Losing Loved Ones to Cancer

Cancer Sucks! Cancer of any kind is a tragic, unfortunate, damaging, saddening thing to endure at any age but mostly in my family it hits relatives in the later stages in life.

I've lost so many elder family members to Colon Cancer, Stomach Cancer, Breast Cancer or just had relatives impacted by having it in some way, but most haven't beat it. I've had various Great Aunts, Great Uncles, Cousins, my Grandma (Mom's Mom back in 2014) and recently my Uncle (Dad's brother) lose their lives to a type of Cancer.

Cancer takes over the body so quickly and so completely, impacting various areas, spreading over such a short amount of time. Relatives can go from being fine and healthy to frail, having shortness of breath, not being able to walk or speak and do such simple tasks for themselves in 6 months or less.

I've seen it up close, but can't possibly know what the pain and fear my Grandma and Uncle felt, that's a very different kind of struggle and journey to experience.

In 2014-2015, my family and I were going through a lot and having a sick and dying Grandma added on top of it, there was tons of stress and worry, plus I was a Sophomore in college trying to stay afloat. My Grandma went from living in her own place and doing for herself to not being at to walk down her own apartment steps nor bathe herself. She was quickly losing weight and her appetite and had to be put on Hospice and moved into my Mom's house so she could take care of her for as long as she had left.

My Grandma was so full of life, loved to dance, share stories, pose for pictures and travel to the South. She was full of love and good hugs, smiles, laughter and she loved her blues music, her kids and all her grandchildren and family. She passed away surrounded by stories, memories, love and family at home in our house.

My Uncle was so full of life, very goofy, sweet, compassionate, selfless, family-oriented and helpful to so many nieces and nephews, cousins, his kids and great nieces and great nephews. My Uncle loved all the kids, always walking us to the park to play or walking us to store to grab candy or go shopping, he was always around to help out in any way he could. He too loved his blues music, to dance and make everybody laugh.

My Uncle was diagnosed with Cancer many years ago, but over time, he ignored doctor's visits and went to 1 surgery recently. He waited too late to go back to the doctor and was scared of what he would find out. In short, over the last 3 months he went from being fine, mowing the lawn, doing normal daily tasks to being very frail, losing his appetite, having shortness of breath and being very tired.

In his last days he was visited by nieces, nephews and other relatives, was able to video-chat and talk on the phone to his kids a couple of times and was surrounded by loved ones during his transition in the hospital yesterday.

So many are dearly missed due to Cancer and it runs in the family which is the scary part, but those loved ones are no longer suffering and struggling, they are in a much better and peaceful place in the sky above.