Today is the day that my mother becomes cancer free! I am beyond excited for her as she moves on to the next stage of this chapter and as you can imagine it has been an uphill battle. More importantly, as her child and witnessing my second parent battle a disease with such grace and control- I am in awe!!!! Of course she has had her "bad days" but she stayed strong for her children, just as my late father did when he battled leukemia. The cancer that my mother is battling is urethra cancer, the urethra is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus for the removal of fluids from the body. She has chosen to go with a full removal procedure and I support her every step of the way! With her being my second parent to fight this fight, I have found myself feeling quite numb to the idea of what could happen, however I have found comfort in just trusting with enormous faith that this too shall pass.
Do you know someone who is battling with cancer?
When my father was ill, I always questioned if I did enough or said enough to him to encourage him not to give up. At the time, life had thrown us both a blow (I had just given birth to a premature baby at 28 weeks) so most of my focus was on the well-being of my child, I still feel a great deal of guilt because I wish I could have said more and did more for him at that time. With that being said, I know that encouragement and just being there is definitely the best way that anyone could help someone battling with cancer. When I saw my mother at her worse, I would hear her say, "Why me?" and I took that as her having a feeling of being alone. So as to disspell that myth, I did my best to be present (we all did) and that we were all with her and lifting up her up during time. I feel like this time around (unfortunately but gratefully) I don't feel a sense of guilt or sadness because by the grace of God I am here for her. I love my mother a lot (both of my parents) and I would do it all again for her so that she felt the love and appreciation that I have for her because it matters and it helps (it really does).
How do you help them?
1. Laugh with them. It's a known fact that laughter is good for the soul.
2. Encourage them. Encouragement is like kryptonite, no matter the situation, you never know how far an encouraging word can go.
3. Let them feel sadness. Crying is equally good for the soul, it allows you to release the emotions necessary to get back up and try again.
4. Offer to help. If your mother is strong-willed like mine, she may deny the assistance however just knowing that someone cares enough to take on a task for you is powerful and uplifting when you are in time of need.
5. Follow Through. Regardless of whether you are battling cancer or not, everyone needs someone whom they can depend on. At moments like this when you can't control what is going on in your body, the most powerful thing you can do is be a constant, consistent and loyal presence in their life.
I hope that what I've learned from my experiences has helped you and as always, thank you for starting your workweek with me, I will keep all of my followers updated on her progression. Also, thank you for your thoughts and prayers!!! #TeamLynn
