For Her.

This is the hardest blog that I know or hope to ever have to write because it is about my best friend. My Mom. I hope that she does not mind me writing about her, but I feel compelled to let people know just what a great woman she is and how brave she is through this difficult time. And I chose to discuss this now after many people have already found out and it is not a big secret, and because I am asking people to keep her in your prayers.

A couple of weeks ago, my mother told me that she had found a lump on her left breast and had a mammogram. The mammogram showed three small masses and calcification along a duct. She told me that the following Tuesday she was going to have a biopsy to see if it was cancer, but that she did not have a bad feeling about this and that she would probably have to have a lumpectomy. It was quite a big shock and though I was worried, I also did not have a bad feeling about what was going on. I was saddened that my mother did not want us to know this until she knew the diagnosis for sure, but I was so glad she told us because I probably would have been a little more upset if she had delayed telling my brother and I.

So the following week she had a lengthy biopsy and the next day it was confirmed that she did have breast cancer. Two of the masses were two centimeters in size, the third one smaller, and three centimeters apart from each other which I guess is a little more serious because it could mean that the cancer is spreading. The calcification could also indicate this since cancer is spread quicker through lymph nodes and ducts then into the blood stream. Only one of the masses indicated infiltration into the breast tissue while the other two did not. So what does this mean?

A mastectomy.

When they perform the mastectomy they will run a test to see if the cancer has spread to more than one lymph node which will indicate that the breast cancer is metastatic and whether she will need chemotherapy or more aggressive treatments.

Once again the news was shocking. I think the next day the news really sunk in and for a couple of days I could not help but cry when I thought about my mom. I mean, she has spent most of her life helping others and working so hard as a nurse and nurse practitioner. For the Big C to happen to her was heart breaking for me and I felt that she did not deserve this. My mother is the person that people call in the middle of the night if they need help with an illness or any other issue and my mother, no matter how little sleep she has had, will get up and spend the rest of the night helping others just to go to work in the morning and not complain about it. Every week she works hard with Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, being the medical personal at every football game, and helping special friends recover from illnesses. She is just an amazing woman. I was scared and heartbroken and I wanted so much to take this disease away from her.

I continue to turn to my Heavenly Father in earnest prayer to please help my mother get through this and to be healed completely. I realized that this was in a way a blessing for our family. I feel already that it has brought us all closer and to cherish the moments we have together. It has also forcefully made my mother think of herself and hopefully realize that she also needs to take care of herself and that so many people want to help her. It is really hard for my mother to except service, but there has been an out pour of love from her community and she in the prayers of many people and many churches. While I was home this last week, I encountered a lot of people who let me know that they have been worried about my mother and are thinking of her. Some of them had tears in their eyes while talking about her. I hope my mother realizes just how many lives she has touched and that by taking care of herself will give her the opportunity to care for people in the future.

As my mother continues to let people know about her diagnosis, she still finds ways of trying to help others become more healthy. She is currently using her diagnosis to teach woman and men about the importance of doing self examinations and getting a mammogram. To put in my two cents, October is Breast Cancer and Get Your Mammogram awareness month.

So on Thursday is the big day that my mother will have her mastectomy. Tyler and I will be driving down tomorrow to be with her through this week. She will then spend at least three weeks recovering as long as the test results are good.

I ask that you please keep my mother and my father in your prayers this week that the surgery goes well and she recovers fully. This is a challenging time for our family, but I know that the Lord will be with her and bless her.