The tenth day of treatment came and went. It's been two long weeks and frankly, I'm amazed we've made it this far! A few moments of radiation are worse than a bad day at work. With only fice days left it would be easy to think that mom could make it through all fifteen days without too much trauma. But the truth is, her skin has started to get sores and 3rd degree burns. The pain in the hip is taking it's toll. She is a trooper and she were make it. I just hate to see her going through all of the pain.
How do people do this alone? We see people coming in for treatment driving themselves to and from the hospital. Frankly, I'm worried for them and for those around them. When pain strikes being behind the wheel of a car is not the safest thing to be doing! Even more importantly, who is there for these poeple to rest their head on a shoulder? Pain, fear, exhausting... all are overwhelming and no one should have to go through this alone. Have you ever thought about volunteering just to drive someone to their appointments? I never had before. It's just not a service we think of often. Get this, if someone lives in a nursing home and has to go to treatment, no all residences will drive them. They have to take a taxi, an ambulance or find some other way to get there. What a screwed up world we live in!
On another screwed up note... my mom posted this blog on a cancer support site. It's one of those sites where everyone gets on and talks about what they are going through. Some askf or advice, others for prayers. Mom got her hands slapped and was told she couldn't ask for money. At the same time those hosting the site sell their wears to cancer survivors. So, in a time of need, I guess it's ok to peddle your marketable goods but not to be straight up and ask for a little assistance to those who've made it through to the other side of cancer. Again, I say, as if it will help me to understand, what a screwed up world we live in!
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I have been catching up on your posts today. I was watching and waiting for updates to show up on Facebook and only just today figured out I had missed many blog posts.
ReplyDeleteI have to take a moment to comment on the statement you made about your mom getting her hand slapped for asking for money. This makes me angry and is exactly why good people with pride don't ask for the help they need when they need it. I have recently seen the best and worst in people in another charitable situation. The company my husband works for built an Extreme Makeover home. We had volunteers and donations like crazy. At the same time, the scuttlebutt in the town where the build took place is that there is no way that the house will hold up and it is going to fall apart. The worst talk in the community is that some think that the family really doesn't deserve to have this house built for them. The family story is that they have a little boy who had to have a heart transplant in the first couple of years of his life. The house they lived in was molding and falling apart. The little boys immune system is compromised and cannot handle these conditions. His anti-rejection meds alone are very expensive. He will also have to have another heart transplant withing 10 to 15 years of the first one. Jealousy is the culprit here. Many people today don't want to hear about the positive stuff that happen to people unless it directly affects them. It is such a shame that people would be so selfish to deny a good thing to a family in true need over the thought of why them and not me. A good friend who is frustrated with all the gossip was upset about all the talk and made the statement to me that she would never trade the health of her kids for a house. Now that is a wise woman. Come on people. Wake up and get out of your "meism" just for a moment. I know this is tough talk I am using here. I am just so frustrated right now. There was a time when people understood how to love their neighbors as they love themselves just because it was the right thing to do. Let's promote each other and not tear each other down.
I am proud of the attempt you are making to help your mom in this tough time. Your love for her shines through in your effort to care for her. Your compassion for others in similar situations but going through it without the help of someone like you is admirable. Keep up the good work and spreading the word of the need out there for people struggling with cancer.