Cancer Sucks
Last year was the first time I joined the fight for breast cancer. I was watching the live news coverage from the walk/run held in Maryland and I immediately got up, got dressed, and headed out the door. At the time I personally knew someone that was battling with a form of cancer that started off as breast cancer. Unfortunately she succumbed to her illness mid-summer of this year. It was a difficult reality to face that cancer does not discriminate. She was my age, full of life, goals and dreams that she will never have the opportunity to fulfill. The irony of this month which is designated as “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” is that this week, I found out that 2 of my very close family members that I love dearly, are battling 2 different forms of cancer. It’s funny how you can have a heart for strangers that are going through things such as this. You can’t even imagine how they feel, or what it takes to remain hopeful in difficult times. You whisper a prayer for those that you know, as well as those that you might hear about on commercials, social media or in passing. When you get the news that one of your loved ones is now faced with the battle of cancer, it generates very real emotions that are unimaginable. Sometimes we look at our family members as super heroes. We could never envision anything happening to them. Cancer creates the “what now’s” and the “what if’s” that we all want answers to. At the point of diagnosis, once the fear subsides, the most important thing to do is to become well informed. Information about treatment pros and cons is helpful to determine the best option. It’s always important to write down specific questions to ensure that you don’t forget important factors when meeting with physicians. Just in case there is an overwhelming feeling of depression, it’s important to develop a strong support system consisting of family, friends, church or community based organizations. Unfortunately, a cancer diagnosis is never pleasant, and it is extremely scary for the person with the diagnosis as well as the loved ones of the person affected. My prayer is that one day a cure for cancer will be discovered and that this pandemic will no longer devastate our families. To all cancer survivors, newly diagnosed, families of cancer survivors and those whose family members have lost the battle with cancer, I’m praying for us all. We must keep fighting to find a cure!!! ,