Scary shit

I am extremely close to my cousin, who we'll call Bean. We are actually more like sisters than cousins. She calls me at least once a week, and we talk for hours. I love her to death.

Bean had twins when she was extremely young (we were still in high school). Despite her age, she was a great mommy. Her kids are awesome little people, who I love dearly. They are now 10 years old, and are so grown-up.

For years, Bean claimed that she didn't want any more children. Her husband even had a vasectomy. When I got pregnant with Porgie, Bean admitted that she secretly wanted to have another baby. She told me that she had been begging her husband to have his vasectomy reversed.

Unfortunately, her husband didn't want another baby. So, Bean bought a kitten instead. Of course, a kitten is no substitute for a baby.

Then something strange began happening. Bean started experiencing lots of abdominal pain. The week before her period, her stomach would swell up to twice it's normal size. My grandmother told me that before her period, Bean looks 5 months pregnant. Bean has also been extremely fatigued. She confessed that walking down her front steps is exhausting. So exhausting, that she usually just stays inside the house.

A few weeks ago, Bean went to her ob/gyn for a check-up. When performing the pelvic exam, her doctor noticed that her uterus was enlarged. He sent her to the hospital for an ultrasound. They discovered that she has 2 softball sized tumors growing in her uterus. She also has cysts covering both of her ovaries.

Next Thursday, Bean is going to have surgery to remove the tumors. They don't yet know if they cancerous. If they are cancerous, she will likely have a hysterectomy. Even if she doesn't have a hysterectomy, her doctor said that future children are unlikely.

I am scare to death that she might have cancer. I am also extremely sad that she can no longer have children.

I know that I am naive, but I never thought something like this could happen to a young, healthy woman. I never thought something like this could happen to my sister.