I remember a time when we were gonna go shopping (this was when i was a kid) and my dad had to stay home. That was probably the first time in my life he wasn't driving for us. So I asked my mom why he won't come, my mom's answer was, 'ah, hayaan mo sya dyan'...(never mind about him) I sensed something and I was hurt that my mom would treat my dad like that. My mom was probably kidding when she said that, but it sounded so unfair, i started crying... and the famous dialogue (that up to now they tease me about it) was... "bakit, tatay ko naman sya ah, waaaaah"....(why, he's my dad, waaah)
Just last year, my dad was diagnosed of lung cancer. No doctor ever confirmed what stage it was, but the result of the bone scan was kinda suspicious, there were marks as if it has metastasized. The CT Scan read "suspicious blah blah", but when the oncologist looked at it, she confirmed that it was indeed cancer.
My dad smokes, drinks... two of his brothers died of lung cancer/pneumonia just a few years ago. So we were really scared of what might happen. One of the doctors was saying its Stage 4, because of what they saw in the bone scan.
Treatment was chemotherapy. The oncologist explained the different types of medications used in chemotherapy, and there was one that doesn't cause hair shedding, not much throwing up, but that's expensive, double of the regular medication being used. My mom decided to use the more expensive one coz she values my dad so much she can't bear seeing him bald, skinny, and depressed.
True enough, after each treatment, my dad still acts so normal, he cleans his fish tanks, waters the plants, no ill side effects at all, except a few times that his white blood cells would really go down that he had to be injected for regeneration of WBC. He probably had the injection once, and the rest he ate lots of camote tops and it really helped.
He was on chemo for less than a year. When the whole cycle was finished, they checked everything again, bones, lungs, and other organs, guess what? None was found. No cancer cells, no lumps, just a small scar where the cancer was found. It totally healed. And the latest bone scan was clear too, that those marks that they saw were minor injuries from the past when he had to carry heavy stuff, and he had a fracture on the shoulder bone before .
During the process, we just prayed and trusted the Lord for healing. Relatives were supportive, too. It also helps a lot if you have a positive outlook. My dad did not mind his illness, i know he was praying, too. And he just did whatever has to be done, and still do his routine at the house.
He is totally healed. Now, he became closer to everyone. He used to be so quiet, just walks by us and not a single Hi! We understood coz when he went abroad for work before, we were kids, when he decided to stay for good, we were grown ups, and so there was a bit of a gap, uneasiness probably. But we all know he loves us. And that all changed when we all learned he's cancer free.
I told my mom before that there was a purpose for the illness, but i'm not sure what it was... now we all know
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