Don’t get me wrong….I know that ANYTHING can take me at ANY time, but if I can help to prevent it, I sure will! I am not God and I don’t have the end all say. Watching my mom go through hereditary diffuse gastric cancer was AWFUL. I don’t wish it on anyone and because I have the option to LIVE even without a stomach so Paige and Sean won’t watch me go through it, that’s just what I’ll do.
My mom HATED taking pictures, but here are a few. If you knew my mom, you might remember her looking this way. She was BEAUTIFUL inside and out!!
This is a picture the summer before she past. I believe she was still doing cancer treatment at this point and had already had 80% of her stomach removed.
The next is after being treated with chemo and radiation. She was much thinner and lost all her hair, so she had a wig on here.
The last photo was taken at Thanksgiving. She past December 19, 2004. This picture hurts SO much!!! She looks SO sick and it breaks my heart. I NEVER want Paige to EVER have to see me that way! (THANK YOU to Ruth for sending me a whole photo album FILLED with pictures and memories!!!)
My mom HATED taking pictures, but here are a few. If you knew my mom, you might remember her looking this way. She was BEAUTIFUL inside and out!!
This is a picture the summer before she past. I believe she was still doing cancer treatment at this point and had already had 80% of her stomach removed.
The next is after being treated with chemo and radiation. She was much thinner and lost all her hair, so she had a wig on here.
The last photo was taken at Thanksgiving. She past December 19, 2004. This picture hurts SO much!!! She looks SO sick and it breaks my heart. I NEVER want Paige to EVER have to see me that way! (THANK YOU to Ruth for sending me a whole photo album FILLED with pictures and memories!!!)
I know removing your stomach seems a bit excessive, but in my eyes….when it’s GENETIC and there’s nothing I can do to prevent it (I've had several people say, "just keep yourself healthy"...I wish it was that easy) and with an 83% chance of getting it and only 4% chance of survival IF I get it, then NOT removing my stomach when I KNOW I can live without it seems excessive. I know this isn’t for everyone…not even knowing about the genetic mutation is for everyone, but I’m here to live for Sean and Paige & to me it seems crazy to not even CONSIDER knowing about the mutation or removing your stomach when you have those chances against you. I miss my mom SO much and it’s been hard not having her here for SO many special moments (college graduation, getting married, having Paige, etc.) and I NEVER want Paige to have those sad feelings during such great moments in her life!!! I will fight to be here FOREVER if I can!!
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