Cancer. It’s like the plague. It seems that at least every person has been affected by it in some way, shape, or form. You’ve either lost a loved one, battled it yourself, or you know someone who is in the fight. I am beginning to think it’s contagious, considering how frequently it pops up in our lives.
My own mother has battled cancer since 2002. She is awesome. Her attitude never ceases to amaze me and some of the crap she has gone through is more than any football player could endure, I’m sure.
Today though, I got the news that it came back…again. We were laughing (through MY tears) that we’ve lost count of how many times it’s returned. Was this the 6th or 7th time? It could be the 8th?
My mom, me, brother Steve (left), and brother Mike (right)...my birthday about 20 years ago....
Her battle began right before I was about to leave for college, 2 1/2 hours away in Bowling Green, OH. My parents came home from the doc with the news that she had Stage III ovarian cancer. I didn’t know what to think. So what does any rational minded person do? They google! So of course, I look up “How long do you live with Stage III Ovarian Cancer.” The outcome was depressing at less than 5 years. I was heart broken and could not imagine a life without my best friend.
Luckily, my parents love my husband Brandon. Good thing Mom was there when my Dad first learned of this love interest (let's just say my Dad's a little protective).
Her initial surgery was scheduled for the day I had to move in to the dorms…perfect timing doctor!! Obviously, I did not want to move now, but my parents insisted. So my brother, Aunt, Uncle, and best friend helped me move in to the BGSU dorm. Thank goodness they did because the thought of how my Dad would have reacted had he seen the size of the space I was supposed to share with another human being would have been scary! Not to mention there was only ONE, semi-broken elevator and no air conditioning in the entire dorm hall. What a nightmare. But my movers were so supportive and I am still so thankful to each one. I don’t know what I would have done without them.
After move in, I soon got word that they removed a tumor the size of a baseball. Wow. No wonder her stomach swelled up like she was pregnant! She went through chemo and was back in remission for just over 2 years. We thought it was gone.
(Above) My mom (far right) and her sisters, enjoying a cancer-free BBQ
I remember sitting in class my sophomore year of college and getting a call from my mom that it came back. Again, I immediately thought the worst. But my mom? Let’s just say, she was the one consoling me. So she battled it again, and again, and again, and again, and now, again. Those pesky tumors just like her too much and it’s getting to the point where we just pray she can go a whole year without a reoccurrence.
Pre-wedding pampering with the best bridal party ever! My mom had just had surgery in August to remove ANOTHER tumor. Looking pretty good by October wouldn't you say???
She even came to my Batchelorette party post-op!
So what do I do as the dietitian daughter? Well, I became a hypochondriac of my own health and monitor my mom like a hawk about her nutritional choices. I tell her the foods she NEEDS in her diet and the foods she DOESN’T! But my mom? She still likes to have a beer with my Dad and she won’t give up the foods I tell her she needs to. But now that it’s back AGAIN and I have this blog, I am dedicating this post to her and plan to add cancer prevention posts to the mix. It will be knowledge that everyone can benefit from!
I am 100% positive that diet plays a MAJOR role in cancer prevention and remission. I realize that some people lose the battle because it just was not caught early enough. However, with people like my mom, they catch it early every time and we can strive to use preventative methods aside from chemotherapy. God gave us all the healing we need in the foods He provided. In my family, we’ve all come to accept that my mom’s cancer is probably never going to go away completely. But if this is the challenge that God has given her, there is no better person to take it on. So bring it cancer! You suck!!
[...] information lately about the connection between lifestyle factors and cancer rates. My mom has been battling cancer since 2002, she has made some small changes to her lifestyle over the past few years but the [...]