The Most Evil Word There Is. Cancer.

cancer-ribbon.jpgCancer.

That is a word I loathe. I detest what it means. That one word has the ability to bring even the strongest people to their knees. It is evil. It has no prejudice, no age requirements, no social stigma.  It doesn’t care who you are, what you look like or what you do for a living. It reaches out, grabs hold and creates heartbreak. It’s big, it’s bad and it’s mean.

But…

It CAN be beaten! I’m writing about this today with my mom heavily on my mind. October 16 will mark 9 years since she left this world from the effects of her radiation treatment. But this year also marks 17 years since she DESTROYED CANCER!

That’s right. In 1994, cervical cancer beat her up. It did a pretty good job of it too. It ravaged her beautiful self. It made her sick. It damaged parts of her permanently. She was told she only had 10 months to live and that treatment would not help her. But she fought back. She demanded treatment. She wasn’t ready to give up without a fight. And while cancer may have beaten her up she kicked it’s butt and DESTROYED IT! She lied 9 more years after that. She saw me graduate from highschool. She helped plan my wedding and watch me get married. And she stood by my side and literally help my hand while I gave birth to our first child. She held my baby shower for our second child and helped us pick out a name. She LIVED for 9 years after she told cancer it could go to hell. And it did.

toni.jpg

Because she required so much massive radiation therapy, it took a major toll on her internal organs. She dies on October 16, 2003. But she was cancer free. She might have had battle scars but she still won. For 9 years, she showed cancer that it wasn’t all that.

At that time, there still wasn’t a lot of knowledge about cervical cancer and ways to prevent it. There is now. I like to think that everything she went through and the stacks and stacks of medical files on her helped earn some of that research and knowledge.

It seems like everywhere I turn these days I hear that awful word. So many women and men are being diagnosed with breast cancer. I’d say most of us know at least one person who has either been diagnosed or had a breast cancer scare or some other form of cancer. It seems to run in my family and my husband family, which terrifies me.  But now, thanks to the internet and courageous folks out there, there are many, many sites to find cervical and breast cancer information and facts. You can find info on treatment centers, alternative treatments, symptoms and even support! If you or someone you know has cancer I encourage you to join some of those sites for information and moral support. They are wonderful resources and I hope they can help you in some way.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Leave a Comment