where's the rest? what happened on the 28th?

I would freak and collapse, and then deal, hopefully. (Most of my friends got that news when i was around that age.)

I don't know what I'd do.

she turns to friends and her strong religious faith for support.

I wouldn't turn to God, but motherfucker:

In the series so far, Parlette learned that she has a rare cancer and that it has spread from the original tumor on her hip to her lungs, breast and pelvic bone. The only treatment is the drug interferon, which might boost her immune system.

I'm not going to argue with turning to God there. Damn.

My youngest sister spent high school in a hospital bed getting blood transfusions (Rare blood disease called Blackfan Diamond Anaemia)until at the age of 16 she ended up doing a stem cell transplant, which required her to do chemotherapy, and which almost killed her right after the transplant (we got the "she only has 24 hours to live" speech from the Dr. a few times, and when she pulled through, the Dr's were shocked). The Blackfan Anaemia is now gone from her system. Except...

The stress of the transplant and the chemo deteriorated her bones to the point that she had a hip replacement when she was 19, and she had another scare with gallbladder cancer a few months back (she is 21 now). Not to mention the near fatal car accident last summer where she rear-ended someone on the highway going 140 Km/H! - When she came to, her response was to laugh that it was "going to take more than that to kill me!" Everyone around her started crying because she was seriously fucked up - but aside from a broken leg, all of her wounds were superficial.

My little sister is at the same time the most frail person I know (emotionally, physically), but also the strongest person I know (i.e. when the Dr's and her family were freaking out about the fact that she might have cancer, she took it in stride). She has a profound sense of belonging to this world, always saying "I am here for a reason."

For example, when I was doing the transplant, she was more worried about me (I have an irrational fear of needles, but was a perfect match - actually my irrational fear of needles is worse since then - they stuck a needle that was cartoonishly big IN MY THROAT and had to stay there for 12 hours as they took the blood from me, got the stem cells out somehow in this huge machine, and then put the blood back in somehow). This even though there was great uncertainty that the procedure would work (I think she was the second or third person in the world to do this method instead of a bone marrow transplant). I couldn't help feeling like a total wuss for complaining about the needle when she was going through all of her shit.

Like the girl in the article, my sister has embraced God in a big way. Now that it looks like she is out of the woods, she is even going on a religious mission in the fall for a year and a half.

She has a profound sense of belonging to this world, always saying "I am here for a reason."

I totally think that too. It really helps, sometimes.

I'm glad she's ok, Quarter, and good for you for helping (even if it's just to distract her by being something else to worry about, besides the cells, of course) : >

they stuck a needle that was cartoonishly big IN MY THROAT and had to stay there for 12 hours as they took the blood from me, got the stem cells out somehow in this huge machine, and then put the blood back in somehow)

Quartermass, I am not afraid of needles, but damn would that be hard to take. How wonderful that you were able and willing to do such a thing for your sister.