By Luke Miozzi, age 11
My Big Brother Was Sick
I was so sad when my brother, Vince, got cancer. I was worried when he couldn’t eat anything, and I was scared every time he went back to the hospital. Every day, when I got home from school, the first thing I did was check on Vince. I wanted to see if he needed anything and make sure he hadn’t gone back to the hospital while I was at school.
When Vince found out he had cancer, he was in the hospital for a very long time. I was only six years old. It was so hard for me and I cried a lot. I cried at night and couldn’t always fall asleep when Vince wasn’t home because I was so worried about him.
He looked very sick whenever I did see him. He was always so tired and had a hard time walking, sometimes. It was scary to see Vince look so sick because he is our oldest brother. Norm was 12, Bridget was 10, and Eileen was three. We helped take care of him as best as we could.
I worried most when he was in the hospital, and we couldn’t visit him. Sometimes, we could go see him, and other times he was too sick for us to go. I am the worrier, so this was hardest for me. I had to see Vince to know he was all right.
But when I did see him, he didn’t always look alright, so really, I just worried all the time. For a very long time, Vince couldn’t get out of bed, except to go to the bathroom or doctors appointments. Sometimes, he couldn’t even talk very much, and it was hard for him to tell us when he needed something.
What Could I Do When My Brother Had Cancer?
I remember feeling scared every day at school. Who knew what might be happening to Vince while I was there? I felt nervous a lot, but all of the teachers at school were very nice, cheered me up, and helped me calm down. A lot of the teachers knew Vince, so they were scared for him too.
One thing I remember the most is when we had a tornado warning. Mom and Dad had taken Bridget and Norm somewhere, and Vince was home, but he was very weak and sick. He spent a lot of days in bed. We were always all so happy when he could come downstairs and be on the couch with us for a while because we knew Vince was having a better day. This day, he came downstairs with pillows and blankets and took Eileen and me to the basement. It was so loud and scary—the thunder and lightening and wind wouldn’t stop—and it was black outside. I think the house was shaking, too. Vince covered us up and held us tight until it was over. He protected us, even though he was very sick that day. He made sure we were safe and didn’t get hurt.
I know he loves us all so much, but that day I really knew it because he used all of his energy to keep us safe. That day reminds me of how much I love him.
We all still worry about Vince. Sometimes, I even still check on him if he takes a rest during the day. I wonder what would have happened if Vince never got cancer.
We got Vince through all of his bad times, and I knew we would. I know we can do it again, but I pray that this is something we never have to do. Ever. But like I said, we can.
