As I write this, both my parents are still alive. But I know that one day they will pass. That’s something we’ll all face.
However, I was not expecting this:
My mother has just had emergency surgery to remove 50% of her colon. We were subsequently told what they removed was cancerous. Did they get it all? Apparently, you don’t get an ‘all clear’; the doctors just tell you not to worry until they tell you to.
The day after we learned about my mother’s condition, my father was diagnosed with a glioblastoma … a brain tumour. Without treatment, he’ll be dead in a couple of months. With treatment, he should last nine. (He elected for the treatment, which starts with radiation and chemo every day for 16 days … plus numerous CT scans and MRIs.)
Finding out both parents have unrelated cancers, 24 hours apart. It’s scary and depressing and heart-breaking. But it is what it is, and I must deal.