. In the past, my grandfather was diagnosed with throat cancer. He was able to overcome cancer through chemotherapy and has since recovered fully, but the time during the treatments was very hard on my father, Tim. My grandparents live in Iowa, which carries the stress of not being able to get there quickly if something goes wrong. The hardest part of the whole process was the beginning of his treatment.
My father and I were coming back home from an outing to the mall when we received a call from my grandma. It was halfway through the first month of my grandfathers’ treatment. We assumed the worst from this call. I could see the fear in my dads’ eyes. Usually, I expect Tim to stay strong and persevere no matter what the situation, but I also knew that my grandfathers’ life was on
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My grandmothers’ voice crept from the Bluetooth speaker of the truck, “Hey son, there’s a little problem down here…” The color drained out of Tims' face. She continued, “Your father is having some complications with his diabetes and the chemotherapy. He’s losing a lot of weight, and the doctor told me he needs machine assistance to stay alive.” Heartbreak was the only way to describe the situation. Tim talked with her about my grandfathers’ condition and the choices they had. The choices were either to discontinue his treatment or to keep him in the chemotherapy program. My grandparents talked for a while. Later, both decided my grandfather could push through the therapy. Fighting back tears, my father looked me dead in the eyes and said the words I will never forget to the day I die: “He might not make it.” Each word stabbed me like a knife; I could not fathom the train wreck of thought breaking down my fathers' mind. He barely uttered, “If the cancer doesn’t kill him, the chemo will,” before the first tears streamed down his helpless grimace. At that moment, I knew there was so much to lose and there was nothing we could do about it. I tried my best to comfort my father
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.
Finding out about my grandmothers death was the saddest moment in my life . I didn't understand . I didn't expect it to happen , not to me . I wondered why god had taken an important person away from my life , ad for that i felt confused and miserable . I cried for hours that day . Nothing could have brought me joy that day but the presence of my grandmother , but she was gone and i found it hard to overcome the situation.
...health while going through cancer. In this case, their family leads to the emotions that can impact the patient’s health and decision-making.
Diagnosed with cancer and given just months to live, Randy Pausch decided to give a last lecture. Randy felt this was important so that he may give a sort of goodbye to those who he cared about, share advice and life-experiences that he felt were important, and most importantly for his kids, whom would never really get to know him because of their age. This book is a collection of stories and general life advice that Randy felt was important to share before moving on.
Cancer. The word by itself can conjure images of severely ill and frail people attached to IV medications and chemotherapy drugs as they cling to life in a hospital bed. Other illustrations and pictures depict unrecognizable, misshaped organs affected by abnormal cells that grow out of control, spread, and invade other parts of the body. Cancer studies show that close to one-half of all men and one-third of all women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer during their lives. Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. As patients are newly diagnosed with their specific type of cancer, whether it be breast, lung, prostate, skin, or blood cancer, etc., each patient has to consider what will happen with their future health care plan and who will be involved in their long journey from treatment to recovery. Once diagnosed, cancer patients become the focal point and the center of all activity in terms of care but cancer not only physically invades the patient’s body and well-being, it goes beyond the patient and significantly affects the emotional stability and support from from their loved ones and caregivers. Based on the insidious nature of cancer and typically late detection of malignant diseases, family members (either spouses, children, parents, other relatives, and friends) often become the patient's main caregiver. These caregivers, also known as informal caregivers, provide the cancer patient with the majority of the support outside of the medical facility or hospital environment and become the primary person to provide various types of assistance. They provide the physical support with bathing and assisting in activities of daily living, they become emotional ...
Although, her mind was committed to fighting the cancer, her body was fragile and the doctors sent her to our house on hospice care to live out her final days with her family by her side. As I stood by her hospital bed that now replaced the sofa in our living room, I remembered specifically a day after school when we were getting a special treat at Cherry on Top. I recalled piling on the chocolate brownies and syrup on my melting vanilla yogurt and my grandmother telling me, “Good, better, best, never let it rest, til’ your good is better, and your better is best”. To this day I apply her thinking through my academics and sports. She firmly believed in me and wanted me to do my best at whatever it was that I set out to do.
In December, my father suffered a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. His heart stopped twice during the operation, and he was not expected to survive. He had an intensive recovery period, and I wanted nothing more than to make him better immediately. His trauma had made me impatient and afraid to hope. I was having trouble waiting for things to unfold naturally and wanted to know what would happen in the end. Simple, everyday decisions or occurrences took on great importance.
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.
It was July 22nd when I got the phone call that my great grandma was in the hospital. It was so shocking to me I didn’t even know what to think I had just been up there to see her two days ago prior to then. My dad had called me and told me in a calm but of course I know my dad to well to know that he was calm but actually pretty scared and frantic. I was at work and a perk to my job is that I work at a family owned business that is actually close to my family.
I had the pleasure to interview my grandma, Olga Hernandez. She was born on November 8, 1951 in Cuba. She worked in a workshop making clocks. After she retired, she took care of me while my mom worked. I consider her to be my second mom because she lived with me for eight years. She taught me love, discipline, manners, etc. My grandma is: strong, beautiful, caring, and passionate. Most importantly, she is a breast cancer survivor. I chose to interview my grandma because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I couldn’t think of a better time to do this interview. I like her story because although it’s sad, it has a happy ending. It shows you that no matter how hard things get, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
he presence of illness affects everyone in different ways. My grandfather was diagnosed with a form of dementia in the late fall of 2009 and passed away in the fall of 2016. This drawn out battle with dementia brought out sides of my family members that I did not know existed. I was nine when my grandfather was diagnosed, and unable to fully grasp what was happening to him and why he was not quite the lively, caring grandfather I had always known. I think that the first moment I realized he was sick was in the airport on our way back from visiting my aunt in Washington, D.C. for Thanksgiving.
There are many obstacles that I have faced in my lifetime. The biggest one that I have ever faced, however, was being diagnosed with cancer at eight years old. This was a huge setback for an ambitious, outgoing, eight-year-old kid. I didn’t truly know how to handle the news at first. I was stuck in a hospital room, wires and needles poking out of me from all directions, very confused.
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.
My father's eyes opened, and he called out for my sister Kelly and I to come to him. In a very serious and sad voice, he told us that he was very sick, and he was going to the Fort Wayne hospital. My mother told Kelly and I to help her pack some things for him, because he was going to be leaving soon. We helped her pack, keeping quiet because we did not want to interrupt the silence that had taken over the room.
I remember all of us, the young and the old, holding each other’s hand. We were united and strong, as the whole family would stand together and hope for the best. Even in that dark hour, it was beautiful to see all of us come together. My grandpa was the foundation and patriarch of that family, but it was time that we stayed positive for him. After the prayer, it dawned on me; there would be a time when my grandfather is not here anymore. The only thing that will remain is the memories, stories, and ideals he has inspired in me. He is a great man, who I deeply appreciate to have learned from in my life. A year later, I was very grateful to learn his cancer had gone away after a successful surgery. He went back to work and continued his usual routine. The whole situation made me want to treasure every single moment I have with my grandpa, and makes me appreciate all the time I spent with him during my younger years. This interview was something special, as it let me garner a better understanding of my grandfather. He is a good man, and the story of his life is absolutely worth learning