I am writing this letter on behalf of my mom, Cheryl R. Williams. She was diagnosed with breast cancer on May 18, 2007. As I called my mom from work to hear her test results, I was hoping and praying she would be alright. However, when I asked her what the doctor said, the phone went silent. In that moment I knew that she had breast cancer and that we had a long fight ahead of us.
I immediately began thinking, “my mom is going to die - what am I going to do without her?” But the main thought was “Why her? Why my mom!” I think everyone asks that same question. When I saw my mom for the first time since hearing the news, I remember just hugging her and feeling scared. I could tell she was scared but yet she was so strong! My mom is the strongest person in the world and she can get through anything! From that day on, she decided that this was the card she was dealt and we were going to fight and get through it.
I remember talking to her and telling her “Please mom just get a mastectomy. It’s just a breast!” I just wanted the cancer out of her and for her to be okay. I was getting married in September and thought “I have to have my mom there at my wedding; what if she isn’t?”
My mom had a mastectomy of her right breast and next was in chemo sessions. My older sisters decided that mom would need a blanket to have with her during her chemo sessions, so my sisters picked out some very soft fabric and made a big colorful blanket for her with all different colors that resembled each one of our birthstones! For us, chemotherapy was a time to spend with my mom and encourage her. We made it fun! As my mom sat in the chair getting prepped by her nurse, my sister brought lunch and got it ready for us to eat. We played games and had a good time. We definitely made the best out of a bad situation. By the time my mom was done she would always say, “I don’t want to go that was fun!” We would giggle as we headed out to our cars. My mom went through six months of chemo and finally she was done. She made it thought the hardest part and you could finally see the light; she endured six months of radiation also and then waited a year for her reconstruction.
Cancer is a horrible thing and should not have to happen to anyone but it does and this is life. My mom is a two year survivor and every year we walk to find a cure. And my mom did make it to my wedding, and she was so beautiful.
I am writing this letter on behalf of my mom, Cheryl R. Williams. She was diagnosed with breast cancer on May 18, 2007. As I called my mom from work to hear her test results, I was hoping and praying she would be alright. However, when I asked her what the doctor said, the phone went silent. In that moment I knew that she had breast cancer and that we had a long fight ahead of us.
