This is David. He's my little brother, but most of all he's one of my best friends. It's 6 years this week since he was admitted to Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow. I still remember the first time the c word was mentioned. Despite knowing there was a mass in his chest when I arrived on his ward, it hadn't quite sunk in that it was cancer. The next 12 months were a complete blur. I remember the good days when we would watch a DVD together and even laugh. However it's the bad days that stick in my mind more. The days when we didn't think he would get any better. The weeks he spent on a ventilator in ICU when I wasn't even sure if he could hear me talking to him, and the times he was so weak he couldn't even move.
He was finally well enough to leave the hospital in June 2009. I remember thinking everything would be fine when he was released, but it was a still roller coaster ride that involved hospital appointments, operations and lots of physiotherapy so he could learn to walk again. He also started high school over a year after all his friends did. For the first few months he was only able to go for a couple of hours a week, and didn't really start full time until third year. In total, he missed about two years of high school. He never complained or moaned about catching up at school, he just got on with it.
Today he got accepted to Stirling Uni and I can't even put into words how proud I am. He's faced more in his short life than I ever imagined was even possible, and he's braver than I could ever hope to be. The next chapter of his life is just around the corner, and I can't wait to watch him enjoy every step of it.
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