The way my mom persevered through her cancer treatments amazed me. She also continued to work full time. I believe she kept working, because it gave her a purpose and was a positive distraction from her illness. I was grateful to have some income from filling in for my mom at work while she was at her appointments. However, I was still frustrated I didn’t have a reporting job. I had to wait three years after starting my career before getting a job on air. The longer you wait, the harder it is to get on air. I had worked hard to make it happen. At the time, I thought about how I didn’t want to throw it all away.
After my mom finished her second kind of chemo, she had another CT scan and an appointment at Mayo Clinic. She received the same news. Her tumor wasn’t growing, but it wasn’t shrinking. However, the doctor didn’t want to rule out surgery yet. He suggested my mom have a laparoscopy to see if her cancer had spread. If it hadn’t, she’d try radiation and chemo in pill form.
My mom and dad went down to Mayo Clinic in early January 2016 for her laparoscopy. I couldn’t go with, because I had a temp assignment. I was nervous and praying her cancer hadn’t spread. After work, I got on the bus to go home. Then, I noticed my brother sent me a text saying our mom’s cancer hadn’t spread. It was a relief.
Starting Radiation: Mom Kept Going During Cancer Treatments
My mom requested the last appointment of the day for her radiation so she wouldn’t have to miss work. She also took chemo pills, which were supposed to help her radiation work better. Thankfully, she didn’t have bad side effects. However, her arms got tired from having to hold them up during radiation. Despite her tired arms, my mom persevered through her cancer treatments. The only time she had an appointment delayed was when the machine malfunctioned. So, she finished a day behind schedule.
During my mom’s round of radiation was the one-year anniversary since my uncle Pat, who’s my mom’s brother and my Godfather died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. My aunt Carol, who’s also my Godmother, wanted to do something positive. So, my cousin Nick’s family, Carol, Nick’s friend Tony, my family and I met at my cousin Erin’s house with her family for dinner. It was nice we were together, but Pat was definitely missed.
One day when I was waiting for my mom to finish radiation, a woman asked me if I was Sarah. I was surprised and told her I was. She said her name was Sue. She’d met my dad when he brought my mom. Sue was undergoing radiation for breast cancer. We talked briefly before she was called in for her appointment.
You Look Alike
My mom and I were sitting in the waiting room the last time I took her to radiation. Then, the nurse came to get her. She asked my mom if I was her daughter. My mom said, “Yes.” The nurse said, “I’ve never seen a mother and daughter look more alike.”
I’ve heard dozens of times since I was a kid how much my mom and I look alike. However, that’s first time someone’s told me she’d never seen a mom and daughter look more alike. Then, the nurse asked if I wanted to see my mom’s radiation room. The three of us went down. After that, I went back to the waiting room.
Signs of Hope
My mom persevered through her cancer treatments and finished radiation shortly before Easter of 2016. It was nice she could attend the Easter Triduum instead of being in the hospital like the year before. Her hair was also growing back. It was fairly short, but my mom was tired of wearing her wig. So, she went without it for the Easter Vigil. She borrowed one of my headbands that matched her sweater. My mom also lectored at the Easter Vigil again. I sang with the choir.
My mom had her CT scan and a follow up appointment at Mayo Clinic shortly after Easter. It was discouraging her tumor hadn’t changed and surgery was no longer possible. I felt powerless. I was scared it was only going to be a matter of time before her cancer started to spread. The doctor at Mayo told her to take a break before resuming chemo in a month. He also said he’d put her on chemo that wouldn’t cause hair loss.
I wasn’t expecting my mom to get a break from chemo. I was concerned about what her tumor would do during her down time. My mom had her CT scan a month later. She told me there was no change and her doctor was going to monitor her. I was surprised my mom didn’t have to start chemo again and I was relieved her tumor hadn’t grown.
