I just came home from the doctor, and they told me that I was just beginning to start fighting the battle of Stage 4 Cancer. I’m pretty sure that I have enough money to sustain this horrible sickness, but it is still just a terrible situation. The fact that I’ll hopefully live, because I have the right amount of money is something that I can be thankful about. The doctor’s told me today that I will have to start cancer treatment next week. In the meantime, I need to keep my family in the loop about what’s going on with my life. I bet they’ll be heartbroken when they find out. The reaction that I’m having to this whole cancer thing right now is just absolutely awful. I’m thankful that I don’t have as much to worry about with the financial responsibilities. Thinking about someone who has cancer right now, and can’t pay for it all makes my whole …show more content…
They would have to not only pay for their bills for their home, but adding to that would be the loads and loads of hospital fees that you’d have to pay if you had a cancer disease quite like this. Battling this fatal disease for me is certainly a whole lot easier than for them. In the end, I won’t have as much money to pay for food, water bills, electric bills, etc, because I will just be spending it on all of these treatments. I’m hoping that I will end up living, but I can’t be that sure of it. Next week, I’m going to be laying on some operating table having IV’s stuck into my arms, needles hovering over over my whole body that are full of fluids, doctors trying to figure out how they can cure this sickness that’s inside of me. I have no idea what I’m going to do in the meantime. The only thing that I can do is… I guess wait. Right now, the only thing that I want to do is: start feeling like a normal person again. I feel like a patient, a dead tree that just got blown over by 200 mile an hour winds, a meaningless, lonely person. I am desperate for someone to heal me, make me all better again.
Living our busy lives no one else in the family could travel to Houston. Grandma was a strong woman. She could overcome anything and cancer was not going to defeat her. When she arrived at the hospital the doctors took a cat scan and figured out that she had stage four melanoma skin cancer. While my mother and grandma were at M.D. Anderson I was at home living a normal life just starting my first high school basketball season. Every night I worried about how she was doing not thinking about my school work or my athletics. A couple weeks later I called grandma and asked her how she was doing and she assured me that everything was going to be okay and that I should not worry about her. That’s how she lived. She never put herself first in any situation and family and friends were her main focus. Grandma would do anything to make her grandkids happy. I told my grandma I loved her and hung up the phone. The next day at school I looked up the percentage of people killed by melanoma skin cancer and the results were not good. One person dies of melanoma every 54 minutes. When I got home that evening I told my dad that I needed to be in Houston with my grandma. He said he didn’t think that he could make it happen with his busy schedule. I called my mom upset realizing that
Before I go on to celebrate my mother and what she stood for I must share with you the reality of what life was like for my mother and the family since she was first diagnosed with cancer in October. Of course, nobody suffered more than my mother, but Dad you’re definitely second. We all shared my mother’s pain. It was like we were all on trial.
When I was younger, I remember feeling as though I lived in a bubble; my life was perfect. I had an extremely caring and compassionate mother, two older siblings to look out for me, a loving grandmother who would bake never ending sweets and more toys than any child could ever realistically play with. But as I grew up my world started to change. My sister developed asthma, my mother became sick with cancer and at the age of five, my disabled brother developed ear tumors and became deaf. As more and more problems were piled upon my single mother’s plate, I, the sweet, quiet, perfectly healthy child, was placed on the back burner. It was not as though my family did not love me; it was just that I was simply, not a priority.
I am writing this to you on the anniversary of my father's passing, out of a deep concern for your future. My desire is that, by reading this, you may avoid some of the pain that my generation has experienced. Many things have come and gone in my lifetime, for God has granted me a long 60 years. I wish to tell you all that I have experienced, before I too pass on, that you may learn from the mistakes of the past, and that our losses may not be in vain.
...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.
Although some individuals may believe that it was a miracle that my father survived cancer, it was much more than that. The optimism of my family, friends, and loved ones enabled my dad to relieve his stress and focus on his cancer treatment. This situation has changed my mindset in life and it has provoked me to stay hopeful even when the odds are not in my favor. I’ve began to use positive thinking to help guide myself to my ambitions. This made my transition into adulthood much easier because I was prepared to deal with difficult situations. I began to cherish my loved ones even more than before. I realized all the luxuries that I had received and took for granted. I learned that the most important people in life is your family and without them, it’s near impossible to be successful. If my father had lost his fight, I would have had to become more independent as I would become the man of the house. Going into adulthood, I’ve learned that I should take situations into my owns hands rathering that relying on others. Some people that may be there for you today, may not be there
"Ring, ring", I wondered who was calling me at this time of evening. "Yes; o.k.; Yes, I'll be there", I said before hanging up the phone. What was wrong, I wondered all that evening that the doctor wanted me to come in to discuss my lab results? I had never been asked to come in to the office after doing blood tests before; when receiving a call as this the mind plays tricks on the person and wild things start popping up in the head.
Good afternoon, let me just start by saying that the kindness, support, friendship, and love extended to me and my family during this difficult time has really touched my heart- we are sincerely appreciative!
So one is going about your business, doing your normal routine and it’s time for a doctor’s visit. You go in there, the doctor performs his regular examine and sends you home. The next phone call you get from your doctor is a tragic one. They have just diagnosed you with a disease that has a low survival rate. And so begins the medical treatments. These treatments could last weeks, months, or years, during which you will face some of the most difficult choices. Some of our family members or friends have heard these words before and unfortunately doctors can only do so much to help, and the cost of treatments are on the rise. According to the NY Times, you could be paying up to a million dollars in one year just to pay for treatments, drugs,
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.
When I flip through old photo albums in thirty years, I see the successful and happy life I have lived with my family, friends, neighbors, and classmates. I envision a life filled with hard work, achieved goals, strong relationships, and a deep faith with God. I would consider my life to be successful if I continued to be the hard working student I am as I continue to further my education in a Five-Year Fast Track Physician Assistant program. If I made my dreams reality; one of my dreams being to never regret day I lived and to take every day as a new opportunity to better myself. If I formed strong bonds and relationships with my colleagues, professors, friends, and family.
People who are facing this disease face financial problems because it brings a lot of appointments and consumes a lot of a person’s time, meaning they have to take off from work or face unemployment. Cancer drains a person mentally, physically, and financially. Many Cancer patients may spend all of their money on treatments that they need. Financial problems lead to other problems for Cancer patients to
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.
Wishing all of you the strength to move forward from your pain and the wisdom needed to discover the love inside of you. Sending all of you my hopes that you will spread the word and be the