All My Siblings Dropped Our Dad With Cancer Except Me, He Survives & Calls Us to His Lawyer Later – Story of the Day

A young woman was determined to free her father from the clutches of a life-threatening disease, not knowing that she and her brothers would be summoned by him for a shocking announcement months later.

I just couldn't unhear the clock ticking. Everywhere I went, it rang in my ears, quietly reminding me that time was running out. My father had been diagnosed with cancer, and he had made a shocking decision - a decision I couldn't live with.

I kept re-reading that message that dad sent me. And it kept breaking my heart.

"Janice, dear, I have given it a lot of thought, and I've decided I won't be going in for chemotherapy."

How could he do this? How could he choose not to cling to the hope of getting better? Was it about the money?

My siblings were shocked to receive that message from dad, too. John, Jacob, and Jerry were at the office of their new business venture when the news hit them.

They were flabbergasted, too, but there was a note of ease in their voice, a condescending calmness, and I didn't like it.

It was dad, after all! My dad. My hero. A hero to my son and daughter, too. Keisha and Chris adored him to bits. How could he do this? To them?

While my brothers were coldly calculating how to respond to my dad's message, I couldn't hold back my anxiousness.

"But of course, I won't let you go home empty-handed. You are my children, after all!"

I knew my father was too stubborn to be convinced by a phone message or even a phone call. I took my husband's car and didn't stop driving until I was standing on the doorstep of our childhood home. He had been living there alone and was taking a nap when I startled him awake.

"Dad!" I cried.

He was shaken for a second, but then he rubbed his old eyes and smiled when he recognized my face.

"You…you came all the way?" The surprise on his face told me how much he missed me. And it also told me that none of my brothers had responded to his message.

"What's this business about not doing chemotherapy, dad?" I asked, maybe a bit too sternly.

"I've thought about it, darling," my dad scratched his head. "It's too much of a hassle. And for what? A few borrowed months in bed?"

He shook his head from side to side and twiddled his thumbs. But I knew that wasn't the real reason. My dad was too brave to be scared of some treatment. And he was the most optimistic person I knew in my life.

"Is it about the money, dad?" I asked him, looking into his eyes.

There was an immediate unease on my father's face. He tried to dodge the question by staring into his cup of coffee.

I knew it. It was about the money. I sighed, as that was the one thing I couldn't possibly help my dad with. My husband Mark had gone through three years of financial hell and had just managed to pay off all our debts a few months ago.

I sat in front of my father, wondering what to say next when he spoke.

"Look, darling. I do have some inheritance and savings that your mother and I kept aside…" Gordon cleared his throat as he began to explain.

"Great, then let's use that for your treatment!" I said, trying to reason with him. "There's nothing more important than your health right now, dad."

"But then what would I leave behind for you and your brothers when my time finally comes? I would rather give all of it to my children and grandchildren than to a bunch of doctors," dad responded with a troubled voice.

This is where I got mad at my father. Why could he not understand that he was more important to me than his money?

"Dad, you cannot think like this. What good is that money going to be for us if it comes at the cost of letting you die?" I blurted.

Perhaps I was a bit harsh, unlike my brothers. I knew they had accepted my father's decisions rather easily. They were probably calculating how much their share of the inheritance would be and making plans to spend it.

Not me. I inherited my mother's sharp tongue and short temper. And I wasn't done trying to change his mind.

Dad and I argued into the late hours of the evening, and he was just as stubborn as I had known him to be. Nothing seemed to change his mind.

"We need YOU in our lives, dad. Not the money. And I'm not just going to let you go. Not without trying every single thing we can to get you back!" I screamed at my tired father, masking my tears underneath my anger, before storming out and driving back home.

I had no plans and no savings, and for the next two days, I called friend after friend, asking them to loan me money. But everybody knew I was in no position to pay them back anytime soon. They gave me an excuse, told me how sorry they were, and hung up.

I tried to talk to my brothers, but they had no interest in trying to change our father's mind or putting funds together for his treatment. They all cited their wives and children as reasons and pretended to frown.

There was one possible solution, but I doubted my husband would agree to it.

"Honey, I was thinking...Maybe we could sell the car?" I asked him over dinner.

He loved that car. We had fought all the odds to keep the car, despite our debt. And though he was hesitant at first, Mark knew how much it would mean to me. So the love of my life took his beloved black sedan for one final spin and sold it the very next day. And his kindness ended up saving my father's life.

Because two days later, I had tricked dad into coming to the hospital, where I had already paid for the first round of chemotherapy in full.

That day, for the first time in years, my father burst into tears before my eyes. They were tears of disbelief and tears of happiness.

I was there by his side through every procedure, every sleepless night. And sure enough, six months later, the happiest day of my life finally arrived.

"You are completely cancer-free!" the doctor patted my teary-eyed father's back as we left the hospital.

I thought that was, without a doubt, my greatest reward. Until I received another message from my father a few days later.

"I'd like all my kids to meet me at my lawyer's office tomorrow at 8 a.m. I have a very important announcement to make."

My brothers were thrilled because they knew it had to be about the inheritance. They had already taken out loans for new swanky homes, luxury cars, and a bigger office — assuming that their father's days were numbered and all his money would be theirs soon.

They were about to receive the shock of their lives.

My brothers sat on the edge of their seats, waiting for the lawyer to finally start telling them how much richer they had become.

"Hello, everyone," the young man cleared his throat. "Your father has re-written his will and has chosen to give all his wealth, including the house, to only one of you…"

That was the first shock. We siblings looked at each other cluelessly, waiting for an explanation.

"The wealth, including the house, and your father's savings, will be given to his daughter, Janice."

I looked at my brothers, who were speechless and red with embarrassment. I looked over to my dad, who smiled and winked at me.

"You can't do this, dad. You can't leave your three sons empty-handed! We're your heirs, too," John, the eldest brother, almost stumbled as he stood up, fuming.

"That's all you are. Heirs. Not family. Family was Janice coming out to see me and care for me through my chemotherapy. Family was Mark, selling his car to pay for my treatment. You just sat there on the sidelines, waiting for me to kick the bucket, didn't you? Sorry to disappoint you, boys. But your old man won't be throwing his money at you." Dad was pacing the floor as he spoke, looking us in the eye.

"But of course, I won't let you go home empty-handed. You are my children, after all. Here's your share of the inheritance, boys," dad said, fishing something out of his pocket.

There was a glimmer of hope on my brothers' confused faces, but not for long.

"Here you go, John, Jacob, and Jerry…" he said cheerfully as he handed them a dollar each. "This is all you deserve."

What can we learn from this story?

• Family is about being there for someone through their greatest moments of weakness. Janice stepped up and did everything she could to get her father through the cancer ordeal, even when he refused to take treatment.
• Greed won't get you where love will. The three brothers had their hearts set solely on the inheritance, but they ended up in financial trouble instead, while kind and loving Janice was blessed with the wealth she never chased.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about another elderly soul who was deserted by her greedy family except her loving great-grandson. She decides to gather her whole family at the lawyer's office one day with a shocking announcement.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.