After much thought on my MIL's part, she has decided to at least try chemo for her ovarian cancer. If things go as planned, she will be starting next week. If things go as hoped, there will be 6 rounds of chemo followed by hormone therapy. I hope things go well. For her sake. For Jet's sake. For my sister-in-law and her family. Our kids don't really know her, and only see her once a year, so it won't impact them as much.
Jet and I didn't wish each other "Happy New Year's" this year as it would have just felt hollow and sarcastic. MIL cancer and its treatment being one major reason. Once again this year we are not planning any family vacations so he can spend his vacation time caring for her if needed. She lives alone and my SIL is... unable/unwilling to help. So the plan is Jet will go up and care for her in the days she needs him after each treatment. I don't begrudge my MIL time with Jet. And I don't begrudge Jet time with his mother, but it does make it hard on me. Particularly when I see my SIL living less than 10 miles away and unable to help because she doesn't have the time, but she has the time to go on week long vacations, weekend getaways, and out of town dance competitions with her girls. For the 2nd year running, our "vacation" throughout the year is periodically having to be a single parent and keeping the house going on my own. At times I feel guilty about this, at others I feel justified, and others just frustrated by the whole situation.
I just hope this buys my MIL time on the good outcome sides of the statistics. 50% survival rate at 2 years, 40% at 5 years (although it might have changed because those are for people who start chemo within a couple weeks of surgery, and my MIL will be close to 3 months as it took that long to decide).
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