibilities at such an adolescent age. I quickly learned to look at life much differently than I had. Your roles change when you have a parent who is sick. You suddenly become the caregiver to them, not the other way around.
A guilty feeling surged through me as I snuck out of church early, but I could not wait any longer to show my friend, Jonathan, my new Chevrolet Cavalier. As I raced out of the parking lot, I heard ambulance sirens in the distance, and I felt a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach as if butterflies were fluttering around trying to get out. I paid the feeling no mind as I merged onto the interstate at Gray and headed toward Johnson City. Little did I know those sirens would change my life forever.
It was June 6, 2011. I remember taking my mother to the County Hospital’s emergency room. She seemed extremely exhausted; her eyes were half-closed and yellow, and she placed her elbow on the armchair, resting her head on her palm. I remember it was crowded and the wait was long, so she wanted to leave. I was the only one there with her, but I did not allow her to convince me to take her home. I told her in Spanish, “Mom, let’s wait so that we can get this over with and know what’s going on with you. You’ll see everything is okay, and we’ll go home later on.” I wish then and now that would have been the case. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread to many parts of her body including her lungs and kidneys. The doctor said to me not considering that I was a minor and my mother’s daughter, “Her disease is very advanced and we don’t think she will live longer than a year.” With this devastating news, I did not know what to do. I thought to myself that perhaps I should cry, or try to forget and take care of her as best I could and make her laugh to ease her pain.
Family Today What is a family today? What challenges does being a member of a family present while traditional family structures change? Every family has to struggle to balance the demands of work and children. Also the relationship between each spouse can become more delicate and complicated. Besides, the single parent has to face even more challenges than any other.
It was Friday night, I took a shower, and one of my aunts came into the bathroom and told me that my dad was sick but he was going to be ok. She told me that so I did not worry. I finished taking a bath, and I immediately went to my daddy’s house to see what was going on. My dad was throwing-up blood, and he could not breath very well. One of my aunts cried and prayed at the same time. I felt worried because she only does that when something bad is going to happen. More people were trying to help my dad until the doctor came. Everybody cried, and I was confused because I thought it was just a stomachache. I asked one of my older brothers if my dad was going to be ok, but he did not answer my question and push me away. My body shock to see him dying, and I took his hand and told him not to give up. The only thing that I heard from him was, “Daughters go to auntie...
Many problems affect our society, and each problem presents us with different challenges and obstacles. The most prevalent of these problems are crime, poverty, and poor education. Collectively, society looks toward the government to intervene and find a solution to these problems. This is easily illustrated by reflecting back to our last presidential election. The two candidates, George Bush and Al Gore, gave their views and outlined the agendas they hoped to implement in order to resolve society’s problems. Mr. Gore proposed that we give more economic relief to individuals to increase their economic status, thereby reducing the need for crime and providing more opportunity for enhanced education. This belief asserts a social agenda in which the government plays a paternal role to aid society. George Bush’s ideas revolve around the underlying premise that people should have more responsibility for the actions they take and a greater ability to make decisions individually, in order to lessen the burden on society. His beliefs assert an individualistic approach that relies on a person to make their own decisions to resolve societal problems. One can argue for or against each philosophy and give sound reasons for each view. This issue raises a great debate among the people of this nation, which is proven by the fact that the last presidential election was the closest in history.
It’s not everyday that someone dies on your lap,but on a Saturday night,my dog ,who was the whole world to me,died of Parvo,and there was nothing I could do to bring him back to me. I was just sitting there, his tiny innocent body wiggling on my lap,his eyes looking into mine telling me that the pain he felt was way beyond repair. The room was a blur,and in a distant I could hear my grandma's anxious voice begging me to get him off my lap,but I couldn't. Suddenly Buddy,that was his name, started giving off this awful smell. I looked down and saw that he had started bleeding. I burst out crying telling myself that I deeply despised the illness itself,just because it was taking the life of whom had provided unconditional love for me and my family.