Cancer Hits Home, 2004, by Olivia Reed

From MemoryArchive

Who: Olivia Reed
What: Obstacles
When: December 2004
Where: Kentucky

Just a few years ago, when I was in the seventh grade, an unexpected obstacle appeared in not only my life, but in the life of my family. You see my dad had been having back aches and went to the doctor to find out why. We mainly thought it had to do with his job, which requires a lot of manual labor outdoors. We were shocked by what the doctors had to say — cancer.

The very word cancer would make anyone think the worst. It was hard for me to grasp. I just couldn’t believe it. It’s just one of those things that happens to ‘other people’...but not you...not your family.

Luckily this bad news did have a bright side. The doctor said that if you are going to have cancer, this is the best kind to have. It is treatable and most likely will not come back. My father was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; a cancer of the lymph system, which fights infection and disease.

He would undergo chemo treatment about once a month for six months. He lost his hair and was usually sick for the first few days after the treatment. We were always thinking about him and praying that it all worked out for the best.

This was a financial obstacle for our family as well. The hospital bills were not always easy to pay, but we managed. One of the scary parts about this whole ordeal was that one of my dad’s friends had been diagnosed with the same thing but they had not caught it early enough and unfortunately he passed away.

One thing that helped me get through this hard time was actually a school project. My science class was to do a research paper on a topic of choice. I chose to do my paper on lymphoma. I learned a lot about the cancer and what was happening to my dad. I still have this report today. But I think that what really got us through this hard time was our family and our faith. My family was always there to help us. They supported us and were always willing to help.

I am pleased to say that my story ends with a happy ending. My father completed his treatments and is today cancer free. We do consider ourselves very blessed and fortunate that things worked out the way they did. I love my family very much and I am very grateful for them.