Cancer. This word, so small, yet so powerful can pack one mean punch. It affects countless numbers of families across the globe. This deadly disease can often break families apart, either causing arguments or physically taking a member’s life. However, many times, it can make these bonds even stronger. In the song, “Skin” by Rascal Flats, a teenage girl is diagnosed with cancer. With the support of her boyfriend, she is able to defeat its effects on her life. In the same way, I was capable of forming a strong relationship with my new mother through the horrific illness of cancer.
In the summer, the air was warm and bright. The crisp green grass was freshly mowed and the aroma of freshly grilled hotdogs could be smelt somewhere in the distance. My entire family was busy preparing for my Fourth of July t-ball game, packing the picnic baskets, making the sandwiches, or simply watching T.V. to stay out of the way. Attempting to put on my fresh yellow t-ball jersey, I noticed a sharp pain in my right shoulder. Bothered by this sensation, I went to my mom. She told me she thought it was just growing pains, which I was having frequently then. Thinking nothing of it, I finished getting ready and ran out the door with everyone else. After getting into the car, I tried to buckle my seatbelt. Due to the overwhelming pain in my arm, I couldn’t even hold onto the strap. In a hurry, my mom told my sister to buckle me in. At the field, my mom and dad told me to begin warming up. I grabbed a bat and began to swing beside the dugout, causing painful tremors up the side of my arm. At that point, my parents understood that something was seriously wrong. After the game, my mother and father drove me to the local hospital to hopefully determine the problem; the doctors did not find anything. The hospital advised us to go to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh for further testing. After hours of intensive procedures, the doctors revealed the cause of the aching. I had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a form of Cancer.
When my mother heard these words, her heart dropped. She couldn’t believe that by marrying my father six-months earlier, she would have to watch her new son endure this pain. She couldn’t believe that she would have to venture through this agony with me. My mom said that she would cringe every time the doctors came into the room to take me for a test. She knew that I would begin to bawl and scream, calling her name to come save me. She would rush to my side and tell me that everything was going to be alright. That she would be there when I came back. I was scared. I was frightened. I wanted my mom, who was in another room, waiting for my return. I remember every time I woke up from the fading amnesia, I saw her sunny face smiling at me. I remember her soft, cool hands caressing mine, ensuring that she would always be there. And she always was. We remained together the rest of the two weeks that we were at Children’s, giving strength to one another. When we finally left the hospital, we left hand and hand, walking towards the car. The next month, my mom and I made the trek to Pittsburgh every day for a check-up. It was these car rides that I truly got to know my mom. She was comical, sympathetic, and she was always thinking of me. I loved the way she would laugh at all of my lame jokes, or the way she would make up crazy animals when we played the animal alphabet game. It was in these moments that I realized that she was my favorite person on this earth.
In these car rides, my mom and I used to sing to her favorite country band, Rascal Flats. A song that always received my attention was “Skin.” This song was about a teenage girl who had recently discovered she developed cancer. In the song, the young lady began to lose her hair due to the treatment she was receiving. She was devastated. She didn’t believe anyone would like her because of her bald head. However, b y the end of the song, her true love shows her his head, which is freshly shaven. This song always had and will remind me of my relationship with my mom. As I was going through chemotherapy, I constantly thought that no one would want to befriend me because of my disease. I felt like I had no companions. But, similar to the boy in the song, my mom illustrated an infinite amount of love and support. She repetitively helped me count my countless pills. She persistently let me crush her hand when I had my blood work done. She always stood by me as I went under for my bone marrow. This women never let me be scared about the future, or reflect on my past. She always allowed me to live in the present with her close beside me. Cancer truly is a brutal word that had the capacity to destroy family bonds. But like in the song and in my story, cancer can also bring families closer together. If it weren’t for my mother by my side, I would not be the same person I am today. Similar to the song, I met my “true love” through my experience with cancer. She is my rock and I look to her whenever I need comforted. Just like the song, this woman has influenced me to become the person I am today.
