A Battle Won

A little over a year ago, my world was turned upside down when my mom informed me her doctor had found a "large mass" in her abdomen.  I think I'll remember that day for the rest of my life - it was like a slow motion nightmare that I couldn't wake up from.  As she carefully explained the "uncomfortable feeling" that was her first sign of a problem, the slow progression of symptoms and what finally prompted her to go to the doctor, I listened silently, willing myself not to break down.  While I tried to hold it together on the phone with her, and absorb all that she was telling me, I silently emailed my husband with a simple "I need you now!", knowing then that I was going to lose it as soon as I hung up the phone.

Over the course of the next month, multiple blood tests, doctors appointments, and finally surgery to remove the mass, our worst fears were realized.  She had cancer. 

After the surgery I flew to Ohio to accompany my parents to the oncology appointment, where we found out the final prognosis and course of action.  I swallowed my nerves, forced my hands to remain still, and kept my eyes clear and focused.  I couldn't let my mom see how scared I was.  As I sat with her in the office, taking notes and listening to the specifics of what they had found, I watched my mom, my hero, put on the bravest face I can imagine.  We left the doctor with a clear plan for treatment - 6 rounds of chemo therapy.  Our hearts were heavy, we didn't know exactly what to expect, but the doctor was confident, so we put our trust in him and began the painful journey that only those who have been through it themselves can truly understand.  
A few days later, I returned to California, to attempt "long distance support".  After each chemo treatment in the months that followed, I could hear the pain in her voice, and with each conversation, my heart broke a little.  She, along with the rest of us, tried to put on a brave face, to muscle through the discomfort, knowing that at some point it would be over.  I sent cards, flowers, presents - anything I could think of to remind my mom that although I wasn't physically with her, I was there in spirit, thinking of her, praying for her, wishing with every fiber of my being that I could be there to give her a hug, a smile, anything that would help. 

Thankfully, after several long months, she had her last chemo treatment, and the healing process began.  The cancer was gone, and aside from the fact that she was rocking a haircut that would make most Marines jealous, you'd never know what she'd just put her body through. 

Now, flash ahead almost a year.  She is still cancer free, the hair has grown back, and we are getting ready to celebrate her successful battle at the upcoming Relay For Life in Hudson.  We will join countless others in honoring those who are battling, or have battled, the terrible disease that cancer is. 

My husband and I, along with devoted family members, friends and neighbors can't wait to look on as she walks the Survivors Lap at the start of Relay, view luminaria that display her name, and proudly walk countless laps around the High School track for her team.

The 24 hours of Relay promise to be nothing if not emotional.  Remembering what 2010 meant for our family, thanking all those who provided support, prayers and love during an impossible time, and of course celebrating a battle won!


*I love you, Roo!*