Lung Cancer
My daddy was just diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. I can't seem to think about anything else right now. I just want to go to Tennessee and be with him. I have been an emotional wreck this last week. I heard a story of a lung cancer survivor in the same condition as my dad, and I was hopeful. Then my mom said that there was a 30 percent survival rate in the first six months, and I was devastated again. It has been like that all week long. Every minute of everyday all I can think about is my daddy.
I am going to Tennessee on Saturday. I will be there until whenever. It is a decision that I must make. It is a decision that I have to make. My parents would flip if they knew that I was coming to Tennessee. They don't want me to fall behind in school. Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard? So, my husband and I will call them tonight and tell them that I am flying there on Saturday. Next to my husband, my daddy is the most important person in this world to me. I have to be with him.
I can't remember a time in my life that was difficult or important for me when my daddy wasn't right there beside me. Sure he was always there…my parents have been married for 37 years, but he was especially there during the hard/important times. He was there when I was called a nigger in the 3rd grade because I was the only black in the class. He walked beside me when I made a profession of faith and decided to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He was there when I was crowned the first black Miss Tennessee Valley and when I experienced further discrimination at Miss Tennessee, a prelim to Miss America. He was there when I made my first B in college, which by the way devastated me.
He stood by my side as I married the man of my dreams, who happens to be white, even though my dad grew up in the South during the 50s and experienced the crazy discrimination that we watch on old Civil Rights Documentaries. He participated in sit-ins and marched with Dr. King, but still stood by my side when I married a white man. He has always been there for me, and now I have to be there for him.
I am trying to work it out where I can finish my assignments while I am in TN, but I am waiting to hear back from the Dean. They may ask me to withdraw. Even though that will be hard…school is not nearly as important as being with my father right now. You have to make sacrifices in life for the people that you love…for the people who have poured out their lives so that you can be who you are. You just have to.
Please pray for my daddy's healing.
