The reason I was out in the sun all day on Saturday was because I went home to help my parents with an auction. My dad is an auctioneer. He's a good auctioneer. My mom clerks the auctions and my uncle and cousin are the ring men. My aunt typically is the cashier but two weeks ago she had to have a kidney removed, so I offered to help out in her absence. It was hot but there was a decent breeze that made being in the shade kind of nice actually.
My aunt is doing remarkably well and her doctor is calling her his miracle patient. She had a tumor completely encapsulated in her kidney so they just removed it. Apparently it didn't really matter if it was cancerous or not because they were so certain they removed it all. No radiation or chemotherapy required. She's very lucky.
My aunt's illness has kind of gotten me to think about my parents' mortality. Her kidney condition came out of nowhere. She has always been very good about going to the doctor for regular checkups because she used to work in a doctor's office but her sister, my mother, practically refuses to go to doctors. I worry about my mom because she smokes and her mother died of breast cancer. I harp on her to get her mammograms done but there is always some excuse not to.
My dad is at the doctor quite a bit actually. He has Type 2 Diabetes and high blood pressure and cholesterol, and he chews tobacco. He's been on some form of medication for as long as I can remember. At 18 he flunked his physical after he was drafted for Vietnam because he had ulcers. He told me when he turned 50 that he never thought he'd see that age because of his poor health. And even though Dad is very active on the farm and with archery he's always had a bit of a gut on him.
I've discussed with my mom what I should do if something should happen to them both. I've known for years which funeral home they want to use and where they want to be buried. My parents are only 56 years old but as the oldest child I felt that it was somehow my responsibility to know, just in case. And I pretty much know that someday I'm going to have to move back home should they need me to. I hope that I won't have to think about things like this for at least another 20 years, but you never know.
1 comment:
First, I love auctions and auctioneers. Very cool. I like all kinds - the hoity toity Sotheby's kind and the down home livestock rodeo kind. I need to go to more auctions! I love the cell phone commercial where they're all talking fast like auctioneers to save time.
Second, that's remarkable about your Aunt. I hope she has a speedy recovery. And here I am obsessing over my stupid nose. What a putz. I forget people are having life-saving surgeries and life-threatening diseases.
Third, I hear you on the parental thing. I am lucky that I know what mine want, but I'm the oldest sibling so all the responsibility falls on me. It's scary to think about but like you said, hopefully that is at least 20 more years away!
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