It has become real cool these days to sport at least one elastic band around your wrist. My family wears the yellow "Live Strong" wrist bracelet. We also wear buttons proclaiming "Cancer Sucks." My sister-in-law’s body is ravaged by 4th stage cancer.
It is a miracle she is still with us. The driving force in her valiant year-long battle is her 14 year old son whom she doesn’t want to leave without his mom. Like my aunt before her, she worked in the health care profession and should have recognized and acted upon the warning signs that tried to grab her attention. I'm sure things would have been handled differently if given the opportunity but life doesn’t give us "do overs."
Teresa’s life consists of trips every three weeks to the Cancer Treatment Center in Illinois for what is purportedly the most "kick ass"chemotherapy available. In between she is in and out of hospitals to deal with its complications. Now I have back problems that some day will require surgery so I have learned to live with pain but I wouldn’t embarrass myself by claiming to know the degree of pain my sister-in-law must endure every minute of her life. Then there’s the ancillary hardships that increase the burden, most pressing of which is trying to remain financially solvent in the face of rising medical bills. Computers that generate shut off notices could care less that you’re waging war for your very life.
Needless to say she gets discouraged. If you feel moved to send her a card to help lift her spirits, please send it to: Teresa Wiley, 203 Canal St., Augusta MI 49012. (It would be appreciated.)
What has happened to Teresa has been a wake-up call for me to cherish every moment and every opportunity that comes my way, to take nothing for granted. It has tempered my tendency to want to feel sorry for myself. It has given me a different perspective from which I determine my priorities. Today’s question is an invitation to share...
What wake-up calls have you received and how have they changed your life?
May peace be with you and yours...
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