Awhile ago I wrote about finding out that one of my sisters was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Her condition is such that surgery cannot help her and at the time of it's diagnosis the doc told her that the best they can hope for is to prolong her life. The cancer was mainly in her breasts but had also spread to her lung, pelvic area and lymph nodes. They decided to try an estrogen based medical treatment to see what would happen. She's now on her third course of this treatment but so far the results have been nothing short of miraculous. The tumors in her breasts have dramatically decreased in size, some of them are gone. The cancer in her lymph nodes is gone and the tumors in her pelvis have also decreased in size. The spot they were seeing in her lungs is now gone. The tumor markers in her blood work and PET Scan all show that this treatment is outright reversing most of the tumor's growth. We couldn't be happier.
We aren't foolish enough to think that the cancer will go away completely. It won't. But at this rate what looked like a few more months of her being here has now turned to a few more years. She will always have to have treatment and her immune system will always be compromised so she has to be very careful if she is around people who are ill.
She's decreased her work hours. Yes, she's worked through all of this! A testament to the strength of the women in my family - but she's cut back. She's taking time to be with her husband, her daughter and grand daughter. And me.
Today, we just went out for a drive. It was hot and the wind in the car felt good. We talked and laughed. Being summer there was any manner of odd ducks walking around town. We had ice cream. It was lovely. When I got married the first time she was my Matron of Honor. She listened while I was going through my divorce. She asks about my life and my life and my dreams for the future. When I get married again, soon, I will again ask her to be my witness. And I'm thankful to know she will be here to accept that offer.
I'm close to all of my sisters but I am closest to this one. I will miss her everyday, every minute, when she's gone but for now, we have this time, and, for now, it is enough.
3 comments:
Very touching Mary. People have to count their blessings and appreciate them. You certainly have. May God bless your family.
Hello Mary! Just stopping to say that I admire you taking each moment as it goes and enjoying the happy moments in life. Nobody ever really knows what will happen – our chances of dying as "healthy" people are just as great as our sick loved ones (Marcus has aplastic anemia), and it's important to just enjoy each other and appreciate each other each day. Take care!
I'm so glad things are going in the positive direction! The one thing we learn from a disease like this is to enjoy every moment we get and to treasure the time we get to spend with our loved ones.
Thinking of you,
Esther
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