Cancer is determined to wipe out my family. I lost my paternal grandmother, 2 aunts and my father to cancer. 3 weeks ago, we were told that my mother’s oldest living brother was diagnosed with cancer.

He had been losing weight on last year, but we never really thought much about it because he needed to lose weight. He’d been getting a gut the past couple of years, so we were happy that he was losing some weight.

But what we didn’t know was that he was ill. Now here’s the part that I fail to understand. My uncle had a feeling that he was probably sick for months, but never once made an appointment to see a physician. He just kept at his daily activities, not saying a word.

I saw a similar pattern occuring with my father as well. My father was diagnosed with cancer in the late 90’s. He took chemotherapy treatments and it went into remission. But because he thought he was cured, he never went back for preventative measures.

We cannot do this people, especially you men! If you think you’re sick, go and get checked by a physician. Don’t just sit and let the situation get worse. So now my uncle has found out that he has lung cancer.

He was a smoker for years until his baby brother died from complications due to smoking. My uncle quit cold turkey after the death of his brother. He was determined not to let the same thing happen to him, because his baby brother, just like he’s doing now, decided to get a checkup when it was too late.

It is killing my spirit to know that people are waiting until the last minute to worry about their health. My uncle has pretty much decided that he wants to refuse chemotherapy treatments to shrink the tumor. These treatments can possibly prolong his life, but he doesn’t want them.

I don’t understand that way of thinking. Yes, I know he’s ill, but I think he’s being selfish as well because he doesn’t realize how the news of his refusal to fight to live affects not only his immediate family, but our entire family.

So to anyone out there who suspects they may be ill, even if it’s the littlest of things like the common cold, please, please, please don’t hesitate to seek medical attention.

Oh, and by the way, this uncle of mine is Jalen and Tyson’s great-grandfather.