Breast Cancer: The Journey That Changed My Life

My great-grandmother was the matriarch of my family. When I was in seventh grade, around thirteen years old, she passed away due to breast cancer. This misfortune created an extremely difficult time for me because, not only was I adjusting to the environment of junior high, but many other issues were occurring in my life; this was the third death that I was having to deal with. Unfortunately, one of the previous deaths (that I was still trying to hurdle through and come to terms with), had occurred almost exactly a year before the passing of my great-grandmother. The second death that I had gone through occurred only one or two months before my great-grandma has passed. All of this turmoil created numerous internal conflicts for me, but also taught me a key lesson to keep note of, for the rest of my life.

My maternal aunt gathered us together and we all sat on the couch. She turned to my mother and told us she had cancer. I looked at my aunt and I did not know what to say or how to respond. Three months later, my father received a phone call from his sister telling him that my pregnant cousin, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with leukemia and had to give birth to her premature baby. She and I grew up in the same house in Arizona and what hurt me the most was not being able to be with her during this difficult time. When we went to visit her in Arizona, my dad told us before entering the hospital room that he did not want us to cry in front of her. I was scared to enter. I did not know what to say to her but I knew I had to be strong. We stayed there for the holiday season but we never celebrated the holidays, that was too

An experience that has made a huge impact on who I am today is when my single mother was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer when I was a sophomore in high school. I was instantly heart broken and terrified I would lose the person that motivated me to do my best. My mom and I have encountered many obstacles together that have made us extremely close, but this was the biggest challenge yet. I gave up many opportunities to be home with my suffering mother. It was not the high school lifestyle I was expecting, but it turned out to form me into a whole new person in a positive way.

When my dad came home that evening he sat me down and asked me if I knew what cancer was. I had an idea so I just nodded my head, he went on to tried to explain to me how bad the cancer was that my mom had been diagnosed with. Seeing my dad so afraid scared me. The fear I felt then led me to realize that I needed to try and hide it because it would only hurt my dad more to see his children so upset. I did my best to help, I tucked my little sisters into bed while my mom was away at the hospital, read them stories and did the best I could at preparing snacks to comfort them. After my mom arrived home and she recovered from the surgery she started chemotherapy. The miserable treatment that attacks the cancer also makes her very ill. Every other week she was sick. Before every bad week I wanted to cry, but that wouldn’t help anyone. Lane and Kenna already were crying, if I cried it could only hurt my parents

When my mom was eleven years old, she was in a fatal car crash with her sister and both of her parents. It ended with her and my aunt each having a smashed leg and my grandpa broke his arm, but the most heart-wrenching injury was my grandma’s broken

My husband and I were married for less than eleven months when our world collapsed around us. I’ll never forget what the doctor said, “Much to our surprise, it was cancer.” Seven words that changed our lives forever.

My Great Grandma was my best friend, I’m not sure how else to describe our relationship. She was someone I looked up to and hoped to be like when I grew up. She taught me a lot about life and how crazy it can be. Whenever I have tough days I replay her encouraging words in my head. Towards the end of February of 2013, my family received a call from my Great Grandpa to inform us that my Great Grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. We found this out only a few weeks before we were supposed to head down to Arizona to visit them for spring break. Our family didn’t know how severe it was going down there, we came to find out she was genuinely unhealthy. She didn’t want to leave her room, she didn’t want to complete simple tasks, she would tell

When I was in 6th grade my Aunt Dana was fighting cancer, and had been for 3 ½ years, I supported her all the way through it. So we held a rally in Thompsonville to support her and show her how much she meant to all of us, and that if she could fight cancer and get up every morning knowing it could be her last than we can get up and fight our battles. She was my light in a very dark tunnel.

Everything in life can be associated with a color, happiness is a bright and inviting yellow, while sadness could be a dull and dismal grey. One afternoon, my twin brother, Chris, and I were sitting on the couch, smiling and laughing with one another. Vibrant shades of yellows and oranges surrounded us and made me feel safe and at ease. Our parents walked into the living room with somber looks on their faces, my mother looked upset. That was the day I found out my mother had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The Russell’s lifestyle was challenged now with a horrible plague my mother was burdened with. The prominent color present in the house went from a warm red to a darker shade, a color I associate with the threat of death. Something about that didn’t sit well with me.

I can’t exactly say I remember it like it was yesterday. The only reason I won’t say that is because I can’t remember how I felt, if I felt anything at all. What I can say, is that I remember exactly how everyone around me felt. I’m not sure if it was the sufferance that made me numb, or if my brain is simply blocking out the immense sadness I must’ve felt at the time. Either way, it all started the beginning of April in 2012. When my mother first told me that we were going to drive to Canada because of a family emergency, I’m sure I must’ve felt shocked at the news; my mom usually hates when I miss school, especially that late into the year, but I obliged. I didn’t have a choice really, so my mom sat me down to tell me what exactly the family emergency was. Turns out my aunt Cristy had cancer, stomach cancer. I looked it up later that day, still slightly confused, as stomach cancer is rare. I slowly began to understand things, whatever it might mean to understand cancer anyway. My aunt had a very rare stomach cancer. We were driving 16 hours to Canada to see my cancerous aunt.

Breast cancer has a negative impact on American society as it has changed the lives of family members, friends, and loved ones through the devastating hardships. In 2013 approximately 232, 340 new cases of breast cancer were found. If the numbers of cases stay the same in a ten year span roughly 2,500,000 people will be diagnosed, unless something is done to prevent or stop this world phenomenon (Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer Prevention). There is no set date when breast cancer started to impact people; however, today it has been proven to be the number one form of cancer. Breast cancer is predominantly found in women of all ages but it is not limited to women, men are also diagnosed with this type of cancer. Breast cancer has a severe impact on two hundred thousand people per year, leading to the development of hundreds of organizations, that conduct many studies every day to find a cure; Susan G. Komen and Relay for Life are the leaders in the field.

On a chilly Saturday afternoon around the end February, I arrived home from my grandparents only to find that my great aunt, who lives in Washington State, had taken my great grandmother to the emergency room because she couldn't walk. My aunt was up here visiting at the time. My great grandmother was in the local hospital for a few days before they shipped her to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where they proceeded to diagnose her with breast cancer and lymphoma. The breast cancer had a tumor that was against her spine, so she couldn't walk. This was her third time being diagnosed with cancer. The round that did her in.

I remember my dad making our family go visit and warning us not to be shocked when we saw her. That she was undergoing chemotherapy and that had taken a toll on her body. I again, not knowing exactly what chemotherapy was just thought it was some type of medicine that was going to make her all better. Once we arrived though i got super excited and sprinted to the front door step. I rang the doorbell twice and squished my little face against the cold window to see if my grandma was coming to the door. That's when my heart dropped. She answered the door and she didn't look my grandma. She was wearing a blue jean dress, but it almost seemed like the blue jean dress was wearing her. She gave me a big hug, i was now able to wrap my arms around her entire fragile body. She also seemed a lot more exhausted than normal too, like she hadn't slept in a while, but what i noticed the most was that her use to be curled golden blonde hair was now buzzed short and dark

In February 2012, my junior year of high school, my mom succumbed to breast cancer. During her fight with breast cancer and after her passing, I made sacrifices on behalf on my family. I wasn’t involved in afterschool programs because I was cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and grocery shopping while helping my dad take care of my younger brother. Throughout my junior and senior years in high school, college was one of the last things on my mind. However my family and friends helped me realize that grades nor finances were holding me back from attending college but I was holding myself back.

The environment in which you live in will greatly impact your life; People, however, are all impacted differently. Personally, I know that my life has been changed by many different events throughout my life. Some events can go unnoticed while some are impossible to miss. Looking back at my life I can find many events that pushed me in the direction I am traveling in now but one event has changed my life forever. The death of my aunt Nadia was the most important event in my life and it both made me who I am today and who I will be in the future.