The "C" Word

The "C" Word Current mood: talkative Category: Life
It is inevitable that one of us knows someone who had cancer or have had cancer ourselves. It's a sad fact of modern life.
As some of you may know and some of you will definetly know my Dad has cancer. He has been undergoing treatment for the last couple of months and as a result has been very sick.
Since we moved into our new house he has been living with us. Clinton and I have given up our bed for him to sleep in so that he will be more comfortable. With Lily around he is unlikely to get much sleep on the futon in the lounge. We looked around for a spare bed but I was a bit fussy and couldn't find one that would be good enough for my dear Dadda. So we gave up our bed. And you know that actually suprises some people. I don't get it myself. I want him to be comfortable because he is so tired and needs as much rest as he can get.

But that is not the only thing that surprises me. On the odd occasion that I am talking to someone about him the get all funny. I think the "c" word upsets some people. I don't think they feel comfortable talking about it. Almost like the other "c" word. It seems to be pretty much Tabboo for some people.

A while go it wouldn't have bothered me. But now I wonder why this makes people so uncomfortable. I sit because we associate cancer with death? I think that idea is a little old. I mean, plenty of people survive cancer these days. I know of at least 4 people who have had cancer and gone on to live normal lives. Of course there is always the chance it could come back. To be completely honest it is the treatment that makes people think of death. Majority of people who have cancer treatments look fairly sick. They get skinny, their eyes seem to sink into their head and there pallor seems to turn an unusual shade of grey. I know everytime I look at my Dadda I see a poor reflection of the man that I know and love. But I don't feel like he is cancer. He has cancer he is having treatment and at times he is pretty sick. But he is dealing with it like a trooper and like he has always dealt with any other hard time in his life. With a quiet determination. I admire that his dignity and his humble nature have perservered through a time that I myself find hard to deal with. It's not happening to me. I merely affected by it because my beloved Dadda has to go through some much pain and sickness to be better again. To rid him self of a terrible poison. But he never complains. For sure he tells me when he feels sick or tired or both, but never that he hates what is happening to him and I admire him for that. If it were me going through it I am not sure I could be so brave.

Nobody like to talk about Cancer. But maybe it is such a hard thing for people to talk about because it is so untalked about.

Well thats my thoughts on the matter. I would love to chat to anyone who has been in a similar situation or if someone just needs to talk, please just e-mail me. Maybe we can get the ball rolling and help people face cancer head on.