I'm saying all of this because my husband just asked me what the slogan of my campaign is and I told him I don't know. He followed it by what is your cause. I replied that I want to help everyone who has been affected by cancer. That's a big number and the number rises daily with each new diagnosis.
In 7 years since my mom was first diagnosed, I have seen and met a lot of people who have been affected by this horrible disease. Three of my moms friends that I can just remember lost their fathers to cancer in the two years my mom fought. The people she met at chemo and during Relay and more; some died, some went in remission only to come back after a few month or a year. I watched the people around me in the chemo centers and saw their brave faces and almost plastered smiles as they fought death.
After my mom died and I hung everything up. I met a few people, kids like me who lost their moms. The first person who told me their mom had cancer was my friend from elementary. She and I lived only a block from eachother. Her mom fought for many years. This past year my friends mom went to heaven. Leaving behind four children and husband. The second person I met was in a class with me. We started talking and found out our mothers not only died the same month but in the same hospital. Another friend lost her mom 4 months ago from cancer and everyday is a struggle. She is 22 and pregnant with her first child... Can you imagine going through that?
I looked up recently a number. A number that says 2.85 million children that have a parent with cancer. Those are numbers just in the U.S.
Parents can you imagine your daily activities: work, cooking, picking kids up, checking on them and their work, cleaning, paying bills, running your kids around... And then add to that fighting for your and their lives. Taking off from work for treatments and doctor visits, surgery, losing your energy, and trying to shield your child from the worse of it. I talk about fighting for your life cause of the cancer; I talk about fighting for their lives cause they are affected.
I was 16 when my mom told me she had cancer and was moving to ny. That I would stay in Pa and finish my senior year. I could if I had to every detail of that day from the moment she took me to the restaurant. I remember the whole time thinking my mom is going to die and I won't even be able to be there with her. The first two or so months of living alone I spent every day wondering if she was in the hospital or not. Only to learn later she was and I couldn't help her. I remember moving back to be with her and being half awake most might scared I would pull a wire or something from her at home radiation box. Keeping my ears alert for the sounds of her pain so I could warn my aunt and uncle we had to go to the hospital. My mom sheltered me as much as she could even with all of that but my life was forever changed like the rest of my family the second she was diagnosed.
My cause, my mothers cause is born from our hearts, experience, tears, and hope that others can have a better experience. That the next 16 year old, 10 year old, 18 year old who is told their parent has cancer won't automatically think " my parent is going to die". That they get more birthdays like Relay for life slogan says. That they don't have to go through the agony of burying their parent too soon. My mom died at 48 years old, to kids that may be old but for the rest of us we know that was way too young.
So far I have talked about older patients with cancer and the effect it has on their children. What I haven't told you is about a remarkable little boy whose fighting for cancer. A friend of mine from highschool has an incredible older sister that I admire. At this time her family is going through something I could never imagine. Her four year old son was diagnosed with leukemia. Four years old!! And fighting.
This is why I want to help. This is why my mind runs at a million miles per hour when it comes to this cause. It is why I can't just leave it to one main part and grow from there. I can't slow down when cancer won't. I can't look the other way cause cancer doesn't. It affects and takes everyone it wants. It part of why I took up this cause. It's why my mom started it. We couldn't, can't and won't turn away from the plight of those diagnosed. We couldn't, can't and won't not stop trying to help all that we can. Maybe my thoughts don't make sense to you and things are jumbled. Maybe you've never seen how cancer affects people and families. Maybe you just don't have the money to do anything about it. Whatever it is I ask that you move past it. I ask that you share this. I ask that you give what you can; your time, your effort, and yeah if you can your money. Cause this cause is worth it. It's worth trying to make their lives easier, it's worth supporting them, it's worth trying to eradicate this disease.
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