Journal entry reflecting on this time last year:

I can still remember the day that I was at work and received a call from my mom. I could tell in her voice this was not an ordinary call. Interestingly enough I had been getting vibes all week feeling like someone in my family was suffering. I kept calling my dad and checking in with him. Something in me felt as if I needed to check in with him. My sister said she felt this way too.

My mom told me that my dad and her would be going to Houston the next week because they had found something in my dad that may be cancer and they needed to go to the best cancer treatment center to get this looked at. After hearing this I didn’t know how to feel. Working at a hospital it had become my worst nightmare seeing one of my own family members in that bed. I immediately booked a flight home to see my parents before they left for Houston.

A couple days later my parents left for Houston for the weekend. This was in October 2018. They didn’t return home again until May 2019. This entire situation ended up being more than we thought. My dad was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and was set up for chemotherapy immediately. A couple months after this, he also received a stem cell transplant (my dad now has 2 birthdays!).

We spent Christmas in Houston in a 1 bedroom apartment just us 5. No presents needed just spent hours playing games or dancing to music from my mom’s laptop. This will be a Christmas I will never forget.

Many fearful experiences and treatments later, my dad was finally in remission. After months away, my parents could finally go home. This felt like a miracle. There were times I didn’t know if we would ever get to this point.

This is just a snippet of the past year in my family’s life but our lives will forever be changed after this. I can confidently say my family is incredibly stronger and more courageous than ever before.

Throughout this entire fearful experience, I have not once heard my dad complain. The moment he found out about his cancer he did not hesitate, did not say “why me” he immediately took it on and was determined to stay strong physically and mentally. He continues to demonstrate faith and strength every day, teaching us even greater lessons about life than he ever did before. He will forever be my inspiration.

I share this experience because it has opened my eyes to how quickly a life can change. I am eager to provide others with awareness of how important each given day is. Give love to those you care about and always remind yourself how precious life is.