Hlavacek Autobiography

Overall, my mother took on cancer like a champ. Treatments made her exhausted, but she never gave up. When this all began, I told my mom to just keep swimming, and it has been our life motto ever since. We were each other’s motivation. Whenever we are struggling with something, even today, we just think, “just keep swimming,” for our motivation. My mom and I are great supporters of one another, and without her, I would not be where I am

Which is being a shy small town girl who never wanted to speak in front of people because of fear of what they think or say. Years after her diagnosis she has become one of the most well know breast cancer activist in the United States. She believes that God brought her through the cancer the first time and used it for good. She also believes that the cancer has made her marriage and family stronger. Cancer can cause depression, body image issues, anxiety and fear, but your attitude about your diagnosis can make a big difference during your treatment. Always try to stay positive and when you you’re a survivor try to make a difference to help

I was just a small town girl living in Grants, New Mexico. There is a saying that if you blink you will miss it driving down the highway. I was born and raised in Milan; it was just a little portion of Grants. My entire mom’s side of the family lived close by us and my dad’s side of the family was in Espanola, except for my grandma Yolie my dad’s mom. I grew up knowing almost everyone in that small town. The challenge in living in Grants was there were no available jobs. My parents had to drive back and forth to and from Albuquerque. As I was in kindergarten through second grade I would stay at my auntie’s house early in the morning or with my grandma while both my parents were in Albuquerque. Family was everything to me or at least what I

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood” –Marie Curie. Every year people are affected by cancer. Living with cancer is hard on all involved with any person that has cancer. They will need all the support they can get even if it’s just a phone call to say hi. Don’t feel sorry or pity the person. Instead do things that can cheer them up asking how they’re doing and ask if you can do anything for them. Many find going to support groups helpful to accept the fact they have or lost someone to cancer. The awareness does show favoritism toward to

The effects of a cancer diagnosis can be absolutely devastating, not only for the patient, but for family and loved ones as well. People affected by cancer have to cope with not only cancer treatments, but also with the stress, financial concerns, and the emotions that are part of living with cancer. Fortunately, nobody has to face these problems alone; The Center for Building Hope has free services that can help. “The Center for Building Hope offers free information, programs, and services to cancer patients, caregivers and family members, while connecting them with others who are going through a similar experience. These services are available through

I grew up in a small town named Polo, IL. When I say small town I am of course exaggerating in the fact that by saying small I really mean that it is tiny. The town itself contained about 700 people while the surrounding countryside contained about 500 more. A classic small town in the middle of nowhere making it extremely hard for anyone or anything to cause any trouble. Being extremely cautious with my sisters and I, my parents thought this would be the perfect place to raise four growing girls. It was nice, quiet, and the small town relationships that you often find in these farming towns was present everywhere that you looked. As a kid most would have hated to live in this tiny town, but to me this was heaven on Earth and I intended to enjoy every single second that I had in this charming little

One day, a group leader asked me, “Are you looking for young survivors?” She let me know that Gilda’s Club was forming a new breast cancer survivor group specifically for younger women. Once that group began, I attended every month, only missing a handful of meetings over the next five years. In the beginning, I needed to talk with other women, understand how they were coping, so I, too, could learn how to manage my new life. We exchanged information and ideas while friendships blossomed.

There is no mincing of words, nor is there a phrase with gentle connotations to adequately articulate the emotional, psychological or physical place that cancer forces upon you. Quite frankly, battling cancer sucks. The individual engaged in the battle and their support system can choose to crumble or rally. To crumble is to become angry and resentful. To rally is to rise up and use your experiences to help others. I was fortunate that my support group didn’t give me an option to crumble. I was raised in a family, in a church community that focuses on service. So, at 14 battling cancer, I was told that the only way out was through and to get through the turmoil of cancer, I was expected to find a “cancer” mentor and find a way to give back.

I crawled into bed with her one night. Under the blankets and wrapped in her arms, I whispered, “Why did the doctors take your hair away?” To this, my mom softly explained to me the process of chemotherapy. I was four years old at the time, and two years prior to this my mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Having never drank, smoked, or done drugs, her diagnosis came as an incredible shock. She fought it for the next three years of her life, and though I was very little at the time, I have very vivid memories of being with her through this. I remember rubbing her bald head while we watched movies, I remember painting her pictures daily, and most often I remember doing yoga with her on the beach.

In 1986 my mother divorced my father and moved my brother and I from a small town in Pennsylvania to a small town in New Jersey. My mother chose this particular town because of its close proximity to family members. The house my mother grew up in and that my grandmother still lived in was two houses away from our new house. Also, my aunt and uncle lived about three houses away. With her new life as a single mother with two kids the convenience of it all was too hard for her to pass up.

In 2012 my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, for the following year and a half I watched my mother undergo multiple surgeries, daily radiation, and a variety of other intensive treatments. Throughout the entire process I watched my mother physically and mentally deteriorate. At the time my knowledge of the disease was minimal and not only was I fearful of my mothers future, but I was also unaware of the physiological functions that would overcome my mothers body eternally. Following a year and a half of agonizing and aggressive treatments my family received the news that my mother was officially in complete remission. Throughout my mothers battle with breast cancer my family and I met countless individuals who were

The summer of 2015 brought many memorable events for me including celebrating my sweet sixteenth birthday and passing my drivers test. However, my mother’s diagnosis of breast cancer and her journey fighting that awful disease was the event that most marked my transition from childhood to adulthood. I have a very close knit family and before my mother’s diagnosis, everyone had been very healthy. I guess I took a lot for granted including my family’s health, and I didn’t realize or consider what really was important in life. Prior to my mother’s illness I was a typical self centered teenager, not really concerned with anyone else but myself. I had always seen my mother, a full-time nurse, as a strong person who took good care of herself and her family. When I first learned that my healthy 48 year old mom had breast cancer, I was so scared. The thought of losing my mom made me feel very vulnerable. However, I soon found an inner strength and courage that I never knew I was capable of possessing.

Inspirational speaker, Iyala Vanzant once said “Don’t get hung up on the hard times, the challenges. Tell your story by highlighting the victories. Because it’s your victories that will inspire, motivate, encourage other people to live their stories in grander ways”. (Vanzant, I. (n.d.). Hopeful Quotes). This proves to be true when patients have the right support systems to stand by them every step of the way. With cancer being an awful experience for anyone, survival ratings are beginning to rise because of advancing technology and medicine.

Being diagnosed with cancer were my rainy days. I had to endure biopsies, two rounds of strong chemotherapy, the removal of eleven lymph nodes, mastectomy surgery and five weeks of radiation. Cancer made me determined to live life with purpose and passion. I could not contain my new-found zeal for life. I was spared for a reason. When I received my acceptance letter to college this was my sign! My heart told me I can aspire to become someone better. I am grateful to be given another chance and I dare not waste the

In 1998, I was born in Ivanovo, Russia, seven years after the country’s abandonment of communism. When I was eight months old, my parents, Larry and Rinalda Rocquin, adopted me, although, at the time they thought couldn’t have children, shortly before I was adopted, my mother got pregnant with my sister, Victoria, who was born almost twelve months after I was born.