Brother has cancer

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I found out this weekend that my older brother who has been my biggest encourager and always been there for me has cancer. He lives 2,000 miles away from me but we are in daily contact. Ive spent most of this weekend in bed because I just can't process this news and I can't imagine my life without my brother.

*hugs* I hope your brother will be okay.

Your brother is in my thoughts and prayers for his healing.

Thank you for being here for me

Not all cancers are a death sentence.
Continue to keep in contact with him and support him because sometimes such a diagnosis can leave you feeling isolated.
People often don't know what to say or how to deal with it, especially if it's a terminal diagnosis, so they tend to withdraw after the initial commiseration and you never see them again.
Just something I've noticed.

And stop imagining life without your brother.
He's here now.
Make the most of it.

Sorry if that sounds harsh.
It's not meant to be.

Much love.

Raleigh beat me to the punch. I was planning to post "having cancer is not the same as a death sentence." Encouraging phone calls, cards, letters, and optimistic comments can mean a great deal to a patient with cancer. Although no study has ever directly proven it, I believe that kind of emotional support can actually be the difference between life and death.

Just try not to be too negative or focused on your problems when you talk to your brother.

Wishing you and your family the best.

Thanks everyone! Raleigh, I understood your comment was said in love, no apologies needed. I think I'll get perspective in time. I'm just in the initial shock phase right now. Remember the kids "I Spy" books where you have to find a tiny picture hidden in the bigger picture? I think I am going to "play" I Spy with my brother each day and send him a photo or a story of something beautiful, encouraging in life. Today, it is going to be a photo of these tiny yellow flowers, actually weeds, growing through the gravel in my driveway. When you look at them closely, they are intricately beautiful.

Take extra care to be kind to yourself as well as your brother. No-one can say how it may turn out, though I and quite a few other members are still alive and well on WP years after diagnosis. I know the shock you must have felt, I felt it too when my younger brother was diagnosed, although it was a greater shock to receive my own diagnosis years before. The current advances in cancer treatment are a whole new field of immunotherapy, pretty impressive.

Thanks for the encouragement!