Cancer - One Month Later

My family's life recently changed forever - a month ago I was sipping BBCs (the best drink ever - Bailey's, Banana Rum and Coconut) with my dad in the Caribbean and a week later I was at his bedside in the hospital. On a Wednesday morning at 6am my cell phone rang to a random Pittsburgh number - it was my father's primary care doctor. He was calling to tell me my dad had cancer and it had spread throughout his body. I needed to come home. Oh, and I also needed to not talk to my mother for the next hour because they didn't want to break the news to her while she was driving into the city. Ignoring my mom's calls is something I am NOT GOOD AT! You'd think I would have learned by now. I immediately called my brother in tears to break the news to him. He was stoic and held it together. I, on the other hand, was blatantly ignoring the phone ringing with the caller id blaring me in the face - Mom's cell, and while in a frenzy to pack a bag and get the dog ready to go, dropped my new iphone4 in the toilet just before getting ready to head to the 'burgh.

Fast forward: I have a new phone (thank you Verizon for the tissues and the new phone) and the trip to Pittsburgh revealed that the cancer was on my dad's kidney, liver, spine, lungs and in his bones. WTF! They took a biopsy of the tumor on his liver and decided to do radiation on the tumors on his spine. One month later, there is no definitive diagnosis. To date we have heard from the doctors that it could be kidney, pancreatic, bile duct and even stomach cancer - with pancreatic and bile duct being the scariest options cause well basically, no one survives these cancers long term. Hell, people barely survive 6 months after diagnosis, although my lovely 85 year old aunt with a pig valve in her heart has lived 13 months with terminal pancreatic cancer, so there are exceptions. The lab results are due to come back this week from some special place in California with a definitive diagnosis. We shall see what the white coats have come up with this time. My brother is convinced they are going to say something lame like cancer of the pinky toe next.

In the mean time, each day has been filled with ups and downs. My dad is exhausted but to his credit, is still working - I think mainly to stay sane and away from my recently retired mom. My mom is strong but has decided to put me on speed dial. Well I guess I have been on speed dial for years, as any one of my past co-workers can tell you; however, now those moments come with greater frequency, if that was even possible. My brother and sister in law are fantastic and thankfully close to my family so they can visit often - I am complimenting them now, because they leave for Italy on Sunday and I am horribly bitter! I expect lots of nice things from the motherland upon their return. I am the support from afar. Lucky for my family I work in a cancer institute so I have answers and resources at my fingertips. Unlucky for me I work in cancer. No break from the insidious monster for this girl.