The News

 

In August of 2021, my family went on a Disney Cruise with my best friend and her family. It was awesome. It was a big deal because it was our first sober vacation. 

We finished the trip with a night at a Marriott hotel in Florida. We spent a day at the stunning hotel pool. It wasn't crowded, I had a good book - it was heavenly. My husband and I were treating ourselves to Starbucks iced coffees and NA beers. A far different experience than what we would have had in the past. 

I love playing the game with myself where I get so hot while reading in the sun, that I can't bear to wait any longer to get into the pool. I had reached that point. I took my sunglasses off and reached into my bag for their case. 

I noticed I had a missed call from an unfamiliar number. I listened to the voicemail. "I just heard the news about your Dad. I called your Mom and I can't get a hold of her." What news about my Dad? I called my parents. My Mom answered. I told her about the voicemail I just received. She replied "Your Dad has cancer again." I could hear that my Dad was angry in the background - he didn't want to ruin my vacation.

My Dad was diagnosed with stage four Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2016. He had two different types of chemo (one in his spine). The chemo worked. The cancer was gone. He made it look easy. He didn't throw up, spend days in bed, or become noticeably weak. On a Halloween during the course of his treatment, he received chemo during the day, and went trick-or-treating with us that night. 

"His lymphoma came back?" I asked. "No, he has internal melanoma." It didn't seem real. The news was disorienting. I already did cancer with my Dad. Check. I'm enjoying a luxurious pool in Florida with my family and friends. Cancer doesn't fit in this scenario. Melanoma? My Dad is the whitest guy you've ever seen. He avoids the sun, pools and beaches. That doesn't make sense. People beat melanoma all the time, he already beat stage 4 lymphoma, he can can certainly handle this. We can handle this. I'll take care of it when I get back home.