What Cancer Taught My Family | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

What Cancer Taught My Family

“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”

16
What Cancer Taught My Family

Having grown up with a family member that has cancer can be seen as the worst possible heartache to happen to a family member. Not for my family. My family remained strong and unbreakable all the way to the end.

My mother was diagnosed with colon cancer when I was in 8th grade. I'll never forget the day I was told she had cancer; my world began to spin and so many emotions took over my body. I felt scared, sad, betrayed, and lost. My mom was very ill and we didn't know how to support her. We all ached and felt nothing but sadness day in and day out. We worried as a family, feared as a family, and cried as a family. But shortly after we found out, things changed. We remembered that God is Good and can cure all illnesses. We began to fight together, pray together, and lean on each other. We learned quickly that this life was more than the cancer that was taking over my mother's body.

We started to support my mom, and be the rock that we knew she needed. We no longer hung our heads, or felt sorry for ourselves. We felt blessed, and cherished every moment we had together. My mother came to every softball game, and sat in the stands and cheered for me. She put me before herself and gave me all the love I could have ever asked for. To this day, I thank her, and will never forget that site of her in the umbrella chair cheering me on. My mom battled, and we prayed, and she battled some more, and she won. WE won. She was cancer free and our lives went back to normal, right? Wrong. We lived in fear, and worried that she would get sick again. But one thing we never did was give up. We continued to fight for her health, and pray that some doctor would save my mom. We experienced life together, laughed together, and loved together. We always lived in the moment and thanked God for the opportunities that we were given.

3 years later, the cancer returned. This time things were different. We didn't cry, we didn't sulk, and we didn't worry. We believed in each other and believed that we could win this battle again. We knew that my mother was stronger than this diseases, but she didn't. I saw the fear in her eyes, and the sadness start to take over her body. She began to get ill and we thought our days were limited. But she kicked cancer's butt, and proved that she would NEVER let something take her life away.

Cancer taught me that family is everything. It taught me to never give up on my faith no matter how much I wanted too. Cancer taught me that my mother is the strongest woman on the planet and that she was my biggest support system. Cancer taught my family that there was more to life than hanging our heads in sorrow and pity. It taught us that every day is a blessing and now we live our lives worry free because my mother is five years in remission.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over
reference.com

To those who celebrate, you just spent an entire day cooking an elaborate meal with all of your favorite foods. You probably ate your body weight in pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes. What happens now? Oh yea, Christmas. It’s time to take out all of the decorations and Christmas themed things that have been sitting in the attic since last year; it’s time to make a reappearance. So, here are 10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

18 Things I Want To Do Now That I'm 18

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

3073
Happy Birthday Cake

For the entirety of my high school career, I was always seen as the goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble with a teacher, I kept stellar grades, and when I wasn't doing extracurricular activities, I was at home studying. Even when I did go out, it was usually with a bunch of fellow band geeks. The night would end before 11:00 PM and the only controversial activity would be a fight based on who unfairly won a round of Apples-to-Apples when someone else clearly had a better card (I promise I'm not still holding a grudge).

Now that I'm officially an adult, I want to pursue some new things. I want to experience life in a way that I never allowed myself to do prior to entering college. These are the years that I'm supposed to embark on a journey of self-discovery, so what better way to do that than to create a bucket list?

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics

The holiday classics that shaped my life

1855
10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics
Flickr

The holiday season is full of stress, debt, and forced conversation. While we rush through the month of December, it's important to take a step back and enjoy the moments before they're gone. Most families love to watch Christmas movies, but these beloved films provide more than entertainment. Here are 10 life lessons that I've learned from the holiday classics we watch every year.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

201125
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

21498
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments