I have always been told that I am the
spitting image of my mother, not just in looks but also in our personalities.
We are both passionate about the things we care about, are admittedly rather
opinionated, and are religiously punctual about everything. However, there is
one way that I know that my mother would never want us to be similar—her
susceptibility to cancer. She is currently a two-time survivor of breast cancer
and about six years out of her treatments
As a child, I always knew that my mom had cancer
before I was born. It was just another thing I knew about her, like where she
was born, that her favorite color is purple, and that she loves chocolate—it
really had no depth at all to me. I guess maybe I was too young to understand;
maybe my parents didn’t want me to know what it really meant. That all changed
though the summer before I started seventh grade when my mom was diagnosed with
breast cancer for the second time. I can still remember when my parents sat me
down to tell me and I thought I was in trouble for who knows what. But all I
wished for after they talked to me was that I had been in trouble instead of
facing reality.
How are you supposed to react when the
person who has taken care of you your entire life now needs to be taken care
of, any you feel like there is nothing you can do to really help? I can
remember coming home from school not wanting to see my mom, not because I
didn’t love her and didn’t want to spend time with her, but because I couldn’t
bear to see her so weak, so broken lying in bed after chemotherapy. I felt like
school was my only escape from what was going on with my life at home, and when
anyone would bring my mom’s condition up, I would immediately close myself off
to them. I knew that they were just being considerate and show me that they
cared, but I did not want to think about it, and the last thing I wanted was to
be pitied. I just wanted to be a normal middle schooler.
Throughout the entire process, my parents
would not stop telling my brother and I that my mom was going to be perfectly
fine, but there were also times that, despite their very best efforts to keep
it from us, I could see their fear too. I knew that they would never want me to
know if things got very bad, so I just had to have hope that the doctors knew
what they were doing. I guess that was probably one of the most difficult
things for me. How was I supposed to trust these strangers with my mother’s
life?
I Relay to spread hope to
families just like mine, because I personally know how it feels to see a loved
one suffering. Nearly everyone has been touched by cancer in
some way, and I believe that this disease has taken too much from too many.
This past year, a family friend lost her battle against cancer after a
considerably long battle. She had been fighting cancer since I met her daughter
in elementary school. Throughout the entire process, their whole family faced
her cancer with such admirable positivity. How was I supposed to react when I
saw such a wonderful woman, wife, and mother lose her battle? I Relay because no daughter should lose her mother at
such a young age. I Relay because it is the only way I know how to fight back
against this disease. I Relay both in remembrance of the many lives that have
been lost and in celebration of those who won their battle. I Relay because
these people diagnosed with cancer are not just statistics, they are mothers,
daughters, fathers, sons, wives, husbands, grandparents, best friends—they mean
everything to someone. They matter.
I hope that through my participation in the
American Cancer Society Relay for Life, I am truly making a difference in the
lives of others. While we may not be able to change someone's past, I think that we have
the opportunity to change someone's future by raising both awareness and funds
for the American Cancer Society. I Relay because after all that I have seen
this disease take away from so many, I just can’t not do anything about it.
RelayLOVE,
Team Engagement Committee
