extreme makeover.

Have you ever seen one of those shows like Extreme Makeover or Biggest Loser? I think I witnessed one of those kinds of transformations over MEA.  Last year, my grandpa was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and they told him he had a slim chance of living much longer.  When they began operating on him, they found that if they removed one of his kidneys as well as a large portion of his pancreas and gall bladder, he might have a better chance of surviving.  He now has to take pills before he eats anything because his body can't digest food on its own anymore.  I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to be so sick.  My entire dad's side of the family lives in New Jersey, so I didn't have a chance to see him until I went down to the shore house there this summer.  My sister had been living with my grandparents and interning at our family law firm over the summer, and she had told me stories about how different the surgery had made my grandfather.  He was irritable, angry, and had lost a lot of weight.  He struggled with the fact that he had prepared himself to die, and was no longer going to.  This is probably the hardest part for me to understand.  We have a loud, huge Italian family and we always greet each other with kisses and hugs, but when I saw him this summer, he wouldn't touch any of us.  He was too timid and afraid of getting sick because his immune system was so fragile.  It was very difficult to see him like this, because he is usually such an animated, engaging person.  When I left New Jersey, he was still very distant.  Over MEA weekend, I visited schools on the east coast.  My dad, my friend, and I stayed with my grandparents for two nights while we were there.  When I walked through the door, it was like I was seeing a completely different man.  He was welcoming and in very good spirits.  In three months, he had gained twenty pounds and looked much more like his old self.  It is amazing how a sickness like cancer can affect a person so much.  I am happy to have him back and am planning on getting really involved with programs like Relay for Life this year.  I never really thought it was my problem until I was affected by it.  This is my family's own little Extreme Makeover story.