Living with Brain Cancer

My mother is a wonderful god loving and always willing to help that other someone who may need something small all the way down to taking total care of someone. It all started in late 1999. To her that was the best year and days of her life. My son Ethan Ryan was born in Feb 1999. Well late in 1999 my aunt was sick around Thanksgiving day and seemed to be that way off and ao through the holidays. She seemed to live on Tussionex cough syrup and some type of antibiotic. Well around my birthday thats 3-3. She was referred to a pulmonary specialist for test. The test results and biopsys showed then she had a rare form of lung cancer

My aunt was distraught and came staight to her mother and my mother and crumbled like apple pie in front of them. They started working with her and my grandmother coulgnt handle the stress gaily so my MOTHER stepped in and tried to become that perfect sis my aunt needed. Well from May- july my aunt went through radiation and chemo but the cancer and type were too much for her. In july hospice came in and my MOTHER moved in with LIl sis to take care of her. She did everything you could possibly do as a human tokeep her at peace and pain free. Well my aunt lost her battle on 8-2-2000.

Grandma and mom moved on and mom had to try and play psyschologist to my grndparents. My grandpa took this alot worse than my grandmother. He was a cancer survivor from the COLON (1984) and seemed well. As time went on my mom kept noticing my grandpa grimicing when he did anything. By now it was early 2001 spring. He just said he had arthritis and tell my MOTHER to leave him alone. Well gramps went down hill kinda quick and was very ill because he needed help to do most things. In mid 2002 he fell and we finallly got him toa doctor. They admitted him and found he had a mass the size of a tennisball in his right hip. That day I was the only family mamber at the Hospital and I had to break the news to MOM that her father had bone cancer and needed Emergency surgery.

Good ole pops had the hip replaced and this caused the cancer to spread quickly through his entire body. He came home and went to MOMS spare room she set up as a mini Hospital. Hosspice was called in and MOM took care of POPS while My grandmother tried to help.He held on ad lived only until 6-30-2002. So within 2 yrs MOM has bathed, wiped, medicated, and did thimgs most of us never have to do once let alone twice to our immediate families. Well me the son of this wonderful woman did some stupid things I should not have done out of desperation and was sentenced to 60 months in SCDC. my scedule release date barring anything going wrong i could be released in 12-06. I was released on schedule. THis whole time Im incarcerrated I am 2-3 hrs away from MOM for the first couple of yrs. Well after 8 weeks in the system and visitation approvals she atarted to come visit every Sat or Sun. Regardless of what I would suggsest she would be there at 8am sharp and not leave til visits were over. Until I got closer to home Yrs later I had ine other visitor. That was my now EX wife. She was kind enough to come 1 time there abd that was to delever divorce papers to sign and wnted me to give up my parental rights. We are happily divorced but thanks to MOM fighting 4 me i still have joint custody and my parental rights.

Well I moved up through the SCDC system to a Work camp 30 min from MOM and My grandmother. Well with 7 months left on my incarceration I had a visit and was told by my g-ma that she was sick and had cancer. She had it in both lungs and in her spine, partial bones and breast. She was given 6-12 months to live. This was a form of non agresive cancer they said. Well she got sick pretty quick that MAY 12,2006 day but promised me she would be ok until I got out. I was released 12-1-06 and she was there at MOMS little hospital room seeming like her same ole self. My grandmother got very sick later in the summer of 2007 and lost her batttle with her cancer on 09-07-07. Not bad for an 85 yr old woman they gave 6 months up to 1 yr if she did chemo and all. She did none of that. She said I was her medicince and I am what kept her around. My mother while taking care of my Grandmother for those 18 months or so with no help she neglected herself and signs she should have noticed.

After her Mothers death she went to Florida to spend time away from her house because all the bad memories, some great but just to escape and try for some normalcy. I kept incontact with MOTHER why she was gone and told her to be prepared to come back to SC I was getting married in april 05 and they needed to be here. From X-MAS until she came home inmid FEB, she complained of a Headache or`some type of pain in her head. So Naturally since MOTHER got home I was just monitoring and observing when i was around her. I noticed some hearing loss,(however she has been deaf in 1 ear for a while) , however this was differernt. Feb 27th I was visiting her and she was in excruciating pain in her head but refused to let me take her to the DR. Well 2 days later she was pu by ambulance and tahen to some of the best DR’S IN THE Charlotte, NC Hospitals. They ran the normal gammit of test and told her on my birthday 3-3 that she had stage 4 brain cancer a tumor in both lungs and one other area.

She did her 10 radition treatments and they give her 4 -6 weeks to live. Well so far shes beat that number. Today makes 8 weeks, However she has very ew days left if even its minute to minute. For such a great Mother that sice the year 2000 lost her baby SIS, FATHER, BRother, MOTHER all from cancer, and now is depending on Myself and awesome wife or her boyfriend to totally take care of her she if anyone in thworld deservesit its you MOTHER!!!! ITS DEFINITELY YOU!!!! You deservr nothing but the best from now until we meet again. GOD BLESS YOU!!!!! You are my MOTHER before all but also one of those rare ANGELS whom roam this earth and just make it look easy and like its the way its should be done. MYSELF, MY ADORABLE WIFE, AND NANNYS NEWEST GRANDSON you are special and words cant describe how bad you will be missed. God bless you. WE ALL LOVE YOU!!!!!!