It's bad... It's cancer.. Options

[IdlersDream]

Well, two nights ago we found out my aunt has cancer in her lungs and liver and that it's very advanced.

She's been sick for about 6 months now and has lost an extreme amount of weight and she was veeery skinny to begin with. They told her she had pneumonia and sent her home and well, she didn't get better.

They still have some tests and biopsies to do until they figure out what kind of cancer it is and how they will treat it.
My dad talked to her again last night after calming himself down and she said she's trying to be positive and she's eatting all the right foods in hope that'll help a bit.

We also got an email from her best friend {who actually helped my aunt's ex husband when he had cancer last year} and she's being really helpful and her and her friends are going to start a fundraiser for her.. Which she doesn't know about yet.
But she has lots of friends that visit her everyday now, she's not working since she got laid off the same day she was diagnosed.

And now my dad is going nuts because he's already lost his father, best friend, last uncle, brother in law, his other friend is going for heart surgery soon and then now his last sister. I really don't know how much more he can take of this.

So everyone out there... STOP SMOKING! I know right now I'm begging my mom to quick but they don't seem to care which is hard.

So, has anyone else had cancer in their families? How did you handle it? Did treatment work for them? Are they survivors now?

[Saffy]

My grandmother suffered with breast cancer for a long time. She had gone through multiple operations and was often in the hopsital to the point it became a regular occurrence. One week back in 2003 my mother received a phone call from her saying she had just two months at most to live. I remember her crying hysterically. In reality, my grandmother died the next weekend in her sleep.

To make matters worse, there was a SARS outbreak at the time. Very few people were allowed in the hospital, so only my grandfather got to see her.

My father has also suffered with cancer recently. Last year he had gone in for surgery on his liver. The doctor called us that night to tell us he didn't think my father would live past the weekend. He also threw in that my dad's liver was the worst he had ever seen - this coming from a liver doctor! That was just absolutely devastating to go through. Thankfully, my dad is still alive today though. His cancer seems to have gone away completely, but there's still fear it might one day return. He has been taking better care of himself though, and hasn't drank alcohol since starting his chemotherapy. I'm glad he's still here.

Of course, his cancer was not without a price. My family has become very financially strapped since then. He had to leave his job, and now relies on government benefits, some of his pension, and so forth. My mom is now the only one working to support our family of four. (My older brother moved out a few years ago.) It's quite depressing. I know she's very bothered by the turn of events, and I wish I could contribute some.