I took my twin sons, both fighting stage 4 cancer, to see the ocean and fulfill their greatest — and perhaps LAST — I WISH… 🥺But then the hotel manager knocked on our door and said, “There’s something about this journey that you don’t know.”
They were born just six minutes apart and almost never separated. Lily loved to remind everyone that she was the oldest, while Ben always laughed and said six minutes they didn’t count.
But one day, our normal life came to an end.
Lily started to get tired very quickly, had a fever at night and lost her appetite. At first I thought it was just a virus.
But after several tests, the doctor made my husband, Chris, and me in his office sit down and spoke the word that no father wants to hear.
Lily had cancer.
I looked for Chris’ hand.
He pushed her away immediately.
The next morning, his suitcase was by the front door.
Do you really leave?
Chris didn’t even look me in the eye.
I can’t live every day between hospitals. I can’t see her suffer.
The children were at the top of the stairs.
Lily was silently holding her brother’s hand.
Ben just asked one question:
“Dad, when are you going back?”
Chris did not answer.
He’s gone.
And he never called us again.
I thought nothing worse could happen to our family.
Five months later, in the same hospital, the doctor sat down in front of him again for the second time.
This time I had Ben’s results in his hands.
As soon as I saw the expression on his face, I understood it before I said a single word.
Ben had cancer, too.
My two sons.
My twins.
Born the same day, inseparable throughout his life and now fighting against the same terrible disease.
It felt like our house had moved to the hospital.
When Lily was receiving chemotherapy, Ben would sit next to her.
When Ben felt bad, Lily held her hand.
The only person who helped us was my father, George.
Every night I went to the hospital and read the children stories about the ocean.
One day, Ben asked him:
“Grandpa, can you see where the ocean ends?”
“No.
Lily smiled.
“Then I want to see him even once.
“Me too,” Ben said immediately.
At that moment I turned to the window.
The doctors had already told me that Lily’s treatment was not giving the results they expected.
I didn’t know how long we had left.
That same night, my father gave me an envelope.
Take them to see the ocean.
Inside was enough money for plane tickets and three nights in a hotel.
