I sit here and think where we were a year ago. We found out about daddy’s cancer on Thursday, Oct 11, 2012. I teaching viruses to my 4th period class when my mom came up to tell me.
The month of Sept was spent getting test and waiting for the results. Each test led to another test as we explored why dad was coughing and had a pressure on his chest. We wanted to think the best but were worried about the worst. The waiting and waiting and waiting for results… it was truly agonizing. The day we found out about his cancer, I was in shock. For me, I had been in my dad’s shoes before when I was told I had cancer, 6 yrs prior. I knew how numb a person feels when they hear “You have Cancer.” Those who hear it call it the Big C word. Yet, as I heard that my dad had cancer, I felt as helpless as a little baby. Flashbacks of my “day in the dr office that changed my life” happened as I walked from my classroom down to the car where my dad was staying. The only thing I remember that helped me was a huge hug. So I came over, gave my daddy a huge hug and told him words that made both of us feel like there might be light at the end of the tunnel yet an overwhelming fear/sadness hung in our hearts.
Now, it has been about 11 months. The experience my dad has had is very different than mine as his treatment is much more dramatic than mine. People ask me how our family copes with this. My response: We put it in God’s hands, we take one day at a time and we are a family and do anything for each other. Over the last 11 months, we have had ups and downs as my dad went through his treatment. One of the most uplifting times was in May when we were told no cancer can be found. We huddled up together and through our tears, we praised God for all He has done. Though God is our center pole, we turned to Him again late August, asking him to destroy the cancer spots that have appeared again in dad’s body. I have no doubt in my heart/soul that in a few months, we will yet again huddle together and praise God for His healing hand will rid the cancer in dad’s body.
I am truly thankful for the time my family has together, for our friends who love/support us and for the memories that we share together. I am thankful for God’s blessings in all the small and large things in life. When we each reflect on our lives, may we feel all the gifts God has given us and may we always know God is carrying us in the good and bad times of life as He is always there.