When The End Begins

A man's dying is more the survivors' affair than his own.
-Thomas Mann

Hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver. These growths can be benign, (mild, non-progressive & harmless) or malignant (severe & progressive). This kind of cancer is common to developing countries where access to health care is limited & screening examinations are not available. Thus discovering they have the cancer at a rather advance stage.

A friend of ours died of liver cancer last night. He was diagnosed early this year and now, its only past half of 2008 and he is gone. It is so painful for his wife, being left alone for all those years of being together, for better or worse. It is equally painful too to his four children to go through such an ordeal. One of his sons is going to get married this December. While his youngest child is still in highschool. That kid only new that his dad was sick, not knowing it was late stage of liver cancer. Everyone is praying that he could have lived a little longer so he could watch, at least, one of his sons get married, watch his “bunso” (youngest) walk on stage & graduate and of course, be there for his loving wife. The joyous events such as a father watching his son tie the knot or pinning his son an award on his final days in school was all gone. I believe those are a father’s dream, a time he could watch his kids making a great life for themselves. It somehow gives a father so much joy and pride that he raised his children well.

As his child too, you also wished that he will be there for all those breathtaking events in your life. It will be a blissful sight to have your father around. It’s like blazing everything and getting to where you wanna be while holding your head up high because you know, someone is standing by your side whether you make it through or you don’t.

But everything is gone now because of liver cancer. I just hope, screenings for such diseases improve. I know that we could do more to alleviate the pain and manage this condition better during the initial course of the disease. I also pray that the family & friends will be able to move on with their lives and stay strong for each other. Everything will be alright. He is in a much safer & peaceful place now. No more pains & suffering -a beginning of a new life.

For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.
-William Penn