We Live With New Things Can Sometimes Be Scary

I can still remember the day I was diagnosed with cancer. I was in sitting on the hospital bed like every normal checkup. My mother was speaking with the specialist about my results. I was looking at their facial expression to see any hint of urgeness, then I looked away to see out the window. When I turned back my mother was crying. I was shocked,

waited and waited, doctor visit after doctor visit until they finally scheduled the surgery date. I

I’m grateful I can get this done, but I don’t want to go recovery. On the bright side my pain will be gone and my body can make more red blood cells. This means my shortness of breath will go away and the odds of my blood vessels blocking will decrease! I’m afraid about my surgery I really am, but I’m ready, ready to feel better and live a better life. I can do more with my family, hang out with my friends, and just feel better. Dr. Williams is coming back into the room now and is telling me were about to start the procedure.

When my dad came home that evening he sat me down and asked me if I knew what cancer was. I had an idea so I just nodded my head, he went on to tried to explain to me how bad the cancer was that my mom had been diagnosed with. Seeing my dad so afraid scared me. The fear I felt then led me to realize that I needed to try and hide it because it would only hurt my dad more to see his children so upset. I did my best to help, I tucked my little sisters into bed while my mom was away at the hospital, read them stories and did the best I could at preparing snacks to comfort them. After my mom arrived home and she recovered from the surgery she started chemotherapy. The miserable treatment that attacks the cancer also makes her very ill. Every other week she was sick. Before every bad week I wanted to cry, but that wouldn’t help anyone. Lane and Kenna already were crying, if I cried it could only hurt my parents

All I did when the nurses and doctors weren't in my room was sleep. That's all there is to do. Being in the hospital is honestly the most boring and scariest thing in the world. When the time came to get my cat scan I went through the same process as the previous morning. I felt like a zombie and could barely keep my eyes open. The results came back and I couldn't of been happier. The neurologist told me the bleeding is dissolving and that I could go home Friday morning. My heart was starting to beat normal again.

Both surgeries were excruciating; however, I listened to praise music and endured. There were some complications. One of which was I had a bad allergic reaction to a medication given to me by the second anesthetist. Miranda was the one who figured out which medication it was and helped me. Honestly, I have little memory of the two weeks I spent in Maryland and prefer to not dwell on them. My daughter Miranda carried me through the storm. She fought with faith at every turn and refused to let me go. Kevin, my parents, Mary, and Alan were there as well. Love surrounded me. Once, I was home I thought the worst was over. But, I was wrong. Night after night I woke up screaming for help in pain and found it very difficult to eat anything. I could swallow frozen ice drinks, but that was about it. I thought it was from the pain of the incision in the front of my neck and would simply heal with time; however, I was

They had to run so much tests and questions before surgery it was so annoying. Later I find myself laying in bed getting everything connected on me so I could go to the surgery room. They said it would take about thirty minutes to finish the process of the surgery. When they came to get me I literally started to scream “wheeeeee” in the hallway while they pulled me away from my room. As I entered the surgery room it became so cold that my breath could be visible. Later a guy started to explain to me on what their going to do and how they're going to put me on the

From there, the doctors place valve mask on my face for inducing oxygen to reach my lungs. For the rest of the day, I spent resting in my room with only food and water to fill my daily necessities. I could feel my parent’s sadness come all over me like a blanket. They were aggravated because my computer teacher didn’t send me to the nurse’s office when I needed help, and they wanted to sue the school. Then one of the doctors came in and told me that I was going to have to rest for a few days in order regulate my oxygen

Cancer is something that not only affects the person diagnosed with it, but also the people who know them. When my grandmother got colon cancer in 2008, the family was distraught with the news and didn’t know how to react. After she had died from cancer in 2009, I wasn’t aware of exactly what kind of cancer she had and how the severity was. I didn’t even know what each of the stages meant. After I found out what kind of cancer she had, I still wasn’t sure how it was caused, what kind of effects it had, what kind of treatments she had, and if there was any way it could’ve been prevented.

Around 6pm on Friday it was time for surgery. I was really scared when I was on my way to the surgery room. On my way there I had to stop and talk to a guy because he needed to put a liquid to make me dizzy and waist time to get everything settled.

I spent my whole summer in and out of hospitals, sitting in waiting rooms for hours and hours waiting for the doctor to bring back good news. I never once showed signs of weakness or pain because I knew that was the last thing my mom needed. Many may not believe that a girl who was only fifteen could be so strong to not show emotion, and they are completely right. During the day, I would hold my mom’s hand tight and at night I would bawl and ask why? Why her? Why not me? With this obstacle, I gained the skill of strength and control which comes handy every now and

Spoiler alert, the surgery went great (and I survived). I honestly want to worried because Dr. Weinstein reassured me that the success rate when he does this surgery is a 99%. He also told me that he would be doing the surgery so he would take good care of me and everything would be ok. It didn’t really hit me that I was going in for surgery until I was being rolled in the hospital bed back into the operation room. When I got into the surgery room the surgeon made me recite my full name and birthdate. Then the last thing I remember from before the surgery was the anesthesiologist putting the mask on me and telling me to breath in

We were in the middle of June so it was a sunny day with a blue sky and clouds. As we are leaving for giselles doctors appointment everyone was just making jokes trying to be positive. When we get there everyone goes quiet looking worried. As soon as the doctor walks in he blurts out “So the tumor is big but removable” everyone's jaw drops and starts crying. My Aunt then says “ She has a tumor?” He says “ Wait didn't they tell you ? They were supposed to tell you” He tells us everything is going to be okay and surgery can fix this but it will take a couple of more months to shrink all of the tumor with chemo.

After that, I admittedly do not remember much, besides certain conversations here and there. I know that I was placed in the PICU and was heavily sedated. The doctors came in and introduced themselves; as a matter of fact, I cannot say that at the time I remembered them or what they told me. They had put me on a shot to combat my clotting disorder, which they deemed the reason for the stroke that caused a ruptured carotid artery. When I first came fully back to myself, I had a few days where I just laid in bed, but at that point, it was time to start my therapy. It was tough at first due to the fact that I still could not feel the majority of my right side at the time. They

I was sixteen years old when I found out my mother was diagnosed with Colon cancer. In the beginning my parents tried keeping everything from me, so I would not worry. But that only made it worst. I would carry that thought with me everywhere I’ll go. Making it harder and harder for me to concentrate in school. Cancer was like a new member of our family, nobody had ever really heard/had it. We did not know what was going to