I had my suspicions before any words were spoken because the previous day I'd gotten home from work to find my uncle, who's a lawyer, there. Why would my family need a lawyer?... this question passed through my mind repetitively until my parents and all seven kids met up Sunday evening. Those who live close enough to come home did, and my other two sisters in Florida were on Skype. We started with a song and a word of prayer. My dad asked me, ME, to choose the song. After fighting for several minutes between choosing my usual or picking a different one  I chose the first that whispered in my head: "Families Can Be Together Forever." I felt this meeting would be relative to the subject. Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched my dad, who's eyes were also wet.
My dad broke it down to us all. "Remember how the doctors said TPN, the nutrition mom's been taking nightly, has its effects against the liver long-term? Well, 8 months is considered long-term. Unbeknownst to us, while mom was in the hospital, they were treating her liver as well because it isn't functioning."
"Can we do a transplant? I'd gladly donate part of my liver to her!" My head screamed.
But no, in my mom's cancerous condition any surgery would do her worse than better. So, my sisters are both coming up within the next few days and we'll be spending good quality family time together.