I can still hear the moment they told us the cancer that started in the colon had spread to the liver and even to the lymph nodes near the collarbone. So that's what it feels like for your mind to go completely blank. But we couldn't just sit there and do nothing, so we started with chemo. Six rounds. It was a long haul.
Once we got through that, there was surgery to remove part of the liver, and the colon was done laparoscopically. Honestly, the surgery itself was less of a struggle than what came after. The appetite just vanished, nothing would go down, and watching that was agony for the rest of us. For a while, even taking a single spoonful was a real effort.
These days, with an IV drip beside us as a backup, we're nudging the amount of food up just a little at a time. One more bite today than yesterday, that kind of pace. It isn't fast, but you can feel it getting better, and I can't tell you how grateful that makes me.
What put my mind at ease the most was the biopsy result from the tissue they removed. They said there was no sign of cancer. When we heard that, the whole family just sat there stunned for a while before we finally caught our breath. That doesn't mean we're getting carried away, though. Anyone who has been through this illness knows you can't let your guard down.
Every time things felt hopeless, I read so many posts left by people walking the same road. When a question came up, I'd ask, and one warm word would get me through another day. That's how our whole family made it this far. The strength I received, I want to pass on to someone else as I go.
If you're in the middle of a really hard stretch right now, I want to tell you it's okay to go slow. Just please discuss your treatment direction with your attending physician. Take my story as nothing more than the record of one person who went through it alongside you.
Disclaimer: This article is a personal account and is not medical advice. Always consult your attending physician about your treatment.