No one ever expects to come home from school one day and find out their parent has been diagnosed with cancer.
My mom had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which is a disease that affects the nervous system, in 2010 and had been out of work for some time, but we were all making the most of what we had as I was a freshman in high school and my brothers were freshman in college. My dad had recently turned 50 and had his annual colonoscopy where doctors found a small tissue mass on his colon. He went into surgery to have it removed and biopsied. Surgery itself was scary as you never know the outcome so I remember staying home from school that day and holding my dad’s hand as they wheeled him off. My dad came home, the surgery went well and although he was in pain, he was on his way to recovery. A few months later, everything changed when I walked through the front door. He ushered us all into my brother’s room, and told us not to panic, that we could talk to my parents about anything and ask any questions. By this time, my heart was pounding and I could not even fathom what my dad was about to say. I started getting hot and wished to take back the words my dad said that next moment. He had an early stage of prostate cancer.
I remember sitting there with my mouth hanging open, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes and the lump I tried to swallow so I would not cry. I walked back into my room and shut my door to take a minute and process what he had said. Never in a million years did I think something like cancer would find its way into my family. The past two years had already been hard enough on the family because of my mom’s diagnosis and this just added another sick parent to the mix. I was clearly taken aback.
Fast forward a few months and many doctors’ visits to my parents hopping on an airplane to San Francisco. They were flying out to a hospital that specialized in radiation therapy and prostate cancer. I remember staying at my aunt’s house and having so much fun with my cousins but then feeling bad because my dad was busy being poked and prodded by doctors. Thankfully the doctors and radiation therapy helped my dad and he is now cancer free!
My freshman year was a huge rollercoaster ride and it took a toll on my family, especially me, as I have a very special, unique bond with my dad. He is my best friend, we do everything together, and he always makes me laugh with his jokes but he will also be there through the serious stuff. This period of my life might have been hard but it reminds me to always cherish our loved ones and not take anything for granted. It was one of the hardest things to go through and yet it taught me so much.