My Mom’s Incredible Journey
Today is International Women’s Day and I’ve been reflecting a lot about the women who have inspired me the most throughout my life. There are so many women who are important to me, and who have influenced me in my life, but no one truly compares to my mother. I know it’s cliché, but my mom is my hero through and through. Her journey through life has brought me so much inspiration, and nothing can compare to the amount of strength she has, the amount of struggles she has endured, and the amount of courage she has shown me.
To allow my mom some privacy, I will share brief details of her past, but I could honestly write a book about her amazing accomplishments, and her triumphs.
To put it simply, my mom has been dealt a really awful hand at life. Beginning at an early age, her health was compromised. Since she was a little girl, she has suffered from acute asthma and lung issues, which resulted her to spending many parts of my childhood hospitalized. She hasn’t always had things easy, she has fought many challenges through out her life with teen pregnancy, a victim of domestic violence, divorce, financial struggles, and too many health issues to count.
In 2013, my sweet mom was diagnosed with Stage 3 Adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer, after miraculously spotting a mass in her lungs during a CT scan due to abdominal pain. It was devastating. We were told she had a 8% chance of living for another 5 years. Through her fight, after countless rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, hundreds of blood draws, medications, therapies, MRIs, scans, testing, and a whole lot of prayer, she is still with us today. 8 years later.
Today, she is continuing her fight, as her cancer has progressed to Stage 4 Adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer, metastasized to her brain. Through it all, she is always putting her family’s needs before her own. I am in awe of her courage, and I have become a better person because of her. SHE IS A WARRIOR. She has persevered through so much, and she is such an example to me. She has shown me what it means to be a strong woman. Because of her, I am the woman I am today - she has helped me find my worth, and has encouraged me to be who I want to be. There truly is no one like her, and I am so proud to be her daughter.
