later we found out he had cancer. At the time, I didn’t care much because my Granny had previously had breast cancer and she survived, so I figured the same would happen to my dad. I was only 12 at the time, so I figured cancer was like a cold that would come and go. During one of my Dad’s hospital visits, the doctors told us his tumor was shrinking. My family and I were happy, and I believed everything was going to be alright. Then a month later, my parents and I left the doctor’s office crying because the doctors told us the tumor had grown and spread, and there was nothing else they could do. The entire car ride home I remember laying my head on my Dad’s lap and crying. The next few months were rough for me because I woke up every morning in constant fear that my Dad would be gone. I had to watch a man for whom I had the utmost respect—who carried me in his arms, who loved me more than anyone in the world, who I saw as “Superman”—become eaten and consumed by cancer. The one thing about it is that he always kept his optimism.
How Colon Cancer
CHANGED my
Photo courtesy of Norma Davis-Atkins.
Davis William Atkins, the son of Len Atkins and Norma DavisAtkins, shares this personal reflection on his father’s passing from stage IV colon cancer at age 48. Ms. Davis-Atkins is now advocating for earlier screening. My family is planning on moving to a new home. I’m switching schools. We’re planning a family trip to Florida. I’m looking to the horizon with excitement, as my life is taking new turns. Then it happens out of the blue: my Dad is diagnosed with colon cancer. The only things running through my mind are “How did this happen?” and “Why did my dad get picked by the cancer monster?” So many emotions run through my entire body—I’m angry, sad and confused all at the same time. It’s like in the movies when a character starts to spin more and more until they get so dizzy, then the screen turns black. I was at the Wilson County Fair with my parents, a friend of mine and his parents. I was playing around with my friend until my Mom told me that my Dad was having pain. I noticed he was holding his side. He had more pains more often after that; weeks
LIFE
By Davis William Atkins
The morning my Dad died, I believed that my life was over. I never thought it would happen to my family, but it did. Afterward, it was like I had gone through a transformation with all the therapy sessions, the depression medicine, the hate I felt toward my family, that people I did not even know kept apologizing about me losing my Dad, and the multiple doctors’ appointments I had regarding my own health. I felt lost, and with all the changes going on in my life, I had no idea who to talk to or what to do with myself. One day I realized that my Dad would want me to move on with my life and become the greatest person I could be. It took some time to put my life back together, but with help from my Mom, aunt, uncle and grandmothers, I figured out my life piece by piece. I have many ambitions, starting with the colleges I want to apply to/attend, because I am hoping to make my Dad proud. I carry my Dad’s name with pride, knowing I am going to make him and my entire family proud. I am now 17 years old and, as I have gotten older, I have discovered more things. I had a colonoscopy when I was 13, and my Mom had to explain to me why I was having a procedure like
ACG Perspectives | 37
