About a month ago I was at my friends place for a party on a Friday night and close minded to life outside her walls. Since I was 6 months pregnant I was enjoying glasses of orange juice and filling my face with cheesecake and other treats. I left her house around 9:30 and made my way home and as usual I call the boyfriend on my way home, on my Bluetooth of course, and I could tell his mind was somewhere else. He asked what we were doing Saturday and I was pretty sure he knew we had no plans, but he told me that I had to stay at home because someone was coming over. I asked who and he said he couldn’t say anything else, just that I had to be home. I hate secrets, like with a passion, I freaking hate them! He just said, he couldn’t say anything else and just to come home. I was pissed because I knew he was holding something from me and it drove me crazy.
The next morning he kept me busy by cleaning the house and kept my mind of “The Mysterious Visitor”. I got a phone call from my mom and she said she was at Tim Horton’s and wanted to know what I wanted to drink and if I wanted a snack, did she forget I was pregnant? Of course I wanted a snack, so she brought us two jalapeno bagels with herb and garlic cream cheese and two green teas. Is my mom my “Mysterious Visitor”? I just kept thinking wtf is going on and why is every one being all weird!! ITS DRIVING ME FUCKING NUTS!!! (sorry for the language)
So she comes in and makes strange small talk about my night and I could hear in her voice that something was wrong but I didn’t want to jump right into “the surprise news” I could tell it wasn’t good.
She cleared her throat and got down to business, I knew my sister had a doctors appointment on Friday from something they found in her mouth and sent it away for a biopsy…but the next thing she said just seemed to ring on forever.
“Your sister has cancer”.
The air stopped moving, my body froze and I honestly don’t remember the words that were spoken and she was there for a while talking to us. Just thoughts running through my head. Why my sister? Is she gonna die? What about her kids? What do we do? How do I breath again? Why us? If she dies, I won’t have a sister?…I wouldn’t have a sister? Who will I call when I need advice? This is impossible. It can’t be true. But the tears in my moms eyes were real, this shit was real. It took a while for it to sink in and then I just cried. Life just got really freakin real.
Through the last month she has gone for test after test after test and we found out that it is ONLY in one spot in her mouth and can be removed, a 16 hour surgery, removing part of upper jaw and reconstructing it with part of her shin bone. 2 weeks in recovery at the hospital and 4 weeks recovery at home and some radiation to make sure that cancer stays away! Thanks to the amazing people at the UofA, Cross Cancer and Royal Alex, my sister is going to be healthy and cancer free.
A little less than 4 weeks till her surgery and the one thing that makes me get through is knowing how positive and strong my sister has been through all of this. Her wish, to laugh without it hurting, and to be able to wear her “Barbie” heels.
It’s been pretty crazy the last little while getting into my last trimester of pregnancy, getting the house ready for the arrival of our daughter and going through this family bonding experience they call cancer. But I have never been more grateful to have the loving family and support that I have. I know she worries about how I am dealing with everything but she’s my sister, I’m dealing as best as I can. I love her more than anything and I just can’t wait for life to get back to normal.
Keep my sister in your thoughts and prayers in the next coming weeks as she goes through surgery. Thank you!
Candice ♥
Candice Ryan 