My mother experienced cancer a second time when her younger brother passed away in 1995 with intestinal cancer. And once again in 1997, when her father died from colon cancer.
Mom had her own near misses; in 1994 she had a total hysterectomy to remove fibroid tumors, and in 2000 when she had to have one of her kidneys removed because of a benign mass.
Needless to say, the big "C" sends fear throughout our family. We have spent endless hours in hospital waiting rooms preparing ourselves to hear the diagnosis of a family member. We have watched the clock and waited for nurses to call us back to a conference room to speak with a doctor. Somehow though my mom always managed to get the best news, and our fears would turn out to be unfounded.
So in 2010 when a Stage 1 tumor in her breast was removed, we were confident that the hormone therapy drug she was to take for a period of five years would prevent any new cells from returning. The doctors assured us that if she kept her appointments every three months there would be nothing to worry about. My sister and I were confident that our Mother had once again dogged the bullet.
That is until her routine check-up this November.....
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