Sorry I don't talk much here--my internet access is undependable but I check in as I can.
So Thursday I get an email from my 71 y.o. mother that she's start chemo on Monday for breast cancer. This was the first I'd heard about it. She says they're planning a double mastectomy for the summer.
I live several hundred miles away from her, but she does actually live with my brother, and they are very close. I haven't managed to talk or get an email yet from him so I can't tell what's up for sure.
I was really shocked, since her health has been good, she stopped smoking 20 years ago. Although both her parents died of cancer, it wasn't breast cancer.
But it's not realistic to think you're going to have parents your whole life (although I do know a few 60- and 70-somethings who do!).
So what did you do to deal with the possibility of losing your parent (or relative), and what did you do for them?