"Always Expect the Unexpected" by Brook D

It was second semester of junior year and I was at the point where I didn't think life could get any harder. It was the most important year of high school, and my parents always told me to focus on school and do well. They often told me, that the fun and games in life would come later, and the only thing I had to worry about was school. I followed this throughout most of my school years, and in return I forgot to leave time for my family and friends.

It was a Monday afternoon and I just got home from school. Before going off to start my homework I went to greet my family and have a snack. As soon as I stepped into the kitchen

I knew something was wrong. My Mom and brother were both talking in hushed voices with watery eyes, and my dad had yet to come home. I knew my father was going to the doctors that day for a check up, but I didn't realize that check up would turn into a diagnosis that would change my family’s life forever. It was a couple hours later and my dad still hadn't arrived home, we were all worried until we received a phone call from my dad, he didn't have much to say other than they were shipping him a hospital in Hollywood where they were going to do more tests before deciding on a final diagnoses.

Naturally it’s agreed that the human body can develop fatal illnesses. However it's never something you believe will affect your own family. Three days later my dad was back in Fontana, and we were finally allowed to go visit him and speak with his doctors. The whole ride to the hospital, my family prayed and hoped that everything would be okay. After making our way up to his room we were all finally ready to hear the news, and on February 2, 2016 my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Liver Cancer. We never expected to hear such terrible news, before this day my dad was considered healthy. Family members, friends, and the doctors themselves were shocked that this was all happening.

From that moment everything in my life changed. My dad stopped working, trips to the doctor's office became more frequent, family members came around more often, and bad news seemed to come on a regular basis. All we knew at this point is my dad had eight months to live, and the most important thing was to keep him comfortable and spend as much time with him as possible. Days with him were limited, and spending time with him and balancing school work were the most important things to me at this time. After three weeks my family figured out how to accommodate my dad’s illness, we became more comfortable with discussing the topic and finding ways to help my dad live the last eight months of his life as comfortably as possible. We carried on with our lives, but yet again we were hit with the most unexpected news. My dad was admitted into the hospital once again, his kidneys shut down and his cancer had spread, there was nothing left to do. The time I thought I had left with my dad was taken away, the short eight months I expected to have to prepare myself of the loss my family would have to go through turned into a ridiculously shorter amount of time. I could count the number of days left with my dad on my fingers, and that was something I couldn't prepare my family and I to go through. Unfortunately the doctors were right, a week later on March 13, 2016 my dad lost his short battle to cancer. for anything that could have happened. Every illness is different, but the most important thing is to stay positive and expect the unexpected.