# The difference a day makes.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2006, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910 "2006-08-31T12:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910/1 "2006-08-31T12:50:15Z")
I have a step-brother (actually, there’s another one, but he doesn’t deserve the air that he breaths, so for all purposes we don’t count him) and he just turned 45 about two weeks ago. He was always the family screw up. Certainly good natured, but unable to find his niche most of his life. Amazingly, that’s changed over the last decade and now he has many things to recommend him besides an endearing goofy personality. I mean, he’s even somewhat respected for small town east Texas… with a marriage well past the 20 year mark, 4 well-adjusted children (the oldest will graduate this year and the baby is in fourth grade), a brief military stint and finally, an elected job as a constable. Who knew when he was young and irresponsible, staying in his car with nothing but his dog, that he’d turn out this way and make everyone proud? And all that is for fucking naught because he started coughing up blood. They took him to the emergency room yesterday and by late afternoon, he’d had a CAT scan. As of the evening, they’d discovered a tumor on his aortic valve and too many more to count spread across his liver and lungs. Before I left him in Tyler, his kids were already told what to expect… with chemo, he may have as much as a year. Without, because it might not help anyway, he might have as little as six months. Today they do a biopsy for confirmation. I wish this made sense. I wish I could swap. I wish railing at god would help. I wish I could pray. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910/2 "2006-08-31T12:55:57Z")
**faithfool** fwiw, your stepbrother, his family and you are in my thoughts and prayers. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910/3 "2006-08-31T13:06:03Z")
It made perfect sense. Take this one event at a time. That is all you can do. Don’t focus on “Time is running out” focus on " What can we do right here and right now to make the best of everything and take care of the kids and his family and him." (and yourself). He may die from it, or he could out live his doctors. It sucks when stuff like this happens to good people. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910/4 "2006-08-31T13:31:15Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910/5 "2006-08-31T18:49:21Z")
And now his white blood cells are low and the biopsy is done, but the result to that isn’t back yet. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910/6 "2006-08-31T19:01:48Z")
{{{{{ **faithfool** }}}}} {{{{{ **faithfool’s** stepbrother}}}}} ---
**Author:** ![Sad\_and\_Deranged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Sad\_and\_Deranged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sad_and_Deranged)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910/7 "2006-08-31T20:23:56Z")
My thoughts are with you and your stepbrother, **faithfool** ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910/8 "2006-09-01T00:22:54Z")
WHY THE FUCK CAN’T THEY HAVE THE FUCKING RESULTS IN THE SAME FUCKING DAY?!!! I know it’s futile, but goddamn, they shouldn’t make him wait. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-a-day-makes/370910/9 "2006-09-01T00:45:23Z")
I am sorry to hear your news. May whatever gods there be, be with you and your family Sending supporting thoughts your way.