I Am a Cancer Survivor’s Sister

Written by Guest Blogger Michelle Beane, Marketing & Communications Coordinator

I’ve always heard people say that you will have moments in life that you can recall exactly what you were doing when it happened. I can recall what I was doing when I found out my older brother was diagnosed with cancer.

I was twelve years old at a band competition. After I finished my solo, my band instructor pulled me aside. Immediately, panic set in and I was thinking I must have forgotten a note. I distinctly remember my instructor’s face as she pulled me close to her and she said, “Your brother is sick. He is in the hospital and it’s cancer.”

I looked her straight in the face and told her she was wrong, my brother was a healthy and strong football player at Iowa. However, her expression never changed, and I collapsed and started crying.

I believe a cancer diagnosis affects the entire family. I was terrified about the possibility of losing my older brother, the person that I idolized as a child. My mind began replaying the happy moments that we had growing up, him holding me as I joyfully shrieked “Babar.”

When I arrived at the hospital, the strong person that I had known was no longer there. He was hooked up to a bunch of machines with doctors hovering over him. I cried “Babar” over all of the chaos.

What had happened was that my brother thought he had the flu, and after two weeks of symptoms persisting, he finally went to the doctors. They discovered he had non-Hodgkin lymphoma in his lungs.

Cancer took away so much from my family and my brother. The 200 pound football standout was reduced to 140 pounds and was so sick during treatment.

Michelle and Brad

I am a survivor’s sister and my brother Brad is a cancer survivor. Months of treatment, prolonged periods of isolation, and the long road of recovery were extremely difficult to witness.

I’m supporting CureSearch and their mission to end children’s cancer during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month so no one has to experience the pain and fear that I experienced. I encourage you to do the same.

Discover helpful resources for dealing with a loved one’s cancer diagnosis here.

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