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YES IT'S CANCER! Yes, it's
Cancer! The three words that strike fear in your heart. Whether these words are spoken to you personally or to someone you love, your life has now been changed forever. There is no turning back from
this journey you are about to take. It really is up to you how you choose to handle it. I say choose because you either run and hide or you fight it with everything that's in you. You may not win the
battle but then again so many do win. The point is to never give up hope. Believe it or not at the end of this journey whether there is a cure or not, you will emerge stronger and wiser. Your sense of
values will have been changed forever. Priorities change as you suddenly realize what is really important in life. Things that used to drive you up the wall no longer seem to matter. They no longer
hold the power over you that they once did.Cancer is many faceted. By that I mean it effects everyone close to you in a different way yet it is very much the same. The patient feels their
life is over yet wants to fight this thing. No one wants to go without a struggle. The loved one is not about to let anything happen to the one they love and gets ready for a battle. When these 3 words
were spoken to me, my physical response was one of being thrown out of a plane without a parachute. My stomach just fell! I felt numb, helpless and hopeless. These are the emotions that ran through my
head yet I'm not the one they were talking about; it was the one I loved who now has the Cancer. For us, as with everything else in life, this was something we would go through together. Some people may try
and tough it out alone but I really feel this is a big mistake. We always believed that joy shared is intensified and pain or sorrow shared is lessened. We had each other but the love and support we received
from our family and friends was immeasurable. I don't have any magic words to share but I can just let you know how it worked for us. I originally planned to relate our story of our battle of Cancer
but decided against it. You are now facing the same battlefield we were on. The tactics on fighting this disease are unique to each case and everyone responds differently to their course of treatment.
Some are survivors and win this horrific battle while others are not as fortunate. Unfortunately, our battle eventually overwhelmed us but my loved one faced it with a great amount of dignity. What
helps me, as the one left behind, is the knowledge that we were in this together every step of the way. It helped us both to know that no matter what lay ahead neither of us would face it alone. Emotionally
be there for your loved one. No matter what they want to discuss, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel to hear it just listen and be there for them. Make every minute together count for
something. You know, even if not one word is spoken but you just sit there holding their hand speaks volumes. Face it together, you will be glad you did!1/15/99 |
