Breast Cancer: an Unending Battle that Brought Us Together

My mother said, “I have been diagnosed with breast cancer,” with a frightened voice followed by a facial expression of fear. I replied after a moment of silence in an anxious tone, “Everything is going to be okay, don’t worry,” and went over to hug her. That night I went to bed thinking about how I hadn’t appreciated my mother enough as I should have, and I could lose her at any given moment.

Breast Cancer: A Never-Ending Struggle that United Us

The next day, I conducted some research on what breast cancer was, since I wasn’t very informed on this topic. All I knew was that when I heard the word cancer, the thought of death raced immediately into my mind. However, after the research I had done, I found out it could be cured if detected at an early stage, or it could be deadly since it’s tougher to treat cancer at a later stage. According to the American Cancer Society (2023), early detection significantly increases survival rates.

The next few days were the hardest because my family and I were all trying to adapt to my mother’s diagnosis of breast cancer. We would all keep reminding ourselves everything would turn out to be fine, but in reality, we were worried about my mother’s health. The disease didn’t only affect my mother; it affected my entire family, especially me. I was deeply affected by it since I was barely attending my first year of college. As a result, I fell into depression, my grades started dropping, and I constantly had the feeling of losing my mother. The thought of losing her didn’t make sense to me; therefore, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it.

This brought me memories of her visits to the doctor prior to the results. After the ultrasound and mammogram showed the tumors being abnormal, I didn’t think much about it and thought the tumors would turn out to be benign. It was not until after her biopsy that she was diagnosed with breast cancer stage two, which meant her chances increased of surviving this deadly disease, and I learned to appreciate her more than I previously had.

The next week, she had her first appointment with the oncologist Dr. Satish D. Desai, who said, “Mrs. Fernandez, surgery isn’t an option. You need to go through chemotherapy first to shrink the tumor’s size, then we will follow up with surgery.” I didn’t want my mother to get chemotherapy; I was against it because chemotherapy is a very strong, dangerous drug with a lot of side effects that can outweigh the benefits (Mayo Clinic, 2023).

Eventually, I gave up and accepted the fact that chemotherapy was the best option in order for her to get cured from breast cancer. During the following appointment, she got her first chemo session. I remember after that she felt fatigued and was lying in bed the entire day. She also lost her appetite and refused to eat. This was a challenging time for us, as we had to find ways to support her emotionally and physically.

In the following weeks, my mother began to lose her hair due to chemotherapy and began to use beanies and wigs to hide her hair loss. That was when her illness really hit me. This was very hard for her to accept; she felt insecure without her hair. I tried helping her gain some confidence back and change her way of thinking by shaving my head so she would not feel alone. This gesture brought us closer and taught me the importance of empathy and solidarity during tough times.

I began to help my mother with chores, cooking food for her occasionally when she was weak from the chemotherapies. I began to depend more on myself rather than my parents, which was a great feeling. This experience taught me responsibility and the importance of being there for loved ones when they need you the most.

After her chemo sessions were over, it was time for surgery. I remember she was nervous since it was her first time dealing with anesthesia, and I tried comforting her right before surgery by telling her, “Mom, don’t worry, you’re strong, you will be fine.” The surgery went well, and she followed up by getting radiation therapy, which wasn’t as bad as chemo sessions. Although she suffered some side effects like severe burns due to radiation, it was all worth it because after everything she went through, she was cancer-free. Words couldn’t explain the happiness I felt that day.

Unfortunately, my happiness didn’t last long. After a year of being cancer-free, my mother noticed a mysterious hard lump under her armpit. She followed up by getting a mammogram and ultrasound, which showed the lump to be abnormal once again and required a biopsy for more accurate results. After the biopsy, sadly, the results showed it to be cancer once again. I was frightened that this time the cancer would have spread to other areas like lungs, liver, and brain, which meant it would be tougher to treat. Fortunately, it turned out the cancer hadn’t spread to other areas besides her armpit, which meant this time chemotherapy and radiation therapy weren’t needed, just surgery, which was a relief.

Conclusion

Now, two years later, my mom is once again cancer-free. All these past experiences brought us together more than we previously were and made me appreciate her more. Fortunately, she is doing great, and because of that experience, I am now the individual I am today. I have grown both emotionally and mentally. This event taught me that life is short, and I need to be grateful and appreciate more the people around me. It is a reminder that every moment with loved ones is precious, and we should cherish it fully.

References

American Cancer Society. (2023). Breast Cancer Early Detection and Diagnosis. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/screening-tests-and-early-detection.html

Mayo Clinic. (2023). Chemotherapy. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/chemotherapy/about/pac-20385033