Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Cancer Stories: Zed's Sister, Carole

Today's story is from Zed at The World According to Zed. I am not sure how I found Zed's blog, (in fact, I think she found me) but I know we immediately shared our connection of how we lost our sisters to cancer.

~oOo~

I lost my sister Carole, a photographer, artist, sculptor, author, and international traveler in August 2004 to breast cancer. She was a long-time survivor, but in January 2004 NOTHING worked to lengthened her life any longer, and we began the long, slow march toward her death.

Doctors insisted she still try various treatments, thinking perhaps something would suddenly work. But nothing did and she just became sicker and sicker. At a birthday party I threw for her in early 2004, she looked terribly ill and ashen, and she could barely stay awake.

By May she courageously refused any further treatment and choose to spend of the rest of her life without any form of chemotherapy or radiation. She wanted to try to maintain a certain quality of life with dignity and grace.

In the next two months, literally hundreds of friends and family came to say goodbye to her, and she always had a smile for everyone who came to visit. In the first days of August she weakened considerably; before she slipped into a coma, she squeezed my hand, gave me a slight wave, and said "I love you." Then she lost consciousness forever, and died the next morning at 6. My strong, loving older sister and rock was gone. She was such a good friend to me ...

The lack of a cure after all these years and all the billions and billions of dollars that have been donated is frustrating and makes me very angry. Carole should have not have died of cancer. NO ONE should have to die of cancer. It needs to stop now.

I pray a cure comes quickly.

Zed
The World According to Zed

Labels: awareness, breast cancer, cancer, share a story

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 7:42 PM :: 0 people are more aware ---------------------------------------