This month, mom will be coming up on 10 years since her cancer diagnosis. Rewind to March of 2009 - a year after Grandma (mom's mom) had passed from Alzheimers. Mom was traveling, Jazzercizing 8 days a week and enjoying retirement. Then life came to a halt and the word CANCER became a part of the vocabulary... even though many factors were not certain - what kind of cancer did she have? How far did it spread? What was her outlook? Ovarian Cancer did not have a good reputation. The general prognosis was that she had about 3 more years, based on survivorship statistics.
She has beaten the odds!
Ten years ago Ovarian Cancer was the silent killer - the cancer that grows in silence until it is often too late in the game to turn the odds in the patients favor. I'm sure that the cancer was growing inside her, silently, for a long time. By the time we found out, mom was Stage 3.
In the last 10 years, mom has not only been through surgery, 5 rounds of a variety of chemo cocktails and terrible (at times almost deadly) side effects, but she has also served as a rock and resource for others around her who were also diagnosed with cancer. Mom has also been a rock for those families who have lost loved ones to cancer.
I think that amid all of the complexities of cancer, mom would credit two things to her survival: prayers and a positive attitude. These last 10 years have been a curse, but they have also been a blessing, because you understand the important things... and let the rest fall away.
Cancer has taken a back seat. The power of prayer and a positive attitude are at the wheel now. Mom is surrounded with love and family and friends. Cancer cannot compete with that.
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