Never take our life for granted
Hi everyone, happy Friday morning. I only had a three hours sleep last night. And yet, I'm happy that I am awake and ready for the day.
My husband and I got home from Saint Joseph Hospital (Toronto, ON) around 2:30am EST. About 2 weeks ago, I got a message from my mother in law that our friend Steve needs a medical attention because of severe coughing and not being able to sleep at night. I called him right away, he sounded okay and said everything is fine (but knowing him, he's good at hiding stuffs). He said he's going to his doctor and will let us know when he needs help. Then yesterday, around 5:30pmEST his sister from Texas called me and was asking to assist Steve to go the hospital. Apparently, I was still at work and won't be done until 9pm. So I called my husband and relayed him the message. He right away brought the kids home (they were at the playground) and left the kids to my mom and went to see Steve.
When I finished work, I called Greg (my husband) to check on them. He was crying and told me how terribly sick Steve looks. He knew Steve for about 15 years and me for about 10 years. He's always been a jolly good fellow kinda guy. He was a big supporter and a mentor of me and Greg during our tough days. And while I can only imagine him while talking to Greg. I couldn't help myself to get emotional too. So I told Greg that I am coming to see them too. I bought them food on my way just so I thought they both haven't eaten dinner yet (and as per my instinct is always right, they haven't). I arrived at the hospital at 10:30pm EST.
We waited for the doctor and he didn't come until 2 o'clock in the morning. We wanted to make sure he gets checked before we get home and at least asked the doctor how bad his condition is. And we can report whatever it is to his five sisters. That's when we learned that he's actually been diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer couple of months ago (or even years ago). As I mentioned earlier about Steve's good at hiding stuffs, he probably knew about his condition a long time ago. That's even before he retired from work and decided to keep his distance from us. He never wanted to see his family doctor or any other doctors around. He is always in denial that something is wrong with him and never wanted anybody to know anything about what's going on with him.
However later today, he's really trying to be brave and did couple of tests and procedures. And Monday, they will perform a biopsy in him.
This situation is also a reminder to each and everyone of us that we should not neglect ourselves of any pain and pretend that we can always be in good shape. Never take things for granted whether it's big or small. Especially our life. Life's precious. Life is short. Live it to the fullest. There's always, always time for everything. It's okay to share our fears and pain to our friends and family.
At the end of the day, we pray for his speedy recovery, make him feel loved to lift up his spirit and make him keep his faith.
Took me the whole day to write this but I'm thankful I made it through. Thank you all for reading. God bless us all :)
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I am joining you in prayer. You are so right. We do have to look after ourselves and be honest about what is going on in our lives. So many people do not. Life is precious. We have it now, but it is not promised to any of us and it could end at any moment. We must be on top of our health and honest with our loved ones. Thank you for this post!
Thank you. It is really an emotional time for us. But being able to post and share this made it a lot easier for me to handle it.
Thanks for sharing that, Reina! It's very hard to watch someone you love and respect go through something like this. Keep being strong!
I'll be praying for Steve. We all live life on our own terms but I'm sure he is thankful for your friendship. All the best to you.
Debbie
Good word, Reina. Life is short and precious. I can tell you, having had my younger brother pass away recently, these kind of circumstances surely put things in perspective.
Thanks for sharing. Praying for you and your friend.
:) I am sure it was tough to write and Steve is blessed to have good friends that care. Live life to its fullest but watch for warning signs right. Get some rest and prayers for Steve. Jay
Thank you for this post. It is a very sobering reminder that life is short and we need to appreciate every moment of it. Many times we spend our days fussing about little things and forgetting what is important.
My father never revealed to me he had cancer. After he had a stroke and I took him to the hospital, the doctor mentioned the cancer while I was in the room. My father got mad at the doctor for revealing this to me. I then talked to my father. He was healthy as a horse for all I knew. I then found out they did not find out he had cancer until he was already stage IV, and there was nothing they could do for him. He was only given a couple of months longer to live from the doctor at the hospital, but he lived 18 months. I spoiled him after moving him into my house so I could take care of him. I hired people to sit with him and get him whatever he wanted while I was at work. I spent as much time as I could with him, and it made all of the difference in the world to him and myself. I hope the best for your family and your friend and his family.
God Bless,
Mike
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How courage the both, you and your husband are. You took it upon yourselves to attend a need, and it was well worth it. Everyone has my prayer. And I wish Steve a speedily recovery.
There IS hope!
Blessings!
Thank you very much. Have a blessed Sunday