Sad news
It's funny how family crisis brings perspective in some things and not in others. And makes you realize how, in so many ways, the threat of losing a parent can completely rock the foundations of your world.
In May, my dad was diagnosed with Stage IV unresectable liver cancer (Hepatocellular Carcinoma). No, he cannot use half my liver, or my sister's, or his brother's, or ... we are beyond that point. His present diagnosis is that, untreated, he will be lucky to make it to his 65th birthday, late next month.
We have a small measure of hope - he is part of a clinical trial with a very positive two-year track record. He had to stop the treatment for about a month due to complications leading to jaundice, but those seem to be under control, so he is restarting the treatment again. If the treatment is successful, the doctors can't give him a lifespan estimate. All of the patients who successfully completed the cycle of treatments are still alive.
My dad has not had a drop of alcohol since 1980, at the latest. He did, however, live near and later work at the Nevada Test Site.
I'm scared for my dad. I'm spending as much time as I can in Huntsville, but with cost prohibitions being what they are, it's nowhere near enough.
I am not ready to say goodbye to my dad.
In May, my dad was diagnosed with Stage IV unresectable liver cancer (Hepatocellular Carcinoma). No, he cannot use half my liver, or my sister's, or his brother's, or ... we are beyond that point. His present diagnosis is that, untreated, he will be lucky to make it to his 65th birthday, late next month.
We have a small measure of hope - he is part of a clinical trial with a very positive two-year track record. He had to stop the treatment for about a month due to complications leading to jaundice, but those seem to be under control, so he is restarting the treatment again. If the treatment is successful, the doctors can't give him a lifespan estimate. All of the patients who successfully completed the cycle of treatments are still alive.
My dad has not had a drop of alcohol since 1980, at the latest. He did, however, live near and later work at the Nevada Test Site.
I'm scared for my dad. I'm spending as much time as I can in Huntsville, but with cost prohibitions being what they are, it's nowhere near enough.
I am not ready to say goodbye to my dad.