MOTHERS WITH CANCER: SOME OF THE BRAVEST WOMEN ON THE PLANET

This is the logo from a blog called Mothers with Cancer.  (We are twenty (or so) moms
fighting cancer. Some of us have been in remission for years; others
are newly diagnosed, or battling a new recurrence. All of us have
something to say.)  I’ve spent much of the past week reading personal and group cancer blogs for a project and I’ve been near tears for most of that time.  The sadness, the courage, the resilience in the face of multiple recurrences, the joy in small moments – there’s only so much of it you can read before you start to crumble.  Then you tell yourself that they’re living what you’re reading, and, out of respect, you force yourself to go on.

In 1998 there was a big cancer March on Washington.   I was around DC for much of it; because of my husband’s long-time work on prostate cancer advocacy I’ve been around cancer advocates and survivors for years.  But none of that, and none of them – brought truth to the words "you’ve got cancer" the way these bloggers do, as their realities become ours.  I’ve come to believe that we owe them our attention – that, as Willie Loman‘s wife Linda said:  "Attention must be paid."  And so it must

You’ll find many of a legion of cancer bloggers on Mothers with Cancer and many more on their individual blog rolls.  I urge you to visit their sites and leave a message.  They may not know us, but through their honesty — and their pain — we know them.  And we can’t leave them sitting out here alone.  Listen:

The truth is, I am scared. I am trying to reassure myself with the fact
that I have been feeling pretty good, that I have been biking and
running But I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was feeling the
healthiest and most fit that I had in years. And I was diagnosed with
liver mets three weeks after I returned to work, at a time when I was
feeling strong, energetic and (so I thought) on the road to reclaiming
my life from cancer.   Not Just About Cancer

For the past few days I haven’t been feeling that well.  I’ve been
sleeping for hours and hours and hours.  I haven’t had much energy to
do anything.  In fact my pillow and blanket have been my two best
friends.                                                                                                                                                  I’m getting ready for my third round of chemo on Thursday.  I’m
nervous that my blood counts will be too low for chemo.  That would be
horrible.   I’m going back to bed…     Clusterfook

1 week
down, 5 more to go.  I like to count in weeks since it sounds better
than saying 28 days.  I’m enjoying having a few days off from
radiation.  I can’t say I’m all that fond of my new treatment.  The
cancer center has had some computer issues and I’ve done a lot of
waiting.  I’ve also had this unheard of symptom all week long of
nausea.  Wierd.  Especially since all the radiation tech’s tell me they
don’t radiate near my stomach.  That seems odd to me because if they
say they can nick my lungs couldn’t they also be nicking my stomach
with those lovely beams?  Anyway…..I finally asked to see the doc about
it on Friday and she said yes….that might be a possibility.  My theory
is that IBC patients have a much wider range to radiate and it’s
somehow hitting my stomach.   Anyway….we agreed to try some
anti-anxiety meds and see if it helped.  I will admit I am awfully
anxious about this whole “burn my skin treatment.  If only it was irrigating therapy rather than radiating therapy.  I would much rather be hosed down than burned with lasers…..sigh.    I am still nauseated today.  but heh….at least I’m relaxed.  Clergy Girl

Oh yeah, I still have that darn Stage 4 cancer and it’s still sad
and scary, but I couldn’t help but feel like God delivered some
happiness in the midst of my sadness. Even small things can help
brighten low spirits, like they did for me this evening. The sadness is
still there, but it’s not so overwhelming, not weighing me down quite
SO much.

There’s hope.  There’s always hope.

Love Life. 

BE BRAVE.      Just Enjoy Him

See what I mean?  If you’re on hold or you have a couple minutes at the end of the day stop by and leave some encouragement for one or two of these remarkable women.  They need it.