Hey Ents...I had a different kind of Christmas this year...

On Christmas Eve, my mom received a phone call from my oldest brother. He had been sick for a few weeks before and just kept getting sicker. On Christmas Eve, my middle brother noticed he was jaundice. My dad immediately took him to the ER, where they took x-rays and ran a bunch of other tests. The phone call was from my brother, telling my mom that the x-ray showed a 2 inch mass next to his liver and pancreas, causing him to turn yellow. My mom immediately broke down, screaming my name from the living room. I ran in, was told, and we decided to go see him. The problem is, my mom and I live in Illinois while my brothers and my dad live in Ohio.

My mom had to finish up the cookies that she had been making and get packed all while freaking out and sobbing hysterically. I immediately packed a bag in 10 minutes, drove to my aunt's house so I could drop off our dogs with her, and then drove back to pick up my mom before heading out. I drove my truck, since she is a dangerous driver to begin with and she can't drive a stick. We ended up getting there at midnight. Went straight to the hospital. My mom has stayed there every night since. The only times she has left was when she went to clean up at her friend's house and to go to the basement for the cafeteria. I've been staying at my dad's house, not wanting to crowd my brother. Over the past few days, my brother has been through a biopsy of the mass, a pet scan, a bone marrow biopsy, and a lot of other tests. We are still waiting on the results of the tests, but the doctors are pretty sure he has cancer. Lymphoma to be exact. The only thing we know for sure is that the mass is inoperable. Our first thought was that it was a death sentence.

Here's the bright side. My brother has been going to school for the past 2 years in Florida. The only family we have is in Ohio (where we all lived before my parents divorced) and Illinois. He also planned on moving to either Hawaii, L.A., or Chicago (which is still 5 hours from my mom and me). If he had gotten sick a month or two earlier or later, he would never have went to the doctor, and if he did, he would be fighting this all alone. Also, if it is Lymphoma that he has, the doctors have told us that it's very common among younger people. It also is treatable, which is great considering they can't do anything about the mass.

So Ents, I just wanted to tell you about my brother. He can be a complete asshole sometimes, but he's also an incredibly strong guy. He would do anything for the people he cares about. He doesn't deserve any of what is happening to him, especially after what he's already been through. I'm not much for believing in the power of prayer, but I think that having the positive energy or /r/trees pulling for him certainly can't hurt. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far.

TL;DR: My oldest brother was hospitalized on Christmas Eve, I drove my mom and I 6 hours from Illinois to Ohio to be with him, and then we found out he most likely has cancer. It might sounds like a horrible situation, but we are strangely thankful that it happened now instead of any other time.