This is an extra special post and slightly different from what I’ve normally written about.  My mom is “my survivor.”  She’s a survivor for a variety of reasons in my mind. The biggest and most important reason – She is an 18 year breast cancer survivor. It seemed only appropriate to write about her during the month of October and breast cancer awareness.  She was diagnosed after menopause and after being on hormone replacement therapy. The lump was detected through a self exam and later a mammogram. She exemplifies why you have to do regular self exams. It doesn’t matter the size or shape or how many kids sucked the life out of them – you need to do those self exams.

She was terrified, we all were. You hear the word cancer and it’s as if time just stops. The clock literally stops ticking.  The world and everything around it becomes a blur and nothing makes any sense. My heart goes out to anyone affected by cancer, breast cancer, pediatric cancer, and any other “C” word out there. I hope one day there will be a cure to end the pain and suffering. My mom had a lumpectomy, radiation, and chemotherapy. She lost every bit of hair on her body.  You don’t think about what that really means unless you go through it. She lost her eyebrows and most of her eye lashes. She lost her hair and wore a wig. She got very sad, and scared, and yet never once gave up. We never gave up. Oddly enough, 18 years later, I can’t remember what my anxiety was like back then and during this process. I just didn’t want to lose my mother.  The doctor actually told her she had a better chance of dying from heart disease than breast cancer. In the midst of everything, it doesn’t seem possible of ever surviving. But she did – and she still does… 18 years later. I am so very thankful to have her here on this earth with me the past 18 years. I can’t imagine not having her here to share the celebrations, the laughs, the tears, and the great moments in life. My heart breaks for anyone who has lost someone from that awful “C” word. My mom taught me how to be a mother. She taught me how to love someone more than you love yourself.  She taught me what it means to be a good mother.  She taught me how be a survivor.  She loves us unconditionally and would give us the shirt off her back. She’s that type of person. She’s my survivor.

I joined the fight against breast cancer many years ago by donating to a local charity and ordering a pink bow.  I would send those pink bows in the mail to her every year. I proudly display my pink bow on my mailbox to honor my survivor.  As the years have gone by, I’ve gotten more and more involved with this nonprofit to help raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. I am honored to be a part of this organization. I am pushed out of my comfort zone, but in a good way. We make a difference. If one person sees that pink bow and does their self exam and gets a mammogram – we have done our job.  I’ve had the unique opportunity to speak to a room of people and tell my mom’s story multiple times. It is an amazing feeling (although slightly nerve-wracking) to speak in public but it is also quite invigorating. I am able introduce my mom as my survivor.   I hope to make a real impact in the world and honor my survivor throughout my messy journey.

Now go do your self exam and get a mammogram!

-Love you Mom! xoxo