Of hope and decisions and control

So the thing that got me upset and sad last evening....was that my cousin Brenda has chosen to take back some control of her life and stop all medical treatments for her cancer and focus on palliative care at home instead. Granny was her god-ma too...

She's such a strong person, always so positive and cheerful in whatever situation she may be in. She's smart and articulate, writes very well, cooks very well, draws very well. She's very good with gardening and all sorts of crafts too. 

She'd been updating all her friends on FB all these while on her journey with cancer, how it was first diagnosed, her hopsital visits, her recovery, the relapse in 2018, how she was battling it, how these 2 weeks have been very challenging. For awhile, she also documented her journey when she was a writer with The Smart Local. 

And finally yesterday, she posted on FB that she'd decided to just focus on palliative care instead. 

I'm sure she had her reasons and she'd probably already discussed things with her doctor team and immediate family. 

The news broke my heart though. She'd been fighting for so long and keeping up with her upbeat and positive attitude. 

I started crying. 

But I was also handling the 2 girls and their homework at the same time. They didn't understand what happened to me. I tried my best to handle their work and managed to read a Chinese story to Alyssa first before I sent them to the dinner table and took some time out to myself. 

I called & informed my parents, then spent 10-15mins crying and then tried to compose myself, before going back out again and joining the girls for dinner. 

They asked if someone had passed on. Nadya was old enough to know such things and Alyssa just mimicked her question. I said no and explained the situation to them as best as I could. Alyssa gave me a hug and Nadya patted my hand. I don't think they understood much of what I was saying but they got an overall gist that my cousin was very sick, may pass on and I was feeling sad over it. 

===============

Brenda,
You won't see this but I wish you and Noel all the very best in these few days, weeks, months. I pray that the biggest E will continue to grow and excel in his job and contribute to the family. I pray that E2 and E3 will grow up well too. May E2 inherit your cooking and creative genes and whip up lovely dishes and do up lovely craft projects. May E3 do well in his studies. May Noel stay strong. And lastly, I know when you are weary, you will go Home into His arms. That is your wish. I want you to know you have touched the hearts of many of us with your positivity and strong spirit.