Personal Narrative: My Mother's Struggle With Cancer

When I was younger, I remember feeling as though I lived in a bubble; my life was perfect. I had an extremely caring and compassionate mother, two older siblings to look out for me, a loving grandmother who would bake never ending sweets and more toys than any child could ever realistically play with. But as I grew up my world started to change. My sister developed asthma, my mother became sick with cancer and at the age of five, my disabled brother developed ear tumors and became deaf. As more and more problems were piled upon my single mother’s plate, I, the sweet, quiet, perfectly healthy child, was placed on the back burner. It was not as though my family did not love me; it was just that I was simply, not a priority.

I was born in Walnut Creek, California on a hot summer afternoon in the year of 1996. When I was only a few weeks old, my mother left my father for good

I think I may want to learn and expand more of topics of illness and disabilities as both have not only been a part of my life, but of all my family members lives as well. Cancer especially is a great worry for my siblings and myself, as it has been such a prevalent issue for us, even since we were little and my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though he was able to be cured and is alive and well today, it is still an extremely real and serious issue we may have to deal with ourselves in the future.

Throughout the entirety of my life I always have and always will face obstacles: I am a girl, I am African-American, I have a disabled brother, I have a single parent. Though these aspects of my life have created challenges, I am proud of who I am and I love my life. These challenges have molded my character and shaped me to be the person I am today and without these obstacles, I might not have been as driven to succeed, despite what has happened in my life that may have caused me to