“Tell them I love them. Tell them they mean everything to me. Tell them how proud I am of them. Promise?” This was the pact one of my best friends and I struck.
I began to wonder where I may wind up after my first line of cancer treatment failed. We scheduled a stem cell transplant as the second line of treatment. The oncologist gave me a 50-50 shot at success. It ultimately failed as my cancer was still present following that treatment. That is when I made the pact.
The pact was simple enough. Should things go pear-shaped, my girlfriend promised that at every chance she had, she would tell my kids and family that I loved them. And I would do the same for her. Writing this brings tears to my eyes as my children and family are my everything. I can not imagine a life without them.
I needed the pact to be someone who wasn’t related to me. I know my husband would tell our kids every chance he got, but if things took a turn for the worse, he would need time to heal. And he would need to hear the words, too.
As morbid as the pact may seem, it brought me a sense of calm. I felt a certain sense of tranquility and peace knowing that there would be someone to take on the job of telling my kids and family that I loved them.
I feel incredibly blessed to be where I am. The CAR T cell therapy was a success and the cancer is gone. But the pact still stands. Tell my family I love them. Promise?
P.S. Blood work continues to look good and I’m gaining more of my strength back.
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