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A terrible family legacy

Why do I relay, and why do I volunteer every year? Well, the short answer is that I would do anything in my power to wipe this vicious disease off the face of the earth, and volunteering is such an easy thing to do.

The hard part was watching my parents fight this dreadful disease, and lose the battle. The hard part is looking at my family tree, and seeing all the "branches" falling off because of this disease. The hard part is knowing that the genetic portion of the disease lurks behind every bush, waiting to jump out and pounce on someone else in my family; maybe even me.

Let me tell you a bit about my family. My dad lost both of his parents to cancer when he was just a young man, and he always dreaded cancer; even the mention of it would upset him. I can even remember when he had two heart attacks. He said that he was not worried about his heart, he knew that the BIG C was waiting to take him, as it had taken his mom and dad.

His nightmare came true, but not before cancer took my mom. She had been an RN for 43 years, working hard to take care of her patients, to soothe their pain, to help bring new life into the world, and to support family members when their loved ones needed her. After a long, productive life, she was ready to retire and enjoy her "golden years."

That was not to be. She was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after she retired, and our family had to stand by and watch while she battled the cancer for 8 years. The year after a mastectomy, the doctors discovered that the cancer was in her bones, and it gradually ate away at her body like a poison, until finally it was in her brain. She became unable to remember who we were, unable to control her bodily functions, and finally slipped into a coma, and passed away in a hospice at the age of 71.

Dad was already in the hospital during this time, and had a very hard time dealing with this loss. He was recovering from surgery, for a colostomy, and was thin and weak. We watched, once again, as our remaining parent suffered daily with pain. He died only 5 months later, at the age of 69, on New Year's Day. He said that he would live to see the New Year, and he did, by only a couple of hours.

I hate this disease so much. It doesn't care who you are, if you are young or old, rich or poor, it doesn't even care if you have battled it once, or twice, or even three times, and won. It is insidious, and keeps taking the lives of family members, people that we love.

As long as there is cancer, and as long as there is a Relay For Life, I intend to do my part, however small, to help the survivors, to honor the loved ones lost, and some day, to be able to say, I helped make cancer "history".

 

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