Life is full of unexpected twists and turns that you never saw coming. Your loved ones leave, hopefully to a better place, and new ones are born. Instinctively, you do your best to protect the ones that are left behind and prevent the cruelness of the world from damaging their outlook on life. My parents have done their best to shelter me from everything that could possibly hurt me, so I did not become damaged. When I was seven years old my father was diagnosed with cancer for the second time, but he was not the only one. My paternal grandfather was also diagnosed with the same condition, stage four lung cancer. At seven you do not truly understand what cancer is or what it will do to the family aspect of your life. I knew that my father and grandfather were both sick, but beyond that I was living in a world of denial. The world of a carefree seven-year-old. When my father was in the hospital for his cancer treatments my grandmother would take care of me and my sister. This cycle between hospital and home went on for over a year. My …show more content…
In a way I was right even though that is a very depressing thought. My mother kept almost everything about my father and grandfather’s condition and treatment a secret. Then one day everything changed. My whole life came crumbling down in a moment. My father was responding well to the treatments, but my grandfather had not and was now lost to me forever. I was never particularly close to my paternal grandfather, but I grieved the loss of a grandparent I would never truly get to know. The idea he was gone was hard for me to wrap my head around, especially because I still had all of my great grandparents. The fact that he had survived and his father had not devastated my father. After having part of his right lung removed he became addicted to the pain medication because he felt as if it helped him cope with the loss of his
My mother and brother were with me, taking it all in themselves. My brother was 10 and not a very serious person. I didn’t think it would affect him very much. My mother was a different story. She was about to lose her last living parent, the one she was close to, and although I couldn’t see it physically, I know her heart broke into billions of pieces at the sight. My grandmother, who had turned 88 less than a month before, was diagnosed with pancreatitis not even a week before and was now going to be taken off life support. Several of her organs had failed already, including her kidneys, so my aunt had been forced to make the hardest decision of her life.
There are two types of death a child may experience with his or her parent. Sadly the most common way is an illness such as cancer or other medical problems. When a parent has cancer it can be very difficult for the child. After years of long hospital drives and countless hours in different waiting rooms crying, the child may grow angry or upset when their parent is not getting better. In this situation it is important for the child to be informed about what is happening with their parent. The treatments are not working as they used to, this means mom or dad is going to die soon. The child most likely has noticed that their parent is not as active anymore. It is important to let them know about the situation so there is no false hope which can lead to a more devastating heartbreak than expected. During this difficult time the child is watching their parent slowly die. The child may become a...
One of the hardest things my dad had to do was to inform me and my brother about her situation. He sat us both down, put his hands on our shoulders, and carefully explained that my mom was "sick". Sick was an understatement. This disease was life-threatening. It could take a mother away from her children, a wife away from her husband, and a sister away from her siblings. No, my mom was not "sick". She was suffering. There were days where I wasn't allowed to be near my mom. Being a 5 year old, it was hard to understand why things had to be that way. Why can't I see my mom? Why can't I play with her? Why can't I hug her? Although I was young, I could still see my mom in times of
Eventually things in my life as a first grader returned to normal. My family was complete again and everyone was home. It never crossed my mind that it could come back until 4 years later when it did. Throughout the next 13 years after the original diagnosis, the cancer has come back 4 times. Now that I am old enough to understand what is wrong, I can honestly say that it isn’t the hospital visits that touch my life the most. Of course when she is in the hospital it is hard but now that I can go visit her as I please it makes it a whole lot easier. The thing that has touched my life the most is something that most people probably take for granted and don’t even know they have. It is the security and confidence in the health of their loved ones. It is the fact that they don’t have to worry about their dad, brother, mom being sick. They don’t have to worry about how long they will have their loved ones for. As I look back upon the years that I have fully understood what is going on with my mom’s health that I realize how much it has shaped me. I truly don’t know how long I have left with her, or if something similar could happen to me. This constant adversity in my life has made me try to not take things, especially time for
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.
Many weeks of cancer treatments for my little sister Tory has worn me down. Tory was diagnosed with leukemia last fall. My parents have never been the same since that unforgettable doctor's appointment. I mean, I feel the same way, cancer has created a one big problem in my family. Lately, all the attention has been on Tory and her health issues, and I am afraid my parents forgot that I still exist.
We sat many hours while my mom got tests done. Before she went into surgery we got to see her . Walking in that room and seeing my mom was the hardest thing ever to see her going through this was heartbreaking. My mom is such a motivation person she strives to be happy everyday and constantly has a smile on her face. We said our goodbyes and walking down those halls was one of the hardest things I ever experienced i would have never guess that my mom would be in one of those hospital beds because she had cancer. All that was going through my head was what if my mom doesnt make it? What if my mom doesn't make it? Each child have a close relationship whether it's with your mom or dad but i've always had a close relationship with my mom i was always b y her side and never let her go. After waiting a few hours we got the call that she was done. We made our way back to her room, to be honest she look horrible she looked so sick and unhappy it was so hard seeing my mom like
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.
The last thing I would want to hear as a twelve year old girl was, “Your dad has cancer.” It was September 2011 when I found out my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I was in shock and speechless as to what I should even say. I can remember my mom telling me about the unfortunate news while she tried to hide the tears behind her eyes. As a young girl I never expected a family member especially my dad to have cancer. Many questions like what would I do without my dad filled my head. I started to doubt God as to how could this happen to an amazing man. I had so many negative thoughts in my mind yet on the outside I tried to show people that I was okay.
The first six months post diagnosis he was fairly normal. We would go longboarding around my neighborhood, walk my dog, and go for car rides. He seemed fine, the cancer was something in the back of my mind. After a year had passed, my father’s condition had deteriorated greatly. He could no longer walk up the stairs in my home, he could no longer complete many of the basic functions of life that many take for granted. Before this, I was hopeful that he would beat the cancer and my family could continue life normally. Now I knew he was going to die and there was nothing I could do about it. I remember asking my mom, would he beat the cancer?
My entire family was in a panic, after receiving the news I just stayed in my room, quiet.It all began with my mother going for a check up at the doctors, she was worried that she felt a lump on her breast. As a child I didn’t know what to think of that...breast cancer? All that came to mind was "death", it turned out that she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. Exactly a week went by, and another situation had arose; My dad had gotten an ischemic stroke in his sleep the night before it had been seven days of my mom
The feeling of being understood by another person at a time in life where everything seems to be falling apart or going wrong, can go a long way towards making sure they overcome it and can get back on their feet. Many people never create a connection with a teacher or someone who is much older than them, but I was lucky enough to do so with my study hall monitor Mr. Cyrprinski. Early on in high school, I had a ton of different worries about my future, and it constantly ate away at me. I was frustrated on a regular basis while trying to figure out how to create a career path, balance a social life, and still succeed in school. From the start of the school year, there never seemed to be a dull moment until that final bell rang in June. School was a personal hell for me. It stayed that way for a long time, until Mr. Cyrprinski began breaking down not only certain perspective flaws I had, but while also relating to me. Mr. Cyrprinski understood the importance of not only explaining the different facets of life to people who were still young, but carried a respectful tone that made you feel as if he truly cared about what someone may have been speaking about.
I often find myself wondering what my life would be like with her here or if I turned out to be how she imagined. I have come to the conclusion that no matter how hard I try, no amount of research or begging for answers from God will help me. Unlike these few things that will never be known, I will always know her smile, crave her laugh and appreciate the impact my beautiful mother had on this earth. Some days it hits me harder than others that I no longer have a mom, but remembering the feeling helps like medicine. Not knowing at the time the little moments I shared with her would turn into memories I would cherish forever. Through my mom’s journey with cancer she always had a smile on her face, even on her last birthday she would ever experience, just nine days before we would have to say our goodbyes.
It is a well known fact that one decision can change a life and that is exactly what happened to me. I chose to be a hardworking student, take multiple dual credit classes, and try to advance myself as much as possible. I never thought that all my hard work would come back on me and ruin my plan. I will be graduating with 33 college credit hours and an EMT license which for a normal student that would be great. My plan of two years came crashing down last week, my dream of going to a six year medical program was denied. The criteria that I have and the criteria that the school emplaced did not match up. I had to many college credit hours for the fast track program which denied my access into my dream program. After receiving the heartbreaking email, I really began to think about my life. At first I was angry at myself for taking too many college classes, but then I began to see that it may have been the best thing to ever happen to me.
In my life an abundance of people has had an impact on me, especially my family. I grew up with my twin and two older sisters and growing up with three sisters has taught me many essential concepts and lessons including sharing and taking responsibility for the things that you have done. Even though at times it was tough to have an abundance of sisters, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I always had someone I could go to, and having a twin allowed me to have a friend at all times. In addition, by having older sisters, I was able to get useful advice about school and friends. I appreciated all the help they had given me and I learned to be grateful for the advice and attention I was given. Furthermore, my parents were able to teach me vital