Nancy Hernandez43 said:I’m so sorry you’re going through this... but if it helps at all, you aren't alone in dealing with heavy illnesses hitting close to home.
My mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and just a week later, my aunt’s mother-in-law traveled to be near us—since we're a small family spread across three different cities—and unfortunately, she suffered a massive double heart attack on the way. At one point, we genuinely didn't know which fire to fight first.
Once things finally settled down six months later, I found myself fighting a losing battle at my university against a professor who acted like a total monster, tearing into me even after I warned him that I was mentally fragile and still reeling from everything. That was when I finally opened up to my brother about how much I was struggling, since nobody at school was looking out for me. Around that same time, I found out through my mother’s specialist that I might have developed diabetes due to stress and poor lifestyle habits. I felt physically sick at the thought of having to tackle that on top of everything else. I started cutting out refined sugar gradually, and after three months, they confirmed I don't have diabetes, though I do need to stay strictly vigilant.
As if that wasn't enough drama... I've actually shared this before, but I'll say it again. My father ended up in the hospital on his own birthday. My mother thought he was just joking around when he woke her up saying he needed to go to the ER. It turns out, my mother was diagnosed with cancer on his birthday, so we always joke that she was "reborn" on that day. When he arrived at the hospital, the doctor couldn't believe he had driven himself there, especially since a five-minute trip took nearly half an hour because he was clearly in pre-infarct condition. To this day, they still aren't entirely sure what happened to him (it wasn't a full heart attack), though he does deal with high blood pressure.
Looking back on it all now—nobody is out to get us. It's just that life wears us down, and when we're already exhausted by our own struggles, it becomes even harder to process the fact that our loved ones are suffering too.
It will get better; you just have to try to keep a positive outlook.
I know things will improve. I am truly sorry you've had to endure such difficult circumstances.
My aunt and I were actually talking yesterday about everyone we've lost, and the timeline is pretty grim: my father passed away from a heart attack in 2005; my grandmother died of natural causes in February 2007; in the summer of 2007, my mother's brother's wife passed away from the same type of cancer my mother has; then in 2008, my mother passed away; and just a few days after her, her uncle passed, followed shortly by her other brother being diagnosed with cancer. I suppose that's enough for one lifetime.
Sorry, everyone—this is totally off-topic and probably doesn't belong in a space where people are actively fighting their battles. I hope that in time I can start thinking more positively, as I usually consider myself an optimist.