That Elephant Has a Name
19 October 2006Cancer. It’s a big word. It can fill up a paragraph or a page or a room.
I just found out my step dad has prostate cancer. Luckily they caught it pretty early, and it’s not an aggressive cancer as those things go. He is, however, only in his 50’s which isn’t that old anymore.
Growing up most kids don’t have health concerns beyond an occasional case of strep throat, a broken arm, or a winter cold. Staying healthy isn’t a priority - it’s a given. You’re not aware of or concerned with your parents getting a little absentminded and looking older because sickness and death aren’t part of your self-absorbed reality.
The next thing you know you’re in your 30’s and your skin isn’t as elastic as it used to be, and you groan when you get off the couch and you forget where you put things and you take naps in the middle of the day because you can. Your parents are getting annual exams for diseases you’ve never heard of, and the fear of cancer is subliminally lurking. Everyone has moved up to the next level and you find yourself wishing that the only things your parents had to worry about was being a little absentminded and looking older.
Unlike the child that you were, you can envision your future in a way that will not always be easy or fun. The odds start shifting. You realize that you’re never going to be immortal again and neither are your parents.
Cancer. It’s a big word. And it’s only the beginning.