Personal Narrative: Your Grandma Has Cancer

But age 12, on November 26, Esther heard the words no one ever wants to hear…..” you have cancer. ” Esther was diagnosed with the third most common type

She sat down, took a breath and look at both me and my dad. The words she uttered next are words which I will never forget; “We looked at the scans of your brain and after careful examination we have discovered a medium sized aneurysm on the left side of your brain.” I was petrified even though at the time I did not know what an aneurysm even meant but either way it sounded very serious to me. She went to explain that an aneurysm occurs when the walls of your brain arteries weaken and as a result blood pours into it forming a bubble shaped bulge which can burst and cause death or permanent brain damage. She also said that this is a very rare case as aneurysm are mainly common between women who are sixty years and older.

I only began to understand the concept of an individual being terminally ill when my grandmother went into the hospital. I placed my hand inside of hers and stared at her emotionless face. I could only imagine the pain running through her body and the agony of not being able to vocalize a response to my ‘I love you’. Day after day she waited only anticipating her death and the pain she would feel if indeed she woke up the next day. I would have done anything to not have to see her go through the pain, and to allow her to get to her fate quicker and more comfortably.

That is exactly how I felt deep down. As a kid, I always thought that bad things happen only to bad people and this can never happen to people I love. Reality hit me hard. While was trying to take care of my little cousin, my aunt’s son that came to live in our home for couple of months, everything looked so chilling, so sad and unreal. From the moment my mom told me this ugly truth, I started thinking about death and I couldn’t stop thinking that maybe somehow I am sick, too.

I knew something was wrong because I peeked outside and saw my dad outside on our deck in tears. I said “what’s wrong?” She said “Cannon, your grandfather passed away”. I burst into tears. It was already a rough time for me because about a month before that day, my great grandmother had passed away.

Cancer is one of the scariest diagnoses to go through or experience with a close family member or friend. Henrietta Lacks a black woman in the 50’s was diagnosed with cervical cancer little did she know her doctors stole her cells for research and never spoke about it. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks you get to experience what the author. Rebecca Skloot goes through as she tries to figure out what happened with Henrietta Lack in the early 200’s Skloot gets in contact to get to know the situation better but the Lacks family knew little to none about Henrietta’s condition and the research that was being done to her revolutionary cells.

January 11, 2013, I wake up to yelling, prayers, and crying. I walked into the kitchen where all the noises were coming from and I found my mother on the floor crying, talking on the phone with my godmother. My father was there by her side, trying hard not to cry while supporting his wife. I didn’t know what was happening, this was the first time I’ve seen my mom so vulnerable and broken. My parents didn’t tell me anything other than my grandmother was in critical condition at the hospital, but with god's help she would overcome this hard time.

Growing up, I’d always thought that death was the worst thing that could ever happen to a person, but it wasn’t until halfway through my sophomore year that I discover the truth. I had never really thought about the horror of watching someone you love wither away into a shadow of their former self; that was something that happened in books and movies, not in real life and definitely not to me. I was only 15 when my grandmother finally decided that it was time to take my mom up on her offer and come live with us. Her motivation? She knew she didn’t have much time left and wanted to spend her final moments at our house with her family.

Being a caregiver is hard work, but Dr. Green and myself, set aside time to provide for those. After months of painful chemotherapy, her aunt decided that she no longer wanted to live with the side effects of chemotherapy. After the death of her aunt, three months later her uncle was diagnosed with

I have taken multiple action to make sure I try to live on her legacy. She was a nurse for many years, so to honor this I am going to medical school to become a doctor and help everyone that I can the way she would want me to. Also I am becoming a NAR to help people who are in pain just the way she was in the end of her life. I try to live my everyday in a way that would make her proud even though she was taken from this earth to soon doesn’t mean I can’t try to carry her influence through the world. A woman like my grandma is a once in a lifetime person.

I had a comparable experience to this in the absence of my grandma after she fought a chronic illness for 12

Her bare head and stitches were the results of brain tumor, which ultimately killed her in September of 1956. The death of a loved one at such a young, vulnerable age led to

Shortly after the doctor said that, her condition got a lot worse from before and she passed away a few months later during the summer. During the wake and the funeral, my Great Uncle was devastated and could not believe that his older sister has died. During this time I tried to remember the time when my family was living with her, but I could not remember besides the fact that she was a very good cook and that in my family, her lasagna and soups were the best thing we have ever

I felt like I couldn 't speak or think. I felt like my heart sunk to my stomach and I felt tears sliding down my cheeks. Right there, I wished there was something I could do. Why was this happening to my grandma?

I always knew deep down, that my mum was not going to make it; however, knowing this did not make it any easier. She died on December 4th 2008. I could not come to terms with her death. Not only was I left with many questions but I also felt like I should have spent more time with her.