Day 31

Family.  I have always had a pretty good relationship with my family.   I have a younger brother and sister.  We fought a lot as kids but always had each other's backs.  My parents ran a restaurant and they worked long hours so we took care of each other.  Since the diagnosis, my family has pretty much been my unofficial cancer base camp .  June has obviously been amazing in making sure I am taken care of and so many friends have helped out or offered help.  But my family is the brain trust.

At the cancer clinic,  I have a team of medical staff that makes sure I am ok medically;  my oncologists, chemo nurses, pharmacists, procedure nurses, blood work staff.  Outside of the clinic, my family has been the other team.  My mom has unofficially become a Chinese oncologist.  The medical breakthroughs she comes up with daily is both mind boggling  and hilarious.  I call her Dr. Yeung.  My dad and mom, brother and sister (and bro in law) take turns watchin Rhys when I can't or when June is at work.  Not only watch her but they teach her things and spoil her and run around with her when I can't.  My brother and sister take me to chemo sometimes and drive me around.  They shop for us.  Get me whatever my weird taste buds are craving.  My mom cooks her "cancer healing" meals, and makes me soup everyday--a special soup that is supposed to boost my immune system.  I haven't had the guts to share this with my oncologists.  Do the cancer researchers know about this?  Should they add it to the protocol?  We spend quality time as a family.  Intentional quality time.  I know my mom is scared.  She doesn't understand all the medical jargon that I tried to explain.  I keep telling her I'm gonna be ok.  But like any mother, her heart is broken because her son is sick.  I pray that the peace that I have in my situation is transfered over to them.  That they feel the peace from God as well.

Usually it's tragedy that brings families together.  Don't wait for that.  Call your family, spend time with them.  I can't imagine going through this without them.