Having breast cancer in remission for 4 years, Heather’s sister out of the blue developed advanced breast cancer stages and passed away less than 4 weeks later.
Her story also touches one of the most difficult questions: do we prolong life any further or do we make the journey to the next life easier?
What is most shocking about Heather’s cancer story is the medical part though, or the lack of it. Her sister went to a hospital specialized in cancer yet Heather never mentions that the hospital found any advanced breast cancer stages.
Only when her sister got re-admitted in the ER, Heather talks about the cancer having spread to the liver.
Does this mean that when people get admitted to hospital looking yellow and having a history of cancer, nobody bothers to take a picture of the liver? If that’s the case, then doctors have less common sense than patients like you and me.
But it’s up to Heather to clarify this or did I understand her wrongly? Or where the doctors afraid of telling the bad news?
Treatments for breast cancer
My friend is now more than 5 years in remission for her breast cancer, so some treatments for breast cancer are successful.
Needless to say, my friend takes good care of her health now, embraces life like never before and make sure her diet is completely organic – no matter the price – when she cooks herself.
But not all breast cancer treatments are as successful. And even when you are in remission, you are not out of the woods either.
That’s why you need to remember: life is short and cancer can make it even shorter. Make the best out of your life and the life of your loved ones, because you only get one chance to get things right.
Heather’s sister breast cancer information
Heather left her comment at Breast cancer in liver:
I’m sorry to hear about your sister having breast cancer, in her liver.
My sister, too had breast cancer, in the liver. She was diagnosed with breast cancer; when she was 36.
She had breast cancer chemo and radiation therapy for breast cancer. She then went into remission.
When she was 40, two weeks before Thanksgiving, she started turning yellow. She thought it was food poisoning from eating out. So she went to the doctor about it.
Then she went into a special hospital that specializes in cancer. She was in about a week; but went home; because she thought she was feeling better.
Either the day after Thanksgiving; or the week after, she made a turn for the worse.
She went to the ER that Friday and passed away Sunday night.
I sat by my sister’s side most of the time. I had never experienced death like that, before. My sister was completely yellow from head to toe.
What had happened was that at some point, the breast cancer must have come back and traveled down to the liver. Her liver was completely clogged with the cancer. Her kidneys completely shut down.
Her husband had to make the tough decision to let her go. He asked my brother’s and my feelings about it; and we gave our consent.
The doctor told us putting her on life support would only give us, maybe a few more hours, with her.
It was the toughest decision any of us had to go through. My dad had an extremely hard time with it.
I lost my only sister on Dec.2, 2007.
I helped my brother-in-law pick out the headstone and design it.
The only advice I can give you is
to hold on to you sister.
I don’ t know at what advanced breast cancer stage she’s at, but just hold on to her.
I was never close to my sister; as we were six years apart and very different. I finally got kind of close to her as an adult. I am now 35.
I wish so much that I could have her back. She left behind a husband and three young children, between 11 and 16.
Thanks; and take care.
A big hug to Heather and her family. Also a big hug to everybody with cancer in or around their lives.
Please share your story: the road walked together steps easier than walking it alone.