Today is October 17, 2018, and my Dad and I went to his oncology appointment to review the results from his biopsy. We knew that receiving good news was slim, but we never expected to hear what we heard today. Dad quit smoking over 20 years ago and gave up many things he enjoyed (including beer) to live a longer, more healthy retirement. He ran on the treadmill every single day, ate mostly chicken and grilled foods, gave up caffeinated coffee and soda, but apparently this was not good enough.
Today, we heard the news that Dad has stage IV, non small cell lung cancer, and that his cancer is not curable. The oncologist gave him 2-4 months without treatment, and 6-12 months with treatment. I’m sure you can imagine the pain that this will bring to our family, but most importantly do my Dad.
His lung cancer has spread (metastasized) to his pelvic bone, liver, rib cage, sternum, and throughout his lungs. Last year, he went to a checkup with his regular doctor in Florida. He was told then that he was so healthy, the doctor did not find any reason to think that he would not live another 20 years. (He is now 69 years old). Can you imagine what someone of my Dad’s age would think if given that many years? He felt like he had won the lottery. I mean, think about it, at 68 years old (at the time of the check-up), that puts him at nearly 90. But all that hope and excitement has now vanished. In his mind, he will be lucky to make it to 70.
We came home from the appointment, he waited for my older sister to arrive to give her the news, and only then would he contact his immediate family members to tell them the news. This included his brother and 2 cousins. It took a couple of days for him to contact others that meant something to him. Everyone else will find out eventually.
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