I've been lucky to have very few relatives that are close to me who have died. My mother's father died when she was 6. I don't remember much of my father's father because I didn't see him much before he died when I was 7. There have been other family members that have died but wasn't close to. The most recent was my great uncle Bob, my father's uncle. Actually, both my parents were close to him. He was the matriarch of my father's family up in Massachusetts. We would go visit him, he come visit us, and my parents would go to the Azores with him on vacation 5 years ago to visit my father's grandparents ancesteral home. So when he died from pancreatic cancer 4 years ago, it hit my parents pretty hard.

Cancer seems to be a big threat in my family. Besides my great uncle, I had two other great uncles died from cancer (smoking), several other aunts and uncles develop forms of it, and even my mother had cervical cancer after I was born. She couldn't have any more children after that. Now cancer reers its ugly head again.

I found out yesterday that my grandmother has cancer. When I talked to her today, she told me the doctors said it was in her spleen. I don't know how that compares to pancreatic (100 % deadly) but she seems to be doing alright now. I don't know if they can do anything for her at the moment except give her drugs for it. She's a fighter though and it doesn't seem to worry her though. With all that she has gone through in her life, cancer to her seems to be a piece of cake. She's the type that doesn't complain about nor would talk about it, but I can only wonder how she feels. Only those that go through this can.