Remember those days when we were young & had fever, our parents would look after us day & night till fever had subsided. We’ve grown up but parents would go the extra mile to buy chinese medicine for fever if panadol does not bring down the fever to normal body temperature.
Nov 2012, Dad complained of bloatedness in stomach & did not have appetite to eat his meals. Dec 2012, Dad was hospitalized and underwent different tests such as biopsy and PET scan to find out what’s wrong with him. Dad was diagnosed with cancer of unknown origin (stage 4). Oncologist suggested chemo treatment of IV drip and oral medicine. Tears came rolling down our faces, we need time to accept the fact & to be strong in front of Dad.
Now, it’s our turn to look after Dad. After the 1st chemo treatment, we need to ensure that Dad takes his medicine as prescribed and monitor for any side effects. Since Dad started to eat his medicine, his taste bud changed. Some foods taste delicious to us but no taste to him. To have a better understanding of cancer & a patient, I went to the library to borrow books – ‘Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer’, ‘The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen’ and ‘The Chemotherapy Survival Guide’.
Relatives are a source of emotional support. They give my family words of encouragement to be strong and optimistic during house visits and phone calls. They send relevant emails to us so that we are aware of the foods Dad should eat to fight against the cells & foods to avoid to prevent cells from spreading. Uncle bought the book ‘Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook’ for us to use the menu plan as a guideline to prepare meals for Dad.
We heard stories of some cancer patients who have fully recovered from cancer. We pray for a miracle to happen & hope that Dad could recover from cancer too.
KK Treasured Journey 