Cancer Changed Me A little over four months ago I lost my mother to Colon Cancer. So many things in my life have been affected by the death of my mom in just this short time. The things that have changed the most are, my responsibilities, my goals, and my overall view on life. Each of these changes have molded me into the person I am today. I am not saying this road has been or will continue to be easy, but I do know that it is preparing me for the future and what the real world will be like. Responsibility is something that people my age know little to nothing about. You never realize just how much your parents do for you until they are no longer around. My mom was the head of our home up until a week or two before her passing, so the amount of responsibility that I have had to gain is tremendous. Everything from grocery shopping, to cooking/cleaning, and much more has been an adjustment …show more content…
for my dad and I. My dad works almost every day of the week as a self employed contractor. With that being said , he had my mother’s help running his business. I’ve had to step up to the plate these past few months and help my dad with things such as bills, proposals, and other work related issues. It’s certainly a struggle to juggle school, sports, housekeeping, shopping, and assisting my dad, but my job right now is to make things as easy as I can for him. The death of my mom has also completely changed my area of focus for my future. Not knowing anything about her disease was really unnerving and there were so many opportunities that my family was unaware of. I’ve since become very intrigued with the field of nursing, particularly oncology nursing. I have even taken up an independent study this year that is specific to the study of Colon Cancer. My passion has always been helping others, and this way I can combine two things that are very close to my heart. Being so close to a victim of cancer makes it so important to me to make sure that every patient has a caring and hospitable nurse to make the experience no more painful than it already is. My mother’s death was sudden.
Yes, we knew she was sick, but it wasn’t until two weeks before her passing that we realized how serious it actually was. It really opened my eyes to just how short life actually is. I know that sounds so cliche, but it couldn’t be more true. My mom truly lived her life to the fullest. She didn’t dwell on anything and always had such a positive attitude. If she taught me one thing it was to enjoy the small things in life and that it’s always important to make the best of every situation that is thrown at you. I do not want to have any regrets when my time comes. This experience has taught me that you only have one life to live and you have to do what you want. Shoot for the stars, because you don’t get any redos. I’ve come out of this experience with the greatest lesson of all, and that is that the journey is much more important than the destination, because you never know who your journey is inspiring. My mom is the basis of everything I do, and even though she can no longer be with me physically, she is still my greatest
inspiration
Although some individuals may believe that it was a miracle that my father survived cancer, it was much more than that. The optimism of my family, friends, and loved ones enabled my dad to relieve his stress and focus on his cancer treatment. This situation has changed my mindset in life and it has provoked me to stay hopeful even when the odds are not in my favor. I’ve began to use positive thinking to help guide myself to my ambitions. This made my transition into adulthood much easier because I was prepared to deal with difficult situations. I began to cherish my loved ones even more than before. I realized all the luxuries that I had received and took for granted. I learned that the most important people in life is your family and without them, it’s near impossible to be successful. If my father had lost his fight, I would have had to become more independent as I would become the man of the house. Going into adulthood, I’ve learned that I should take situations into my owns hands rathering that relying on others. Some people that may be there for you today, may not be there
When I think about the moments leading up to my diagnosis I remember feeling weak, confused, shaky and sleepy. I did not notice that I had began sleeping throughout the day. My body was craving soft drinks like soda and juice but not food. Days would go by and I eventually fell into a deep slumber that I found myself only waking up from to use the bathroom. I knew something was wrong and that if I did not get to a hospital it would get worse. Nothing could have prepared me for the life changing diagnosis I would receive.
"Ring, ring", I wondered who was calling me at this time of evening. "Yes; o.k.; Yes, I'll be there", I said before hanging up the phone. What was wrong, I wondered all that evening that the doctor wanted me to come in to discuss my lab results? I had never been asked to come in to the office after doing blood tests before; when receiving a call as this the mind plays tricks on the person and wild things start popping up in the head.
In life, many things can be taken for granted - especially the things that mean the most to you. You just might not realize it until you've lost it all. As I walk down the road finishing up my teenage days, I slowly have been finding a better understanding of my mother. The kind of bond that mothers and daughters have is beyond hard to describe. It's probably the biggest rollercoaster ride of emotions that I'll ever have the chance to live through in my lifetime. But, for those of us who are lucky enough to survive the ride in one piece, it's an amazing learning experience that will influence your entire future.
Everyday, I thank God for her health and I'm grateful to myself for all that I was able to do for her. I would absolutely consider the time of my mother's illness as my transition to adulthood because I learned what adulthood meant. To me, adulthood isn't about independence, but it is about responsibility and putting others before myself. In the summer of 2014, I unfortunately learned this lesson the hard way, but as a result my mother is now healthy and I have learned the inconsistency of life. In my transition to adulthood, I was able to step up and take care of the mother who had always been there for me. As a strong and independent single mother, she has always been my hero and the epitome of the adult I always strived to be. Seeing her in her vulnerable state during her illness didn't change my opinion of her, it strengthened it as I learned about the responsibilities, expectations, and sacrifices that adulthood and maturity
Imagine having to wake up each day wondering if that day will be the last time you see or speak to your father. Individuals should really find a way to recognize that nothing in life is guaranteed and that they should live every day like it could be there last. This is the story of my father’s battle with cancer and the toll it took on himself and everyone close to him. My father was very young when he was first diagnosed with cancer. Lately, his current health situation is much different than what it was just a few months ago. Nobody was ready for what was about to happen to my dad, and I was not ready to take on so many new responsibilities at such an adolescent age. I quickly learned to look at life much differently than I had. Your roles change when you have a parent who is sick. You suddenly become the caregiver to them, not the other way around.
I, of course, knew my mother as a mother. As I have reached adulthood and become a mother myself, I have also known her as a friend. My mom shared much of herself with me, and I saw sides of my mother as she struggled with her cancer that I had never seen before, especially her strong belief in positive thinking and the importance of quality of life. I was privileged to know so many facets of my mother, but certainly I did not know all. There were parts of her life that I didn’t see, relationships that I didn’t know about. Last night, at the wake, so many stories were told to me about my mom’s strength, courage, humor, kindness, her quietness, her loyalty as a friend. It was so special to hear of these things that my mom said and did, to know some of these other parts of her life. I hope that her friends and family will continue to share these stories with me and with each other so we can continue to know and remember my mom.
As a University student now looking back on the past, all the trials and hardships, my grandmother passing was not all dreadful. In fact, this dreadful event actually opened up my eyes for me to reach my highest peak. It has taught me to be strong and proactive. In addition, it taught me that I should get all I can while I am alive and do not take anything, such as education, for granted.
I can’t begin to express how hard it is for me to stand here before you and give my last respects to my loving mother - name here. From the biography that was handed out you can recall that during the her early years in the united states she studied and worked in New York where she met and married my dad, the love of her life. They spent the rest of their days loyal and in love with one another. Unfortunately, one day my father passed away with cancer at a young age. My dad was the one who suffered the most, but my mom suffered right along with him. She felt powerless, and for my mom- powerlessness turned in to guilt and grief, a painful distress she lived with on a daily basis for the next six years. When he died part of her died! Life for her was never the same again. I was not able to completely understand her loss- until now…
To begin with responsibility one of the many things that are part of coming of age. Responsibility can stand for different things for example, to be able to act independently and make decisions without authorization. The older you get the more your parents will trust you to stay safe if you go out by yourself. Another part of responsibility especially if you have younger siblings is that you are now the permanent baby sitter for your family. In spite of having “freedom” you are stuck at home while your parents and your friends are out having fun. The older you get the more work you have to do in school and at home. This
It felt like my new home was curled up in this uncomfortable hospital chair, when all the sudden my parents came out, and told me “she’s going to survive!” They explained that by some miracle, she had taken two bottles of medicine that balanced each other out; she would sleep for a few days on and off. She had to stay at the hospital for two days and she was the focal point for the next few weeks after, but I didn’t lose my sister that day. Life is unpredictable, you could lose someone important to you in a matter of seconds, this event made me more pliable to life. So always have a second piece of cake, or go climb that mountain, make your life matter, and never take people for
Looking back now I realize that there were many struggles in my years but from those struggles it has made me realize not to take things for granted and to cherish everything you have. The hardest struggle that I had to face was the lose of my grandpa. The month before school started was when everything seemed to be falling apart. August of 2014 was the most difficult month of my family’s life. My grandpa had been in the hospital for a couple days and we never expected that those were going to be our last days with him.During the period of time that he was in the hospital I was not able to be there with him because he lived in Illinois and i was in Wisconsin attending cheerleading practices and other school events. When I got the call my heart
This experience was the hardest on me emotionally. As a child, you view your parents as almost invincible and losing them is never a thought that crosses your mind. After my mom had surgery, the procedure caused peritonitis, which is a very severe complication. At the time, I feared losing my mom, but Christ gave me peace in the situation. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (KJV, Phil. 4:13). Through the power of prayer and God, my mom survived the emergency surgery. Even the medical bills were miraculously provided for by many gifts from family and friends. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:3). The possibility of losing a parent was the most difficult experience of my life; however, during this trial, I experienced enourmous growth in Christ. After my mom healed from her surgery, God called my father to Source of Light Ministries in Madison, Georgia. My family moved to Madison, which is where I would spend the next seven years of my life. My spiritual growth continued a little slower throughout those peaceful
This difficult chapter of my life made me aware that anything can happen to anyone and made me understand to accept things as they are. As difficult as situations may be we must understand that everything and everyone has an end in this world. We must be strong and face our pain with effort, action and mindfulness.
my Dad passed away from hemorrhaging. My dad was on a curative path there was no cancer in his body when he died. I believe that my Dad having cancer changed his life in more ways than one. My Dad gained his faith, something he had struggled with since he was younger. I believe everything happens for a reason, we do not always know these reasons but that is the whole point of life. It taught me to see the light in the darkness, the good in the bad. I know my dad is in an amazing place now, there is no doubt in my mind.