Chapter 51 10. Terminal illness

On Sunday morning, our whole family went to the best hospital in city B to meet with Dr. Han Buqiang, a cancer expert in the oncology department.Dr. Han told us the final diagnosis: the cancer had spread to my brother's lymph nodes, and surgery was pointless. The moment my mother heard this sentence, she covered her face and cried. I saw my father's body shaking a little. Although he was sitting, I was still worried that he would suddenly fall down.On the contrary, my brother seemed stronger and calmer than the three of us. "I never smoked, why did I get lung cancer?" he asked.

"It's hard to say. Smoking is not the only way to cause lung cancer. Many factors are the cause of lung cancer." "If surgery is not possible, what should I do now?" "We could try to give you radiation or chemotherapy." My mother shed tears and said, "Director Han, my son has just been diagnosed...how could he be in the late stage?" "Lung cancer is the deadliest form of cancer because it's usually not caught early. When it's found, it's usually spread to the lymph nodes in the neck and abdomen. Also, I don't think your son's symptoms are recent. He looked at my brother, "I guess your cough has been going on for at least half a year? And sometimes hemoptysis?"

"...Yes." The elder brother admitted helplessly. Mom yelled uncontrollably, "Lawson! Why didn't you tell us?" "I thought it wasn't so serious..." My brother said shamefully, "Mom, you know, the last semester of school is very important to me." "That's not as important as your life!" The always prudent father roared at this moment, "Why don't you know how to cherish your body!" "Actually, I went to see the school doctor once in the last and semester, but maybe neither the doctor nor I paid attention to it at the time..."

Seeing that my father was about to get angry again, Dr. Han said: "Please stay calm. No matter what, things can't be changed. Now, I hope you can support patients to actively cooperate with treatment." "How much does chemotherapy really help?" my brother asked. "Chemotherapy will work. It may not prolong your life, but it can make the rest of your life more quality," Dr. Han said. "Don't rush into a decision. Think carefully about it." I don't know how we got home.The souls of our family seemed to be lost in the hospital. My brother hid in his room and didn't come out for a whole afternoon; my mother also locked herself in me, not wanting others to hear her sobbing; my father sat in the living room without saying a word, as if he had aged in an instant As a teenager... I just watched our whole family collapse in the face of a cruel terminal illness, and it was so painful that I couldn't breathe.

At night, my parents forced themselves to adjust their emotions: they had no choice but to face the reality firmly.In the living room, they had a long talk with their brother, mostly telling him not to give up hope.Finally, under their persuasion, my brother made the decision to undergo chemotherapy. In this way, my brother gave up his favorite biological research and was admitted to the cancer ward of the hospital.The house was full of ghosts, and maybe a year, maybe even a few months, my brother would be one of them. At the time, it didn't occur to any of us that there was a way for my brother to stay - until four months later.