If someone told you you had 6 months to live, what would you
do differently? Makes you think
right? Would you still get mad? Would you cry? Would you go skydiving? What would you do...or NOT do? Well what if you were told your loved one
only had 6 months...what would you do differently? Do you tell other people? Do you get angry? Do you kiss your love one? The truth is, when you tell people the words
DON'T GIVE UP HOPE always come to light!!
Its ok to continue to watch my loved one suffer and in pain as long as I
don't give up hope right? When you don't
tell people, you hold the stress in yourself and everyone asks you what's wrong
all the time...truth is, we don't know what we will do until someone shares
that information with us. AND if you are
anything like the rest of us you cry, get angry, and the worst part...start
shutting your loved one out. Have I been
told Tony has only 6 months? NO I have
not, so please let me make that clear.
Is there a prognosis? OF COURSE
there is. But I chose to share that with
a few select people that WANT to know.
WHY? Because my children's
feelings matter. WHY ELSE? Because if you TRULY cared about my Tony,
then your butt would've been spending time with him all this time not just when
time is getting short. SHOCKING I say
that right? But its true. But we are human, and we have busy lives and we get
caught up in our own lives that its easy to forget about our dear friends and
what they may be going through. Does it
make you a bad person? HELL NO!!! Does it mean I don't love you? OF COURSE NOT. But I personally can not keep continuing to
want for other people. Its just too
hard.
NONE OF US ARE PROMISED TOMORROW. So if you are standing in front of someone
you love...TELL THEM. If you want to eat
that piece of apple pie, EAT IT. If you
want to go to Figi, GO!! Stop making
excuses and enjoy life and make memories.
Tony and I have decided its time to make memories. I already have regrets of not enjoying more
good times with my brother before he died...I refuse for me and my boys to have
the same regrets. Tony keeps telling me
its going to be ok...but I am so scared its not going to be. While Tony is hooked up to his 5FU pump, he
is so active and making me coffee in the morning, etc. Its when that pump is disconnected...he's so
sick :( He looks so pale during
chemo...but he says he feels the best he's felt in a long time...so I guess the
chemo is working.
With that said...I'll end on this. I experienced an amazing opportunity last
week when I was asked to speak at the NIH (National Institute of Health) NINR
(National Institute of Nursing Research) Caregiver Summit. For those that don't know, the NIH is the
primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and
public health research to include the National Cancer Institute and more. Speaking at their NINR Summit was surreal. I
can't even begin to tell you what a dream come true it was. Being able to share my story and offer some
experience, strength, and hope to others in my shoes was remarkable. I love speaking and helping others. I was emailed the other day by Cancer Today
magazine asking to interview me for an article they are writing in their winter
issue. Talk about blown away. You see, I love that I can give back, but I
HATE that I my husband and kids are enduring this journey which gives me these
opportunities. For anyone who'd like to see me speak, you may at NIH NINR Presentation Our panel begins at
1:03:30, and I am the 2nd speaker at 1:25:00.
I learned so much at this summit and met some great people!!
Never give up on your dreams, we are NOT promised
tomorrow. If you were told you had 6
months to live, do what you would do NOW!!!
