Cancer-Salient Memory

We were sitting on the porch listening to the birds. The air was warm and the sun shone softly on my face. I was just staring off into space not really paying attention when I suddenly heard the words "cancer". "What?", I said, "you have what?". I realized that my dad had just told me he had terminal cancer...terminal, that means most likely deadly in the case of cancer. My mind was blank. I didn't know what to think, feel, or do.