Have just returned from three weeks in Melbourne helping to nurse my brother who is dying of a GBM (brain tumour). On one level it was a heart breaking experience...
This type of cancer is almost 100% fatal. Radiotherapy grants time but often steals away abilities, leaving the person so disabled that quality of life is radically reduced. A support network exists but it is nothing like what we have with BCNA. It really highlights what has been achieved in the past decade to improve Breast Cancer survival and quality of life.
But - the heartbreak not withstanding - there were moments of great beauty and something like joy in nursing my brother. Although his situation is grim, his spirit throughout has remained strong and philosophical - consistent with his whole life. (We die as we have lived, perhaps.) Though he can't speak or move much, his personality has remained largely unaffected by the tumour or the damage caused by radiotherapy - I gather not all are so lucky. While he could still speak he expressed his acceptance of his 'fate'. He recognised that everybody dies and none of us can choose when. It's how we approach it that counts.
His patience and courage have been inspirational. It's been a privilege to be with him, to cook and care for him and for his other carers - to hold his hand - to rub his feet - to read him snatches from the sports pages.
