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by
Ann Cooke My sister was sick for a long time before they found out what was the matter with her.She had so many tests , and no answers came, till one day we heard the words we were dreading " Your sister has a rare blood vessel cancer, hopefully we can remove it, but we have only seen 5 cases ,and don't even know if she will survive" Dad had died of cancer 10 years before ,and my sister had been most affected by his death, and terrified she would get cancer too. Ironically, she now faced the same doubtful future my father had, and the family was devastated. My wedding day was in November, and the family spent most of their time going to the hospital ,so I was on my own with all the arrangements.Not that I minded, we were just waiting to find out what was going to become of my sister. Finally the surgeons decided amputation was the answer after extensive radiation therapy to shrink the tumour.She was tired and lethargic,and tried hard to put on a brave face, but the fear showed in her eyes. Fortunately, when the surgery came, the doctors found they could remove the tumour without amputation, but at a great cost.The whole leg muscle was removed , and became infected, and it took many months for my sister to become well enough to leave the hospital, but was unable to stand,let alone walk. The day of our wedding came around, and still my sister remained unwell, and was not coming to the wedding.I felt sad inside at the thought of it, but she had survived the ordeal ,and that was enough for now. It was the only dark spot on the happiest day of my life. As the limosine pulled up,I saw the family milling around the church ,and felt a slight pang....Jayne was not going to be here to share all this...she was only 18 months younger than me, and we had shared so much together over the years... I stepped out of the limosine, and rearranged my gown and dress...the church started the bridal march... |
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...and as in a dream ,there was my
sister,standing up, supported by two crutches,
smiling. I think I am the only bride who stopped in the middle of the bridal march to walk over and kiss her sister on the cheek. It cost my sister so much pain to be there ,to stand and even walk a little.She could not manage it for long, but she did it for me, even when her own future looked uncertain.In my bridal book, there is a page for gifts...and next to my sisters name is the entry..."Jaynes gift...my sister walked on my wedding day" And her gift is the one we remember most... Jayne has at the writing of this, survived three years and the doctors say her outlook is good so far. She gets tested every 6 months to see if the cancer has spread, and had a slight set back , when she had some hemorraging into the brain...which have only left her with a bit more irritability. She is now madly in love with a childhood sweetheart ,and living in a lovely house near the sea.I think they are planning to marry soon,as she has put in a few orders in the last few days. My sister's courage is awesome.She never complains, and accepts the fact her time may be finite,but still goes on with life,and makes the most of her days.She always says"Why worry about the future...what is meant to be ,will" We now hold hope that she will get to the 5 year mark and is currently in full remission. She can now walk as well as anyone, although her leg swells terribly,and handed over her walking stick to me about 18 months ago. Neither one of us can dance much anymore...but we chair dance...and laugh at ourselves a lot.She is a great inspiration and a wonderful sister.I love her so much! So that is my baby sis' story...she truely is a legend. |
copyright © Ann Maree Cooke, 2000, All rights reserved
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