I have a sister.

‘I’m not bossy, I just have better ideas than you and those ideas are always right.’

Her words, not mine.

I have a sister, in fact I have two.  I’m extremely lucky in my siblings; well for the most part.

I have a sister who knows ‘the system’. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’m not sure. Perhaps, sometimes you're better off not knowing too much information. 

She says things, haphazardly,  like... ‘You will probably have a bit of lymphedema for a while’.

What? Lymphedema, fat arm syndrome, on top of everything else that I have to worry about?  Is it not bad enough that I will be lopsided, siliconed, bandage wrapped...

Or….

‘Yes, the chemo (she is allowed shorten the words, as she is a nurse and works in the profession, when she does it, she sounds competant, when I do it, I sound like I’m being nerdy) drugs they want to put you on, some woman died in the clinical trials, so they need to do a heart check just to be sure.’

Died?

That is not the type of thing I need to hear.

Gulp.

She was there when I got my first test results. She put together a check list for me of important questions to ask the doctor. She spent hours, when she should have been studying, researching my treatment plan, my drugs, alternative therapies and side effects. She phones me almost daily to check that I’m ok.

She is bossy, opinionated, a total pain in the ass, practical, supportive, caring and the best person to have in a crisis.

I don’t know what I would do with her. 


Cancer; watch your back, I have my sisters on my side!