Cancer by definition is one of three things:
noun
1. any disease characterized by such conditions
2. Any evil condition or thing that spreads destructively; blight
3. The crab, a zodiacal constellation between Gemini and Leo
I tend to agree with the second definition.
To me my grandmother was invincible. Married at eighteen, first son at 19,by the time she was twenty- five she had had five kids. My grandfather was in the navy,leaving her to be on her own most of the time. She ended up with eleven grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. All of which she attended every sports events,concerts, and ceremonies for. Anything she could do to show support for us, she did. She loved us unconditionally. She always stood up for us, and fought for what she believed. A strong independent, loving woman.
My whole life this was the way I had viewed her. I had never seen anything get her down or out. except for the "evil condition" cancer.
She had been through it twice, then had a surgery's make it go away, she always got better though. Nothing could stop grandmother, because shes grandmother. That was the only excuse I needed, it worked every time. This time that excuse was not good enough. The "evil condition" had won. And we lost.
It was a slow and gradual progression, but it all happened so quickly.I watched as it took over her body, as it took the life out of her, her color, her words. I saw her become completely immobile and dependant on others, something she hated more than anything. But even then the cancer couldn't take away her spirit- her love. The last thing she said to me was " I love you."
She fought a war that was hard to fight and even harder to win. And she won three out of four times. Unfortunately, in these battles you cannot afford to lose, even if it's only once.
The words "spread destruction" is an understatement for what cancer has done. there is no definition for the pain, loss and suffering my family now and forever has. But we pray together, not only for ourselves, but for others, so that one day cancer is nothing but a zodiac sign.