Courage of a Mom with Breast Cancer

Would you have courage to go on if you were diagnosed with breast cancer? If you are the mother of two children, you don't really think of anything else but NOT giving up. This is the story of my mom. My mom was diagnosed early in life with breast cancer at the age of 40. Not only was she young for the average age of diagnosis at that time, but my mother was also called back immediately after her very first mammogram, EVER. 

I was in the 5th grade, and my brother was two years ahead of me; it was tragic. I could never admit it, and I kept telling my mom that there was nothing wrong with her. I kept saying to her, "You are not sick!" As upsetting as that was for her, I believed in my heart that she would make it, and she did. I couldn't imagine being so young and losing my mother. So, I just pretended it didn't exist. I think for our sake, she took on that role and my words and just decided that she just wasn't going to die. That is the courage of a mother.

A photo of me and my mother on my wedding day, November 14, 2009
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The first step for my mother was meeting with the surgeons, and at that time, they just drew on you. That couldn't have been fun for her. Not just that, but like any woman, mom feared that she was going to be someone different, somewhat alien in that she was losing a part of her anatomy. She had a mastectomy on one side, a reduction on the other, and the surgeons just kept mentioning more surgery. 

Her thoughts? I can't stay in the hospital forever, I have children to raise and a husband. Wow. No thought for herself; she just knew that she had to get better. That is courage. Every time I saw her, she had her makeup on and she was smiling. She didn't act as though anything was wrong with her. I just kept believing that she wasn't ill. The day of her surgery, my dad broke down as she was being wheeled back for surgery, and then at that time, it hit me that she was sick. 

To see my dad cry was a once in a lifetime thing; he just didn't do it. We were the family that people looked to for strength, and how to raise their family. Mom and dad were the parents that showed up at every school function, no matter what. No matter how tired she was, even after mom went back to work, she was always there. 

My mom has exhibited a ton of courage over the years, and although our relationship hasn't been the greatest, we love each other. I admire her still for what she did then, and what she is doing today. Feisty or not, she is my mom. I am going to be a mother soon, actually I already really am. No matter where you children come along, you love them. I love mine, and I haven't even met them. 

The one thing I learned from her is to NOT give up. She was so determined, the surgeon promised her his determination. His announcement when they popped out of surgery was music to the ears. "I got it all, no chemo or radiation." Wow. Even mom's "courage" gave others faith, and she still shares her stories with others. 

I just requested a t-shirt from Courageous Life for my mother, in honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. Won't you do the same? It's for a great cause, and it's less than what most of you spend to eat out. You can go HERE to get your pink t-shirt. Share your courage!