As many of you know, October was breast cancer awareness month. This is fairly obvious, as you would practically have to be living in the middle of a forest somewhere to miss the pink ribbons and multiple campaigns to raise funds for breast cancer research. Our chapter of Her Campus is dedicating our second annual fashion show and fundraiser this year to breast cancer, so keep your eyes open for when tickets go on sale! Breast cancer itself has touched everyone in some sort of way, maybe a friend, an aunt, a sister or your mother have had it. It has probably left some sort of mark on your life, even though you may not know it.
For me, it was my mom, and I was in grade nine. When I was told, I had that earth shattering moment of confusion. My mom is supposed to take care of me; mothers just do not get sick, well at least not until I am much, much, much, older. I bawled, I was terrified; this woman who was my volleyball coach, my friend, and my confidant could die. I was even worse off since my mother was one of those people who seemed to just continue to get kicked while she was down and seemed to have the worst luck. She accidently gave herself a black eye and burnt off her eyebrows in the same summer once. Although it was ironic, since that the same horrible luck gave her a really good and probably her best chance at fighting off cancer.
There was a time in my life when we used to go on annual fishing trips to northern Manitoba, a time before everyone in my family got too busy and my brother and sister started their own busy lives. We visited Rocky Lake, as friends of my parents, who used to live in my hometown, own it. One day, my dad dropped his fishing rod. When my mother turned to grab it out of the water, she broke her rib and I ended up being the person to retrieve it. As you can see, she had the worst luck ever, because her rib simply did not heal even after a month had passed. She finally went to the doctor and got her chest scanned. However, something very different showed up on the scan: a shadow that in the end was breast cancer, at a very early stage. I had seen members of my small town sick with cancer and get sicker because of the chemo treatments, but my mom actually ended up being somewhat lucky. Her cancer was caught so early, the surgeon only had to remove her breast. Still, it took a long time waiting for surgery, after surgery, and visiting several different doctors for different things.
For me, it was ultimately a time of growth, and time to take steps to become a more grown up individual. As the only child still living with my parents, I took on more responsibilities at home, helping my mom around the house when she was really sick or fresh from surgery. I helped my dad on the farm a lot more so he could spend more time with my mom and take her to her appointments. I also grew a lot closer to my mom over the course of her sickness. For once in my life, she was home every day and she wasn’t working full-time. I loved it because we spent so much time together. It was during this time I learned how to bake and cook somewhat like she does (although not nearly as good!) For once in my life, I really took the time to appreciate her, and it served as a reminder that no one is in your life forever.
My mom was an incredibly courageous woman through all of this, always putting on a smile and trying her hardest not to ask too much of anyone (even though we would have been happy to help). She even continued to be my volleyball coach despite being sick. Now being cancer-free, she does not reflect upon it negatively. Since moving so far away from my family and home in Saskatchewan, I still talk to my mom nearly every day, and I am so thankful she is still a part of my life. We don’t know exactly if the type of breast cancer my mom has is hereditary, and there is a chance that my sister or I could one day also get sick. Therefore, I do worry about it, but I learned from my doctor how to watch for signs of it and how to feel for lumps. If I am ever sick I want to be just like my mom; strong and courageous through it all, and surrounded by the people I love.
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Photo Credits:
Thanks to my cousin Stacey, aka the family photographer, for the picture of my mother and I on my grad day
Thanks to Davidson School for the picture of the volleyball teamÂ