Relieved, Somewhat

We've received news about Tatay's illness and he was diagnosed with the Big "C" and it has been staged already. I know it sounds daunting but my siblings and I are relieved somewhat because we know what we are fighting and how we can fight this. Today, Tatay is going to undergo a colostomy so that he will be relieved of the fecal impaction and after one week will be having chemo and radiation therapy to lessen the bulk of the mass. We are relieved that his doctors are not radical in the sense that they have opted to do conservative management first before surgery. We are aware that chemo and radiation therapy is still a long process (5 to 6 weeks in Tatay's case) and it will entail a lot of time, money and energy but knowing about his diagnosis makes us all optimistic that we will get through this.

I am just happy that my siblings and I are close and support each other no matter what. It may sound weird but we are not jealous of each other. In fact, we are happy if someone achieves something and will do anything to support each other. Yes, we were reared to be close to each other and never to be jealous of one another. I hope to instill that in my girls and teach them that siblings are not enemies but your allies. *winks*

For those who have been praying, thank you and we hope that you will continue to do so for Tatay's successful surgery today and his eventual recovery. As I always say, there is strength in numbers after all.