so strong yet so fragile…

there are constant reminders all around us of how fragile and precious life really is. i think unlike most people i tend to be more aware of them because there are just so many things about life that i love that i’d hate to part with when i leave this world. today i was given another reminder but unlike other times this one really hit me hard. i had to go to the hospital today with a good friend of my dad’s to do translations. the purpose of the visit was to see results of CT scans done because of the discovery of a growth on his pancreas. the doctor told me that he had pancreatic cancer and it had metastasized to his liver, fat tissue, and skin. she proceeded to tell me that with chemotherapy he may live for another year or two but there was a chance he would only make it for a few months more.  translating all of that back to my dad’s friend was one of the hardest things i’ve ever done in my life. i hope i never have to do anything like this ever again. and to think doctors do this everyday, probably even multiple times a day.i will never forget the reaction on his face as i relayed everything back to him…and just like that his world came crashing down. i can’t even begin to imagine what he’s feeling right now…and on top of that no one in his family cares about him. his own wife said that she doesn’t ask if he doesn’t tell. and instead of keeping him company and offering moral support she’d rather go to work like normal to earn that twenty something dollars a day at the clothing factory. the children are completely engrossed in their own lives and seem totally unfazed by the situation. WTF IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE???? i know chinese people have been stereotyped as being unemotional but this is just absolutely fucking ridiculous!!! nothing is worse than having to deal with so much alone. a good, honest, and hard working man doesn’t deserve to suffer like this. nobody does. i’m just glad that he has good friends like my dad to give him the emotional support he needs in these tough times. i hope the rest of his days will be better…

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