The "C" word

Cancer is a scary word. It weighs heavily on one's shoulders. No matter how old a person is, that "C" diagnosis will age a person overnight. Even if it goes away, you are always afraid. It's always there haunting you. Always. But what happens to the family who's life is turned around when they suddenly learn that their 18 year old son has cancer. Their life stops, their world is turned upside down. One week ago, I heard this sad news about a family I've known since my high school days. The parents of this child are my age. He (the dad, not the child) was my children's doctor, as well. Their son and my son were in a youth group together. This is what they faced until today. As suddenly as their world fell apart, their burden was suddenly lifted from their shoulders. Yes, their son was misdiagnosed. I'll say it again, because it's so hard to believe. He was misdiagnosed. You might ask how can this happen. It happens from getting second and third opinions. The tumor was rare, not commonly seen. The specialists at MD Anderson recognized it as a benign tumor.

Two things i want to bring up. 1) always get a second opinion

This goes without question.

The 2nd) This family is not angry. During the course of the week, they were faced with the details of the protocol. Very scary things. This family's attitude has much to be admired.....they question what is to be learned from this challenging experience.

For me, through my own family's experience with "C", I've learned the true value of friends and family from all the love, support, and abundance of prayers.