This morning I was blessed to find survivor stories on the American Cancer Societies website. You see, my second Mom, my Italian Mother, the woman who has cheered me on, cooked me dinner, celebrated the wonderful moments with me and cried with me over the bad, her cancer is back. Nine years ago she fought a heroic battle against breast cancer. Five years after that everyone cheered her for finally being “cancer free”.
Ultimately that has not proved to be the case. This year the cancer has come back, but this time it is in her femur. Speaking with Mom#2 last week she was in good spirits, eating nutritiously, walking during the cool evening hours, and even joining a light fitness class encouraged by her oncologist. More then anything she sounded like she expected it. As if the big “C” had been pacing her through the spanning years, waiting to see her again. Her resolve and determination are there, but not her anger or denial like last time. Having beaten this before, she sees no reason why her success is not predetermined despite the severity of the situation.
She began her chemo medication this week and has not begun to feel any adverse reactions. There is talk of her having a metal rod inserted into her leg to reinforce the femur, but she will be getting a second opinion on this procedure next week to see if is the course of action that is best for her kind of cancer. Illness teaches us patience, appreciation for what we have, and the amazing power of people coming together to make the best of difficult circumstances. If you have the time or the inclination, please include Mom#2’s health and recovery in your prayers.
2 comments:
Mom #2 will absolutely be added to my prayers.
This breaks my heart. Big Sister has been fighting breast cancer for the past year. She has gotten every side effect known to the medical community from the chemo. She is finally "cancer free" but of course we worry. She's now taking Herceptin, which is supposed to cut the chance of recurrance in half and have no side effects. Of couse, she has had some, including nausea, intense fatique and a bit of hair loss (her eyelashes and some clumps on her arms), which her doctors have NEVER heard of.
Needless to say, I deeply empathize with what you're going through. You'll be in my prayers as well. Hang in there.
I'm so sorry to hear about Mom #2. My own mother was just diagnosed with LCIS, which they have found is a precursor to breast cancer. Luckily, it's just in the lobes right now and they've put her on medication so it should stop the cells from mutating.
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