If you would have asked me two years ago, I would have told you that Cancer was an astrological sign. It was also a terrible disease I lost a couple distant relatives too. I went to Relay for Life because I grew up doing it. I knew cancer was bad, but I never knew how bad.
I wish I still didn't know how bad cancer was. Unfortunately, I have lost three grandparents this year, two of which were to cancer. The first was my father's dad. He had been getting sicker and sicker for a while, but we didn't know for sure what was wrong with him until the end. That's when we learned that cancer was the one stealing his belly that used to play Santa Claus. It was the one that was stealing his energy that used to go to helping the Disabled American Veterans. It was stealing his enthusiasm that would fill his voice every time I walked in the door to hear his booming voice say, "HEY Doll Baby."
The second loss to cancer was my Papa. He fought cancer twice when he was younger. Then, we found out that what he thought was a spider bite on his leg that he had been treating himself was actually cancer. They did a PET scan and found out that he also had lung cancer. After a few rounds of chemo, his leg was cured, but his lungs were still in jeopardy. He passed away last week. Cancer took his ability to work with wood, one of his favorite passions. Cancer took away his ability to go out and help the elderly in his community, but he still did the church bulletins every Sunday as well as the payroll. Cancer took away his ability to breathe, but definitely not his ability to love.
Both of these losses devastated my family. Cancer is an evil disease that steals people's lives away from them. But as much as cancer stole, it also gave. Cancer gave me a new appreciation for the time that I was able to spend with these two wonderful men. Cancer gave me the ability to relish in the time that I have with my friends and family because you never know when might be too late. Cancer gave me the realization that I needed to take time out of my schedule to go visit my family when I might not have done so otherwise.
Cancer is a terrible disease that does need a cure. Though there have been many advancements, there are still too many people suffering from cancer. There are many different ways that people can contribute to this. Go out to your local Relay for Life, spread awareness and prevention methods, and love and support those who have cancer. Do anything you can to help those with cancer and their families. Trust me, they need your support right now more than ever.
