The C-word

There was a comedy sketch decades ago, in which the comedian talked about her brash relatives and how they conversed in shouts across the dinner table, constantly battling for attention. But there was one word that they never spoke in more than a raspy whisper:
“DID YOU HEAR ABOUT MARY? SHE HAS cancer…”
I’m not sure why that has stuck with me for so many years. I don’t even remember the comedian. But it’s on an endless loop in my head right now.
My father was diagnosed with aggressive small-cell cancer yesterday. He has a tumor the size of a mikan between his lungs and esophagus. It is inoperable and he started chemo today with radiation to follow.
I’m on my way to visit as soon as I can get a flight.