Everyone should be aware that October is a valuable month, and I'm going to give you a good reason why.
This one is for you, mom.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and it is something that not only I participate in; my whole family does as well. Being a daughter of a mother who has been personally affected by cancer, this month hits incredibly close to home.
My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was 13 years old. I had no idea what that meant or what was going to happen to my mother. All I hoped for was that she would survive. Once my mom started to lose all her hair and people began to bring over meals every night to my house, since my mom couldn’t cook, it all sunk in that my mom was really sick.
Because of how young I was and how I played the role of a mother for my younger sister and brother, it really brought us all close together. Watching my mom suffer and sit through chemotherapy every week with a bald head was very hard. At such a young age, no one is aware of what is going on, or if their mom is going to be okay or not.
Every day after school, I would be right by my mother’s side in her bed, asking her how she was feeling and what they did to her. She would try so hard to explain to me what they did in the surgery without scaring me, but it always left me in tears. Seeing your mother, who is the strongest woman you know, in bed and unable to move, is one of the worst and most terrifying feelings.
After multiple surgeries and watching my mom just lay in bed and try and recover, I knew that breast cancer was going to play a huge role in my family from there on out. Everything that my family or I could do to raise money for the cause, we did. Between working with Susan G. Komen, selling lemonade as a child and having all proceeds go to Breast Cancer Research, and being in a sorority that has a philanthropy that supports Breast Cancer, this is something I always participated in, and I will always continue doing it.
I am so thankful to say that my mom is still with me today, and she is seven years cancer-free and counting! Every year is a celebration for her, and the month of October is all about her. So many people are affected by Breast Cancer, and the month of October is for us to recognize that as well as spread awareness.
I love you so much, mommy, and I don’t know what I would do without you! Here is to seven years cancer-free and many more healthy years!
Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
