Cancer has been in my life in many different ways for almost all of my life. I don't remember ever not knowing someone who was suffering from cancer. My uncle died when I was very young from cancer, my step-dad's mom passed away from lung cancer when I was young as well, my brother has on and off bone cancer, a family-friend of mine passed away from stomach cancer a few years back, and now my father is diagnosed with prostate cancer.

When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer it seems as if the world around you is caving in and you can't find a minute to breathe. The worry, fear and anger that comes along with watching a love one suffer is constant. You can never seem to catch a break. The feeling is unexplainable. Throughout my whole life, the word "cancer" has become more and more dreadful.

Feeling helpless is something that nobody wants to feel. When a loved one is diagnosed, helplessness is all you feel. Since there is no cure for cancer, there is nothing you can do to stop the one who is suffering get away from this ugly disease. There are some things you can do to make them feel more comfortable, but over all there is not much you can do to solve the problem, which is frustrating and quite frankly depressing.

No matter how many times cancer has appeared in one of my loved one's life, it never gets any easier. Actually it gets harder each time. There is nothing about cancer that is easy, and watching someone you love suffer through the incurable pain is frightening. I would never wish this pain on anybody.

To anyone who is care-taking for a loved one with a terminal illness: Stay strong, even though you think you can't. Take care of yourself... don't put your health on the back burner. Reach out for help! There are a lot of people around you who are willing to help out, and remember that you are a great person for helping your loved one.