It is never easy hearing the bad news, “You have cancer.” Might as well put a gun to the temple and say, “You have a one in ten chance of living.” When I was ten years old my grandfather, with whom I was very close, passed away from cancer. It was hard, back then, for the doctors to give a concrete reason for the cause of the cancer. It might have been due to smoking, or his war wounds (he had schrapnel embedded into his shoulder blades). It was all over his body, he was terminal by the time the doctors caught it. He surprisingly lived another year and a half after his diagnosis. My grandfather was a strong man with a strong will to survive. It was the worst thing to watch him die. He went from a big strong man, to a fragile thin being. He couldn’t eat food and had a tube feeding him through his nose. His body was under war against itself, and it was sad as he lost the battle. Millions of people die each year from this disease…

Not too long ago, Fall of 2005, my Aunt Marian was diagnosised with Lung Cancer. Years of smoking and being around people who smoked, finally caught up with her. It was a blow getting the news. You know it happens to thousands of people each day, but to have it hit that close to home is scary. My mother’s side of the family has had many cancers, (skin, breast, ovarian…etc.) Most of them being treated in early stages and without fear of death. The stats of Lung Cancer are pretty terminal, only one in ten people diagnosed with lung cancer survives the disease! There are about 3 million people dying each year from lung cancer – it’s an alarming amount of lives that are being murdered by this disease! It used to be a male-dominated disease, but in the past few decades the amount of women getting lung cancer have increased.

When I was a kid, my brother, our cousin (she’s 3 months younger then me) and I were the “Three Musketeers.” My cousin’s mother was the “cool” mom. My aunt picked us up from school and would take us out for ice cream – just because. My Aunt had a VW Bug, and she would drive us down the street making the car “dance” as she jerked it from side to side. I used to name Barbie dolls after my aunt. It was because of her (and my uncle) that I learned sign language… I just loved her and thought she was the best aunt in the world! I loved being around her, she was groovy. There was a large part of our lives where we didn’t see each other, but fate has its way of bringing souls back together. My aunt and cousin now live right outside of Carson City – mere minutes away from us, but we really don’t see them too often. I had heard that she was diagnosed with cancer but I didn’t get a chance to see her until all her hair was gone due to the chemotherapy, and her body bloated from the medication. It felt like I was hit by a truck! It was hard to see her in that state – knowing that inside her body was the same enemy that years before had killed my grandfather.

Her spirits were high and she was in such a good mood! My cousin had made a mini-home movie about her mother and the cancer. It was music, pictures and my Aunt describing her day-to-day routine. I have said before that I am not a crier – it takes a lot to get me to cry. But I just couldn’t hold back as it truly hit home that my aunt, my mentor growing up, and the grooviest person I know, was battling cancer. I have faith in my aunt’s will power, and I know she can beat this disease.

Just last week Aunt Marian had surgery to remove the tumor from her lung. The chemotherapy had done its job and shrunk the tumor size small enough for the doctor to safely go in and remove it. The doctor only had to remove a small amount of lung along with the tumor. She bounced back from surgery really fast and was able to come home yesterday (Saturday). A really good outcome for this type of surgery! It is extremely invasive, leaving a hole in your lung and a large opening on the side of your back. I was able to pick my aunt up from the hospital mid-afternoon and I took her to my mother’s house. She’s doing well, and if anyone can fight this disease and win the battle of life, she can!

A year ago Scott’s cousin, Jason Benson, lost his young life to a side effect of the treatment of his cancer. A blood clot travelled to his heart and killed him. Jason and his dad had just returned home from a treatment when Jason collasped. His father frantically tried to breathe life back into his 24-year-old son, but he couldn’t be saved. Jason battled Testicular cancer

and at one point won, but like most cancers – it came back. Our family makes donations to the Lance Armstorng foundation: Live Strong every year in Jason’s memory. If you can, donate! Help them out, there needs to be a cure before we lose anymore family members (or ourselves) to this murder.

A few years ago, my cousin (by marriage), Ernie Brown, lost his battle with Brain cancer

. He had these really bad headaches and was trying to get better on his own. They were only headaches – right? Ernie finally asked someone who worked for him to take him to the hospital. The tumor was large – they put him into emergency surgery. Ernie lived long enough to say good bye to all those that mattered most in his life. Ernie was in an ambulance with his younger son when his life ended… Ernie was a good, loving man, but cancer has no mercy.

We all will remember those wonderful people we have lost to cancer and we know whereever they are, it’s better. We need to fight to find a cure! Fight for life, do what you need to be a healthy, happy human being. *Aunt Marian, please do what you have to in order to get better, I want the car to dance again…

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