But my sister has also encountered many not-so-fun things in her life. Since she was as young as two or three, she has been no stranger to doctors for things that were not your typical childhood injuries; such as, splitting her tongue on her brother's booby trap in the middle of the night, breaking her ankle while dancing, and being at a party outside where a beer bottle came out of nowhere and cut her head open. I could go on, but you would find some of them hard to believe, they are so random. And these were all before her twenties. It was in her twenties when she was diagnosed with cancer. In the middle of the best years of peoples' lives, she had to spend 9 months enduring chemo, losing her hair, and wondering if she'll ever be normal again, if she'll be able to have kids one day.
Thanks to GOD, she got through it all and she DID get back to normal, and she DID have kids. Three wonderfully adorable and lovable children. But now, 14 years later, lightning struck again. This time, thyroid cancer. Unrelated, they say. Very treatable. But it's cancer. My sister took it like it was no big deal. Her reaction: "I'll get over this too." "It's just a little inconvenience." She is a fighter like that. She never feels sorry for herself, or complains that things aren't fair. She just keeps fighting through it all.
Last night, she had her surgery to remove the thyroid, and my parents, Erin, Matt and I sat in the waiting room wondering why it was taking so long. Anxiety was building. It was supposed to be an easy surgery. But no, of course, for Kerry it had to be a little more difficult. The doctors found it to be a little worse than expected, and some additional lymph nodes needed to be removed. Why everything has to be a little more difficult for her, I don't know. But she never complains. As soon as we saw her, she asked why it took so long, and when we told her what happened, she just raised her fist up to her neck and furrowed her brow as if to say to her thyroid, "Why I oughtta...."
She's just so good spirited like that. Never a moment of pity. Always an expression of love for all of those around her. Always caring for others and not taking too much time to worry about herself. I don't want to make this post sound like I'm complaining FOR her. But I feel so bad for her. She would not want this pity party, though. So I will stop.
She's always been my big sister. She's always been my best friend. And she is my inspiration. If I can handle half of what she takes in life, I would be content. She just blows me away. She is so incredible and amazing, and I love her more than I can describe. We all do.
I have started calling her my warrior sister....But I pray this is her last battle
Unless, of course, it IS in her Wonder Woman costume.
