<human>: Give me the gist of the text in a nutshell

My father and I were never close, he worked long hours and we never really developed a relationship. Many times he was abrasive and ill tempered at home and after a while I generally avoided him. Since I graduated high school and moved on to university we rarely speak (maybe 8-10 phone calls in 4 years now), and then out of the blue he calls to tell me he has cancer. It's relatively early stage, but pancreatic cancer is a very horrid type with a low survival rate ([wiki](

I'm conflicted because on one hand he is essentially a stranger, but on the other he IS my father, and has been a great provider for me my whole life where many people don't have a father in their life (stable marriage during childhood, paid for my college, etc.). He has surgery next week to try to remove the tumor.
<bot>: Father and I never built a relationship. Now he has pancreatic cancer and is having a serious surgery to try to remove the tumor. I don't know how to feel.