The Cancer

Well, the cancer has struck my grandpa once again. He has already dealt with the cancer twice. Over 10 years ago, he had part of his colon removed because of the cancer. The next time was about the same time Drew was born (he was in the hospital at the same time as Isha for birthing Drew). It was in his urinary tract, and they removed his kidney and did chemo to remove it. Today, he was found to have a tumor in his lung...which they have declared to be lung cancer.

I hate the cancer. My grandpa means a lot to me. He and my grandma did some financial things for me along the way (bought me my first car, paid my way through college, bought 90% of our kids' diapers, took us to buy groceries in our poorer days, etc.). He constantly tells me how proud of me he is because I took everything he ever gave me as a investment that I used to better myself and put myself in a position to where I didn't need anything from him from an early age on.

I talk to him at least 5 days a week (if not everyday), and just those 10 minute conversations are a very important part of my life. I'm in a very busy part of my life, and they take what they can get from us time-wise and don't expect anything more. He can always tell when I don't really have time to talk and lets me go immediately without the slightest aggrevation. He always has a joke to lighten the mood or make my day (even if it's one of the ones he's told over and over--and I admit that sometimes I bring things up that I know will relate to one of those jokes and he'll tell it like clockwork). They always drop anything and everything to watch our kids so that we can have a night out or whatever.

If he does ask anything of me, he does all he can himself first. They got a new TV, and he asked me to come take the old heavy one to my aunt. I get to the house to find he's brought it out of the house and into the garage ready to load. He hands me gas money, helps me load it, and follows me to my aunt's (15 miles away) to make sure I got it unloaded ok. If he'd had a pick-up, he wouldn't even have asked me to do it. That's his version of me helping out...I barely have to do anything.

I know my grandmother is not ready...as I held her shaking hands this morning in the doctor's office as the doctor shared with us the bad news. Since he retired about 8 years ago or so, they are probably apart from each other a whole couple of hours a month. I'll bet their cars have not been out of the garage at the same time in years. I hope and pray for the doctors to have the wisdom and means to deal with the cancer, and pray that God will do a miracle here and remove it. I'm not nearly ready for this to go this way.

I hate the cancer.