After being diagnosed with lung cancer, my husband and I went to his hometown for a family reunion trip that had been planned for several months. All the family knew I had been diagnosed and was scheduled to have surgery upon my return home. They all tended to avoid the subject, but took much more time hugging me than usual.

While we were eating supper one night, my mother-in-law commented on how well I was eating. I told her that it was only natural, now that I was eating for two: me and my fast growing tumor.