Imagine being 8 months pregnant and being diagnosed with cancer. Imagine being so weak all the time that you cannot take care of your own kids and you have to bring your mom up from Texas to live with you for six months. My sister-in-law, Macie Knight, knows what this feels like. My brother, Ken Knight, and Macie fell in love their senior year of high school and have been together ever since. I’ve always thought of them as the Barbie & Ken dolls because they’re so perfect together. They went to different schools their first year of college, but later transferred to Appalachian State University to pursue different degrees. Macie started teaching at Sawmills Elementary School straight out of college. Just a few months later, Ken and Macie got married at the age of twenty-two. In March of 2010, my first niece, Nella, was born. This influenced Macie to become a stay at home mom. A year and a half later, my first nephew, Silas, was born. …show more content…
The pregnancy was completely normal up until about two months before her due date. That December, Macie noticed a lump on her collarbone that was quite abnormal. She made an appointment to see the doctor a few weeks later because the lump was not going away. Macie obtained multiple doctors’ opinions and ended up getting the lymph node removed for diagnosis. The test results showed that Macie had stage 2 Lymphoma, which is cancer in the lymph nodes. At this point she was eight months pregnant, so they were not permitted to begin treatment for her cancer. Evie was born premature on Thursday February 3, 2014. Macie had the port in which the chemotherapy would go into her body through put in on the next Monday. One week after Macie had a caesarean section, she started chemotherapy
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.
Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is a life-altering event. During this time, life is not only difficult for the patient, but also for their loved ones. Families must learn to cope together and to work out the best options for the patient and the rest of the family. Although it may not be fair at times, things may need to be centered on or around the patient no matter what the circumstance. (Abbott, 2003) Sacrifices may have to be made during difficult times. Many factors are involved when dealing with chronic illnesses. Coping with chronic illnesses alter many different emotions for the patients and the loved ones. Many changes occur that are very different and difficult to get used to. (Abbott, 2003) It is not easy for someone to sympathize with you when they haven’t been in the situation themselves. No matter how many books they read or people they talk to, they cannot come close to understanding.
Shock, anger, numbness, denial, acceptance, and fighting for one’s life, are the general phases of grief through one’s experience with cancer (cancersurvivors.org). Although discovering about one’s cancer can be excruciating, an additional agonizing reaction to a sick person is how the others are affected and their one-on-one reaction to the person. Feeling overly pitiful to one’s illness can impair the situation for the one who is ill by emotionally making the tragedy feel additionally worse. Although the extra sympathy, empathy, and compassion Hazel Grace Lancaster is treated with in The Fault In Ours Stars are intended to comfort, these exaggerated emotions have the opposite effect, further isolating and reminding her of her limited existence, but concurrently, the reality of condolences is pivotal to Hazel’s life.
In my 3 years of experience as a hospice nurse, I have cared for several patients in the final stages of their breast cancer diagnosis and journey. In the little time I’ve had to spend with those patients have I learnt about the life they lived , their families , pets , favorite books , music, skin tome , hair color , and even height prior to their diagnosis , or during its early stages. Often when I arrive in the home it is extremely difficult
Being the second oldest of eight children, there was never a dull moment in our house. Personality differences were common but the love we had for each other was obvious. With this being said, I am the only child out of those eight that has not only graduated high school but I am now working towards my Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education. We were a poor family and education was not on the top of the list of priorities. The first four of us were like stair-steps and seven years later came another set of stair-step children. My closest sister, Evie, was deaf and my mother sent us both to a school for the hearing impaired to ensure someone could communicate with her. I have fond memories of this school and the time Evie and I were able
Most of us have experienced a time in our lives when we have dealt with the burdens of sickness. Can you think of a time when a loved one has been severely ill? Or of a time when you, yourself, have been in the hospital? Can you imagine not being able to physically be with that sick loved one, or not having your loved ones nearby to support you while you were sick? Now imagine being a parent with a child who has a life-threatening illness, such as cancer. Wouldn’t that be hard? What if your child needs the best care available, but that facility is out of state? Do you send them away and visit every now and then? Do you move? Do you drive hundreds of miles a week for treatments? How can you afford it all? Thousands of families experience these hardships every day. The struggle to accommodate for a child’s healthcare needs is costly and stressful. That is why Ronald McDonald House Charities provide shelter across America for families with hospitalized children who are receiving treatment away from home.
...health while going through cancer. In this case, their family leads to the emotions that can impact the patient’s health and decision-making.
She would complain of stomach aches, and began to have trouble completing everyday task. Shortly after experiencing these symptoms, my mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer. This created a fear that I would lose both of my parents within the time span of two years. Being very young, I had no idea how to care for myself, or my ill mother. At this point in my life, I completely hit rock bottom. After my mother’s diagnosis, my household completely changed. I had to assume the role of the parent in order to make sure that my mother was properly taken care of. A journal study the behavior of children with ill parents began to notice the changes in roles in the households of these families as well. “Physical, mental, and emotional deterioration may compromise the ability of ill parents to reach out to their children. Disruptions in routines and role reallocations within the family are particularly disorienting to children given their exquisite reliance on predictability.” I was never very reliant on predictability given my living arrangements as a
Attention Getter: Imagine being diagnosed with a disease that causes you so much pain that it makes impossible for you to maintain your home, spend quality time with your family, work a regular job and
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.
My family consists of five children, which today is considered a large family. Of the five I am the youngest by six years. My parents were married for twenty-eight years before they decided that divorce was the only solution. I was fourteen years old and the one child that suffered the most emotional damage. Because of the many years my parents were married and the wide age difference between my siblings and myself I was the only child still living at home with my parents. The day my dad decided to move out was the day my life changed forever.
Each day was, and still is, a hard, frustrating and stressful time. This incurable disease has had a dramatic effect over the years starting when I was in kindergarten. I remember when my mother started using a cane so she wouldn't fall when she walked. She could still work, drive, and go on outings with me, her only daughter. In the beginning I didn't know how to grasp it all but I gradually understood a little more each day.
She began to suffer from hair and weight loss as well as the color change of her skin. My mind began to intersect with thoughts of her dying from cancer. I decided negativity would no longer control my thoughts; I had a grandmother who needed me to be strong and think positive about her condition, regardless of the situation and her physical changes. During the time of my grandmother chemotherapy treatments, I would miss school to attend her appointments. As a sophomore in high school, I could only miss a small amount of days before any negative effects displayed toward my grades. Therefore, I would miss school every Tuesday and Thursday for the next four months of my first semester of tenth grade. I didn’t mind because my grandmother meant the world to me and I would have done it a thousand times, if I was given the
Up until March 5th of 2009, I had been an only child. Many big changes occurred in my life the year prior to the birth of my new brother. My mom became remarried, we moved to a bigger house down the same street, and there was talk of a new baby in the future. The remarriage was a small celebration held at a quaint location on a chilly fall night, a night you would rather be snuggled up on the couch with warm, fuzzy blankets drinking from a mug of hot cocoa. The move was a breeze, as I can just about see the old house through the tall maple trees from the new. I carried whatever I could back and forth, running quickly back down the street to grab more. The excitement of a new house chasing me to and from. Lastly, the talk of a sibling. I wasn’t sure what to think. The thought of a sister excited me, but a brother not so much. I wanted to share my dolls and dress up, not have to play with mud and trucks. Despite my wants, I had a feeling it was going to be a boy. The day of the ultrasound, I made a bet with my step-dad the baby would be a boy. After, I was a dollar richer and a sister of a brother to be. Having to wait a few more months to meet the little guy would be torture, as the anticipation was killing me slowly. I may not have been ready for the changes made and the ones to come, but I took them like a champ.
Caregiving for older adults is no easy task. It is very complex as it requires the intersection between being a family member and taking on the responsibilities of a caregiver. Caregivers have to assume this new role that includes taking care of difficult medical procedures. This could include handling medical equipment, distributing medicine, or simply monitoring for adverse affects of sickness or medicine. Family caregiving can cause many problems in the caregiver’s life. Caregiving has negative impacts on multiple different aspects of life, including an impact on physical, emotional, health and financial issues. Caregiving can also take a large toll on the family of the older adult. These caregivers are more likely to experience emotional distress, depression, anxiety, or social isolation (Schulz, 2016). Schulz even reports that family caregivers tend to have worse physical health than those that are not burdened with the responsibility of caring for family members. Physical