In fourth grade, my life was not the best because I got put into a class with none of my friends and no one in my class really knew each other so we were always doing icebreakers. I had to try and make friends in that class since I would not be able to switch classrooms. At that time, I also had a math problem but nothing was worse than you are about to hear. The night I came home from fourth grade after going to my sister's confirmation, my life was about to change. It was not until eight p.m. when my dad called a family meeting. At first, my siblings and I had the worst bestowed in us. We all thought we were in trouble, or someone had died, or maybe we were moving. However, none of those guesses were right. After a moment of silence, my dad had given us the worst possible news, news that could ruin a fourth grade's heart. It was a complete shock and bombshell dropped upon my siblings and I. The news was unbearable to hear and deal with, but the news was my dad had multiple myeloma...a bone marrow cancer.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. Multiple myeloma causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow, where they crowd out healthy blood cells.

Who knew that my dad was going to be part of the percent of people in the world who got diagnosed with cancer and will be living with it and fighting it until he is back in remission? Luckily, my dad's doctor caught it early. Now, at the time, I was doing alright in math but by the time I got the news and as weeks passed by, my math issue became a problem because I was all caught up with my dad and worrying about him that my schooling had become an issue. When a parent-teacher conference came about, both my parents went. At that time, my parents talked to my teachers and principal about how my dad got diagnosed and that I, being a fourth grader, was going through a tough time with a dad about to go into the hospital for a transplant in February. So my schooling that year was rough but my teachers gave me half of schoolwork that the other kids got and my teacher always helped me get my things together so I was ready to get picked up and head to the hospital to see my dad.

Those drives were two hours and heading back was the same but having a dad at a hospital was not fun and every time going there and not being able to bring my dad home was unbearable. Some days I wanted to cry but I knew my dad wanted me to have a smile on and to stay positive that he would be home soon. The worst part about having a dad get diagnosed with cancer and being in elementary school was seeing him at his worst and seeing his hair fall out, getting sick, looking a lot different from his usual self. Going through so many medicines that would be going into him, having cords wrapped onto him, blood transfusions radiation, chemos, and stem cell transplants. So many doctors and nurses helping him to get better.

Those endless nights worried about getting a phone call at night about whether my dad was having an issue or was nearing the end of his life. Moreover, those endless days of washing our hands and making sure we're not sick or have a cold just to see our dad in the hospital because if we did have a cold or were ill, the doctors and nurses wouldn't let us see our dad because of his low immune system. Moreover, sitting in a hospital room to talk to my dad was not fun as I was scared, but my dad always had jokes going on. He would be talking about how he was doing and he would always ask how were doing and how my friends and school was going.

My dad would always be strong willed and smiling despite the pain and aches he was dealing with. Although all of that was just the beginning, who knew what my life would become. When my dad became in remission from the first time he got diagnosed with cancer, things went pretty smooth and he got into a cancer support group for his cancer that he was diagnosed with. My dad became my soccer coach for a couple of years for competitive soccer. There were also those days where he would be taking chemo as a maintenance plan to keep the cancer from coming back and I would have to sit in on his chemo days, and I would be all set up to head to soccer practice with my cleats and pads on. My dad helped me with my science project and school work for my classes. He also took me and my family on day trips as well. Yet with a low immune systems, there were those nasty colds that were not easy for my dad to shake off. Also, those bad stomach issues were not fun to deal with either as well as dealing with shingles.

My dad also had side effects from some chemos which made him have to stop taking some of them because either he was going to the emergency rooms for side effects or the chemo bothered his other medicines that he had to take for other medical reasons and let me tell you having ambulance visiting the house was not fun, it was scary. Going to the hospital either in the morning, afternoon, or at midnight for this was not fun, either.

As time passed, my junior year was coming up and now things went down hill — my dad's shoulder acted up, we thought it was just aches or a rotated cuff...although that was not it. My dad went to the chiropractor and they gave him some stretches to do although those did not help and so now it was time for my dad to see his doctor and the news was not the best. After the doctor took a x-ray of my dad's shoulder, it was not the best news, it was worst thing to hear. My dad's shoulder had tiny bone lesions in easier terms (tiny fractures, like holes, in his shoulder). Those were from the cancer, basically my dad's cancer came back in the worst possible way ever. So once the doctor found this out, he sent my dad straight to get radiation and to get bone strengthener infusions. After so many radiation appointments, my dad then found out he was getting stuffy noses easily, and so he went to his doctor who then sent him to a ear, nose, and throat doctor who then found a tiny tumor in his nose from the cancer.When he got that removed, he still felt stuffy, but when he went onto a strong chemo, his stuffy nose went and he felt somewhat better.

However, even though he was on chemo, my dad decided to do another stem cell transplant despite the high risks involved. This stem cell transplant happened in the early start of my junior year in high school. This transplant would consist of his stem cells. This would be an couple of months where my dad would be in the hospital and I would have to go up and visit him. This meant Facetime videos and texting my dad and calling him from the hospital. Seeing my mom cry was not fun to see or deal with because it upset me and I knew my mom was seriously worried about my dad.

Of course, another school year where I had to do well in school and try my hardest not to worry about my dad being up in another state at a hospital. Trying to focus and get great grades was harder because of my situation with my dad having cancer again. Obviously, my teachers helped me out and gave me extensions for school work, homework, essays, projects,research paper, and etc. Every once in a while, I would cry at night, because I was stressed about my dad and stressed about maintaining good grades for my junior year in high school. In addition, here would come the staying in the hospital waiting room to see him, long drives up to the hospital, bringing things to my dad that he was in need of, etc. Studying for my exams was tough because my dad was on my mind. Every day my dad would send me a text or I would and he would always put a smile on my face. If I texted him in school, I had to make sure it was either my lunch time I texted him, after school and after my exam week as my dad did not want me to get in trouble with texting in school and because he did not want to interfere with my schoolwork. Therefore, when I went to see my dad in the hospital, it was tough seeing him in that state. My dad had the cords, medicine, and etc hooked onto him. My dad had a port in his chest. He had a small room at the hospital while he was staying there. This transplant had some side effects and it was not as successful as the first one. He ended up getting graph vs host disease. Yet the doctors help caught it in time before it got worse. My dad had went through a lot with that transplant because he got put onto steroids and etc, it was like another person I saw although it was my dad. To the days where I thought he was coming home and he wasn't was because I would get excited and then I would get upset because he was not coming home. Those nights when there would just be four at the dinner table, not five. When the time did arise and he was coming home, we had to make sure the house was clean and germ free due to his low immune system.

Here's to those days where my dad's hair would fall out, those days where my dad would easily get sick, also those days where he was sick and we had to help him. During my second half of junior year my dad was home and was in remission. Then we had a scare when my dads blood sugar went down and he had to go to the hospital because of his low blood sugar. That night my research paper was due the next day but I was almost done with it until I was told we had to go to the hospital for my dad because we did not know how serious it was for my dad. Luckily my dad came home the next day and my teacher gave me an extension for the research paper. All of my teachers were helpful that week.

As weeks and months passed by, things were getting better and my dad made dinner more often. My dad saw me go off to my junior and senior prom. My dad saw me graduate high school. We did a lot of family outings, and trips. Also he saw me start college and still sees me go off to college today. Right now as we speak, he is in remission and is doing chemo for a maintenance plan to keep the cancer from coming back. Overall, living with a parent who has been diagnosed with cancer twice is a bit scary, but every day I stay positive and hope for the best. I hope that the cancer does not come back and that the chemo does its job. I am hoping that the chemo will work for a long time. My dad is my hero and fighter. I never knew what strong was until I saw my dad fight cancer. Lastly, my life has been a constant roller coaster with my dad but right now I am just glad that my dad is here, healthy, and is cancer free for now.