Nearly a year ago my uncle was diagnosed with prostate cancer - he initially thought it was just a bladder infection and it took him passing out to go have more serious tests. Thus he received this news and shared it with us, his family.
The family rallied behind him and we all did everything we could to get him to his treatments, make sure he ate properly and supported him. My cousins came out from the UK when it looked like he was going to die in a couple of days. He had a life saving operation and has continued to live. My 2 cousins and I lived at the hospital 24 / 7. We learnt how to change drips, how to care for him, how to change stoma bags and to do this without making him feel uncomfortable. I have seen this strong healthy man fade away and suffer through immense pain and still try get through it with a smile.
It leaves you feeling helpless. There is nothing you can do that can save him. He has gone through radiation and chemo, he is undergoing another set of chemo treatments. He has lost weight, losing his hair and slowly but surely losing hope that he will win this battle. All we can do is talk to him, let him know he is loved.
Why do I put this his story. I didn't know how rife cancer was before. I have sat in hospitals and seen young children, teens, adults and the elderly suffering from this disease - so men check your prostates, women check your breasts, be aware of it. In the year that I've been associated with this disease I have come to know that many many many are affected by this disease. People don't know how to deal with it, disease makes them feel awkward. If you know a sufferer reach out to them, they need a little love and compassion.
My uncles' suffering made me stop and look at my life. I want to live a life that when I look back/ or my time comes, there will be no regrets. I have set certain things in motion to aid me in reaching that goal. It makes you face mortality - this is always hard and my uncle will be missed when his time comes. You cannot prepare for someones' passing, no matter how much you try. The reality of it is always so harsh.
It's heartbreaking to watch someone you love die more and more every day. I do not know how his mind hasn't cracked yet. He was a fantastic sportsman and a father figure to my cousins and to my brother.
I wish I could do more, somehow what I do is not enough. That is how I feel anyway.
To those of you who know of someone suffering, I wish you all the support and love to make it another day. To those that are suffering, strength to you, for it is not an easy battle. If you can reach out and give a little of your time / love to someone else, do it, it means so much.