Suatu Adenocarcinoma

September 25, 2018 at 00:49 (Survival)

Chapter 1.

Since 2011, July is never a good month for me..

You name it, anger, sadness, accident, sickness, pain, heartbreak, disaster, whatever it is, it is always come in July.. Believe it or not, it is..

The date is July 20th 2018..

Setelah hampir 6 bulan lamanya, pemeriksaan dan pengobatan ayah yang bermula dari serangan jantung ringan, dan kemudian menjalani pemeriksaan pemeriksaan selanjutnya, day after day, week after week, month after month, we finally know what is going on with dad.. Two short words printed on the result of his biopsi.. “Suatu Adenocarcinoma”.. Didnt took that long for me to grab my phone and type the exact word in google, dad got kanker paru..

A quote passes by my head, during the 911 attack to the world trade centre in 2011, a guy in the shades of songs background once said: “We expect for the worst, but didnt think it could happen, and this is the worst”..

Wisata Medika, that is how we (me, dad, mom, and sist) used to call it.. Klinik Popy, RS Eka, RS Delta Surya, RS Harapan Kita, RS Omni, RS Medika, RSPAD Gatot Subroto, you named it, we go thru’ it all.. Day after day, sometime almost every single day in a week.. More than 35 visit.. And each in every visit, we did expect for the worst, but didnt think it could happen, until that two short word, bring us the worst..

Next several weeks after, we still need to undergo several examination.. Head scan, Bone scan, USG Abdomen (Stomach Scan), it all just adding up dad experience in all needed scan.. Good news is, dad enjoys every process, cool machine, professional and helpful doctors and nurses, short meals in every hospital corners, beberapa bahkan jadi langganan favorit bokap.. Mom too, she enjoy the process as “dinas”, bangun tiap subuh, berangkat pagi pagi menghindari ganjil genap, kapan lagi ngerasa jadi pegawai (as she spent her entire life berwirausaha).. Bad news is? After all the scan here scan there finish, I have to add several words on those previous two short words.. Kanker Paru Stadium 4..

His class 4 cancer was somehow related to something called EGFR+ (positive), some mutation in his cells.. Those result, determine that he should undergo chemotherapy by oral, by pills, every single day, for the rest of his life.. The pills cost 1 million rupiah (75 USD) per each, so it will need 30 million rupiah (2,250 USD) per month.. Luckily, BPJS was there to save the day, all of the pills were given free of charge (30 each per month).. Dad was relieved (since all of our savings combined wont able to buy those pills).. Mom was making a joke saat menerima 30 biji yang pertama, “boleh ga ya dituker beberapa gram perhiasan emas?”.. Its still a blessing.. Or as a javanese people would say “masih untung ya gratis”..

“Masih untung”.. Those two short words juga lagi sering terucap saat-saat seperti ini.. Masih untung saat serangan jantung pertama (efek dari penekanan kanker) dad still survive.. Masih untung dr.Popy iseng memeriksa ayah dan me-refer ke dokter jantung.. Masih untung pemeriksaannya semua gratis.. Masih untung ketauan kanker (walaupun telat).. Masih untung bisa diobati pakai pill.. Masih untung pakai BPJS.. Masih untung obatnya gratis.. Masih untung ada mobil untuk kesana kesini.. Masih untung ini.. Masih untung itu.. And yes, we lived by those words.. Masih untung.. Dan yang pasti, masih untung jadi orang jawa, jadi punya pepatah “masih untung” 😀 coba kalau terlahir jadi orang bule mungkin pepatahnya ganti “still-luck”, ga seberapa catchy 😀

Days went by.. Its more than a month now we undergo oral chemotherapy.. Many side effects.. Mual, muntah, batuk, jerawat/luka/rash di kulit wajah dan badan, rasa nyeri yang teramat sangat, tremor, dan rasa disorientasi ayah (pikun?) datang bergantian.. Med combination was also given to reduce the side effect.. Many tools and ways were provided, at least agar kombinasi-kombinasi obat itu bisa diabsorb tubuh dengan baik, dan tidak terlupa.. Sometime, dad mual dan muntah dengan teramat sangat, ataupun batuk tanpa henti, sampai merasakan nyeri yang tidak tertahan.. Its painful to see or hear all of that.. Dad was sometimes tired and start to give up, mom was worry like hell, but one thing for sure, I am not giving up.. i’m still pumped up to undergo the process.. And i will fight..

This story is not ended.. No, its not.. But I will end this writing for now, by quoting three from my several favourite quote..

“Fight the fight you can fight, not just the one you can win” taken from a movie of American President, 1995..

Also a quote from Indonesian writers Andrea Hirata dalam bukunya Padang Bulan “Ini Aku! Putra Ayahku! Berikan padaku sesuatu yang besar untuk kutaklukkan! Beri aku mimpi-mimpi yang tak mungkin karena aku belum menyerah! Takkan pernah menyerah. Takkan Pernah!”

And last, but not least: “Masih untung”, as in “masih untung udah ngantuk, jadi ga panjang-panjang nulisnya”.. Nitety Nite..