During the summer before my very first year at The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, my dad was diagnosed with kidney cancer. A little while later, he was going to have surgery to remove one of his kidneys. My siblings and I were confused about what was happening because my parents never really explained the situation to us. They did not want us to worry. My dad’s diagnosis was due to the fact that he did not take good care of himself and had health issues. 

That summer, my aunt and grandma came to live with us for a while arriving from the D.C area to help my mom take care of my dad, my siblings, and me. When my dad had surgery, my mom, left for a few days to be with my dad at the hospital. I remember going to the hospital and seeing my dad in the hospital bed and I felt bad for him and did not want him to be going through this pain but I hoped everything would be fine. I also knew that if we went to visit him often and with a smile on our faces it would make him feel a lot better than he actually did. I even remember how we use to joke about the tube my dad had that he peed out of into a bag that was attached to the end of his bed and how he didn’t have to go very far to relieve himself. 

After my dad had his surgery he was not able to do the things he could before, in fact,  he would never be able to do the same things again like coaching baseball for my brother—which was the way my brother and dad connected and a big part of our family. He was also unable to move the way he used to and do work or active things. This was one of the things my dad disliked because he as a person is very outgoing, funny, nice, sometimes strict, but also very caring especially towards my mom, my siblings, and me. 

When my dad came home, we had to be very cautious of him and could not jump on him or hug him because it was going to be a while before he was fully recovered. We were all happy that he was able to come home and be with us within three or four days of being in the hospital and that the cancer was not as bad as it could have been. 

After my dad's surgery, my family was in a position where we couldn’t afford the things we could before and we had to compromise but we also received a lot of help from my aunt and grandma. My dad couldn’t work and so my mom had to work extra hard so our family would be stable. 

That summer was hard for my family but also hard for me because it was the summer before my first year at a new school and I was nervous because everyone already had their own friend groups and knew who they liked and disliked. I did not have time to prepare for my first year because of my dad’s diagnoses— the hurricane that was put on my family. My first day of school was also his first day of work post-surgery, so we would both be having a similar day. From this experience with my family, I learned to be grateful for the things I have, for example,  a dad who could have died and not been with us today. I am also grateful for my mom who worked hard for our family by herself because my dad was not able to at the time.