Secondary Liver Cancer~~~~Marisa Arnold

I was 4 years old when my grandfather Joseph Arnold passed away. He was diagnosed with Secondary Liver Cancer when he was 72 and died when he was 75. If I had known him longer, I would’ve remembered more, but from what I do know, he was an amazing person. He and my grandmother Rose lived in Red Deer, Alberta on a little farm. Whenever we would visit, my brother and I would get up early and rush downstairs to find him in his favorite chair by the fireplace with 2 pieces of licorice for us before we had breakfast. Red licorice was my grandpa’s favorite. He always had a package of it on hand when he would be out digging ditches, doing farm work, or delivering milk to near neighbors. Grandpa Joe was diagnosed with Secondary Liver cancer in 1995; I was only 1 year old. Since I couldn’t remember much about grandpa Joe I asked my dad to describe him for me. He reminisced for hours about when he was younger and how his dad was always there for him. Something I can remember about grandpa Joe is that he was always smiling. It didn’t matter where we were or what situation we were in; he would always find the bright side. I was at Banbury Green RV Park in Penticton, B.C. when I was told about what had happened. My daddy had planned to fly out the day after he was told how sick his dad was, but my grandpa didn’t make it. I was notified from my mom after picking apples with Suzanne Justice in the orchard. Losing grandpa Joe was one of the hardest things I went through when I was younger, and I never knew how he died until this essay.

Secondary Liver Cancer is the most common type of cancer for anyone. Often times it is virtually impossible to trace the origin of the cancer as was the case with my grandpa. He was hardly in the hospital, other than when he had a few surgeries and when he was first treated. For treatment grandpa Joe was really nerved that he would need to be injected with something or have to go into chemo radiation. He was then as my mom described it “greatly relieved” to know that the chemo therapy he needed could be taken in pill form. The cancer that consisted in his liver would feed off testosterone, so unfortunately for grandpa Joe; he had to get one of his testicles removed. As for treatment grandpa Joe fought hard and made it through 3 years with the cancer but when he got really sick he only had weeks to live.

Growing up as a farmer my grandpa was a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He wasn’t big on fruit and veggies and he almost never ate salad. After he was diagnosed with the cancer, he was told that if he had good health it could increase his life expectancy rate. After living his whole life with meat as the basis of his everyday meals his nutrition was probably his biggest obstacle to overcome. After living his life with meat as the basis of every meal, it was difficult for him to get used to eating healthier. He did the best he could and it contributed to his 3 years of life with cancer. The best part about grandpa Joe was even though he had cancer, he was still the happiest he had ever been.

From my grandpa’s death, there is something we learned. Since my dad never made it to red deer to see his dad before he died, he realized how hard it was for him to live a province away. As my family was talking about my grandpa’s death I asked them what affect it had on us and my mom responded with “it means you’re never allowed to leave home”. My dad elaborated explaining that it has helped us appreciate how important it is for us to stay close when I’m growing up. I really take this to heart because my parents are the most important thing in the world to me and if I wasn’t there for my dad when he was sick I wouldn’t ever forgive myself. Hearing my dad explain how he had a choice of if they wanted to drive through the night or wait until the morning to get on the military flight was really difficult for me. I could hear the regret in his voice. My dad feels guilty for thinking the best thing to do was to fly home to Red Deer in the early morning, because my grandpa died in the night. I don’t ever want to feel the pain I can tell he feels.

Although Secondary Liver Cancer isn’t genetic it still worries me every time my mom and dad get sick. My parents have had their share of hospital time with viruses and broken bones and I’m always going to worry about them. I love my parents and I loved my grandpa Joe. Grandpa Joe’s memory will live on in our hearts forever. Although my grandpa didn’t survive this disease, I hope that research in treatment for this cancer will extend the life of future patients.

http://www.cancercenter.com/secondary_liver_cancer.cfm

http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/686/main.html

http://www.cancersurvivalrates.net/liver-cancer-survival-rates.html