Common Differences
1. It is hard to know if you have cancer or not, most of the time people won’t know they have it until it is too late to treat it.
At first I was really happy. I was all for my parents getting a divorce. My dad would finally be away to leave us all alone. All the yelling and screaming that happened every day would stop. The late night fights my parents would have that kept me up all night would disappear. It was the best thing that could have happened. At least that’s what I thought.
2. Cancer can be any size. It could be small enough that it is easy and simple to cure, or it could be so big that the cancer will take time to cure.
Going home from school every day to walk into a house with non-stop fighting gets a little hard to deal with after a while. My mom and Dad would fight about every thing. Money, work, taxes, the house, any little thing you could of think of they fought about. I remember I would hear things in the kitchen and the arguing turn into screaming. They mostly fought about me though. Why did she do this? What’s wrong with her? You raised her like this not me! It’s your fault she’s like this! I tried to pay no attention to their fights. But the yelling would always get louder and louder.

3. When people find out they have cancer, it has already spread to other body parts and organs and continues to spread.
When ever the fighting would start I would some times bring my sisters up to my room and blast the music, or I would go for a walk with them around the block a few times. I didn’t want them to hear the yelling that went on every day. When ever we stayed in the house when my mom and dad were fighting they would always try to ignore it. I could tell by the looks in their faces that they were annoyed by the continuous arguing though.
The fighting would get really bad. I remember the smallest things use to set my dad off. I would go and turn the volume down on the television so I could listen to music in my room with out hearing the TV, or so I could do my home work and be able to hear my self think. That would have my dad screaming and yelling.
4. Hearing from a doctor that you have cancer is shocking. A lot of things will travel through your mind all at once. I had no one to really talk to about all the things that went on at home. They weren’t that big of a deal though. Who would really care? I’m just another stupid teen who every one wishes would just disappear, right? Well that’s what I think. I only had one person to talk to about the things. He didn’t give good advice on what to do, but that was okay. I just wanted someone to listen.
5. Once knowing you have cancer fear will overcome your body. You won’t know how to react or what to do.
I did something I will always regret doing. After this incident, no one in my family looked or treated me the same way again. The fighting became worst at home and things were getting harder to deal with. The fighting became so bad I never wanted to go back home after school or practice for the sports I play. I just wanted to stay away, far away.
My mom finally told my dad she wanted a divorce. We were at my aunt and uncles house for a family party when she told him. My mom and dad went of riding on the quad in the woods and they were gone for a while. When they got back from the ride they were both crying, I knew then she must have told him. I blew it off at the party and did not really think about it. I remember Quading in the woods with my cousin and hearing my dad calling my name. I was afraid to let him find me because I did not want to talk about any thing.
6. Your life will begin to change when all your loved ones finally find out about the cancer.
After my mom told my dad I was the first one to move out of the house. Next were my sisters, then finally my mom. It was a really slow move; I didn’t leave and show up with a suitcase filled with all my things. I don’t really know how we did it. We would bring things over little by little.
I was not allowed to see any one on my dads’ side of the family. My aunts and uncles did not want me coming by to see them or my cousins. At first it hurt a lot, but I dealt with. The fighting between my mom and I got a lot worst, and then between me and my sisters too. It was all getting harder to deal with. I would constantly hear every day that I ruined and destroyed the family. It was my fault that my parents are getting a divorce.
7. Dealing with the problem is hard and difficult, but you’ll always have some one there with you to hold your hand and make you feel better.
My coach always helped me deal with everything. I can go and talk to her about anything. Even if she did not want to hear it, she would sit down and listened anyways. All she would say to me is not to listen to what they said. I shouldn’t let people cause stress and drama in my life. She would also tell me that what happened between my parents was their problem, not mine and it was not my fault. Then she would always bring my self esteem up and say that I am a great athlete and I will be an even better one in the future. I can always count on her for help if I ever needed any. I trust her with my life. She would be there to hold my hand and make me feel better.
8. Handling the treatment of cancer can be very stressful.
The things at home still continued to be hard because of all the fighting that was still going on. I learned to pay no attention by it, by playing sports. I would get all the stress and anger out through practices and games.
9. Hopefully things will get better and the cancer could be treated and cured.
My sisters still see my dad, I only see him a little bit. They go out to eat with him, and go shopping with. I miss seeing my cousins a lot. Now I only see them at family parties. I miss getting in trouble with them, and going tubing and hiking at our lake house together.
10. Every cancer patient always wishes it wasn’t them who got cancer.
There is still a lot of fighting at home, and between my parents some how. It is hard to deal with, but there is nothing I can really do about it. It feels like my whole family does not even want me around. Most of the time they just put me down and make it seem like everything I do is wrong. Every thing I now do I some how mess it up. Now I wish I did not do anything and my parents were together, because then I’ll have my family back.