Cancer. That word is everywhere. On TV, Billboards, talked about in class, someone talks about it, someone you know has it, or shoot I even heard about it at a parade this morning. The word is seriously everywhere. And what is mostly said, is about the death of cancer. They talk about preventing it but the surviving numbers are hardly mentioned, mostly because it always depends on the patient and what the cancer does. I have even noticed this. I have talked about my dad's battle and how it ended through death. But what I don't talk about as much is my surviving mom. Yep that is right, my mom is a five year survivor of breast cancer.
I still remember the day she came to me saying she found something. I was about to leave my room with my bag packed because we were going on a mother daughter trip to California for my best friend's graduation, and she told me that she found something and its not good. Than after the trip I remember her coming home baling her eyes out and I knew it.. She had breast cancer. I was 15, my brothers were 12 and 9. One thing about my mom was that she looked at us and knew she had to do everything to make sure she stayed on this Earth as long as possible. She went through a surgery to get the tumor out, Chemo, and Radiation. The Chemo and Radiation was to prevent the cancer to come again. Every treatment made her percentage go down. She is such an amazing example to me. She realized she had to do everything in her power and in the power of treatment to do everything possible to stay.
People say how sad it is that both of my parents have had cancer. Yeah it sucked and still sucks. But because of it I experienced both sides, which is something a lot of people cannot say. I experienced one who survived and one who passed. Neither were any special than the other. It was up to the cancer. My moms didn't spread at all, and my dads sadly did.
One thing about cancer is that most of it can be prevented. You hear it all the time on the TV and guess what, they are not wrong. So question how can we prevent it? First off, be healthy. Smoking can be the result of lung cancer, alcohol can be the result of liver cancer ( I think you get the picture). Second, you feel something.. GO TO THE DOCTOR! I do not care if it is the tiniest thing. It could be something or it could be nothing but how are you suppose to know? Third, do your annual check-ups. Physicals sound pointless for "healthy" people but its for everyone and you never know what the doctor may see or find that you didn't notice. Doing these are not going to fully prevent you from getting cancer but it can maybe change your outcome. This month is breast cancer awareness month. So woman get your mammograms. Do it. Yeah I hear they are not the funniest things in the world but guess what neither is cancer. Lets have more survivors. Sometimes the only way to win the battle is leaving this Earth but why not do everything possible to be able to say I am a survivor! I beat cancer in the butt or even better I have always been cancer free. Don't feed cancer by your decisions...kill it, beat it, prevent it.
I have seen what cancer can do to people, and if I could have one wish it would be that no one would have to see what I saw. Trust me its not pretty no matter if they survive or not. Know about your family history, get check ups, if you question something ask. Please do not just brush it off. You never know what will come of it.
