But Carol’s letter contained devastating news. Sam had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in February, and chemotherapy had not produced the results his doctors hoped for.
His medical team believed a stem cell transplant offered a possible treatment, but their search of the donor registry had not identified a sufficiently compatible donor. Carol hoped that a biological sibling might provide another opportunity.
“Annie, they wanted to know whether I had any other children. I told Carol about you, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you about him.”
I stared at Mom, struggling to understand why she had waited six months while my brother was seriously ill. She admitted that she had attempted to confess at countless Sunday dinners, but decades of shame and fear had repeatedly silenced her.
The emotional burden had gradually affected her appetite. Since May, she had lost forty-one pounds and hidden the change beneath my father’s oversized sweaters.
