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I felt so cared for and loved when my mom, stepdad and younger brother learned about my diagnosis--and embraced me with open arms. True, there was sadness and some uneasy silence when I called long-distance from the West Coast to their home in the Midwest with the news, and I assumed the worst--that they were already rejecting me. I had already planned a train trip to the Chicago area to see them, and once I arrived nearly a month later, there they were in wait. My mother had tears in her eyes and I had barely gotten through the gates from the train before she managed to grab me and give me the most comforting hug that only a loving mother could give. I remember her pulling back, looking at my face and studying my eyes, and then simply hugging me again, whispering how she was so happy to just have her hands on me. My stepfather, not one for public displays of affection, floored me when he embraced me heartily as well, and my brother simply said, "Welcome home, doofus!" and gave me a strong bear hug. Folks, the tears just flowed from all of us, and nothing needed to be said verbally that hadn't been conveyed already given that heartfelt show of support. I recall other people around us witnessing all this with smiles--no doubt they assumed it was little more than another happy reunion. If only they knew.
My extended family hasn't embraced me--aunts, cousins, etc.--and this hurt tremendously. To this day, I'm estranged from them. My mom has since passed on; my stepdad is holding on in old age and has retired to South Carolina, yet still keeps in touch. My brother? He'll never change--we talk every week and he never fails to ask how I'm REALLY feeling on the inside, as he knows I have good days and bad, emotionally speaking. He's always there to listen, for which I'm grateful. So while I felt cast aside by others I thought would always be there for me, in the end I learned who mattered most--immediate kin. For this, I'll always be thankful, and the memories of that moment often cause tears to well up in my eyes to this day.
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