Member-only story
Hey Honey, Mommy Has Cancer…
How to be a hero when you’re about to tear down the world of someone you love
I was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. Melanoma had metastasized to the lymph nodes under my left arm, and the treatment I endured was rigorous and awful. I had to inject myself with drugs three times a week for a year, and it left me shaking and sick.
Cancer, of course, had a far-reaching impact on my life, and left me with battle scars I am still coming to terms with today. But the impact on my daughter, Tabitha, was worse. She was only 8 years old when her mother went from being her safe person to being the reason she felt scared and lost.
Mothers are supposed to be invincible. We are supposed to be the ones who fix their hearts and hold their hands as they navigate the choppy waters of life. We shouldn’t be lying in bed under five blankets in the middle of summer, shaking with side effects. I can’t even begin to describe the guilt. Thanks to me, my daughter now knew that parents weren’t invincible. Thanks to me, the foundations of her childhood had shifted forever.
Hot on the heels of the diagnosis, Tabitha had to face three years of growing pains, including a new school and bullying. She was so lonely. Every morning she would wake up and say to me, “Mom, today is going to be awesome!”…
