Saturday, April 17, 2010

Cancer: Such an Ugly Word

It's a beautiful Saturday morning in Northeast Alabama. I love Saturdays.  They just give me a chance to catch my breath after a busy week at work.  Yesterday, our school kicked off the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life fundraiser.  There was a balloon release, a fun run, and one of our assistant principals had to kiss a pig!  It's too bad that they cheated by kissing a cute little baby pig.  I would've kiss that little darling!  We raised a lot of money for the cure for cancer. 

Cancer has affected so many lives and families.  It seems that you hear about someone almost everyday that you know that has cancer.  It's good, though, that cancer is not the all-condemning word that it once was.  There are so many survivors now, and that is due to research that our contributions make to these wonderful organizations.  I have had two very close members of my family that have had to fight cancer, recently.  First, there was my mom.  About 3 years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It was scary when she first told me.  The reality really stuck me.  Even though you hear about people you know who have been diagnosed, it really hits home when it is someone so close to you.  Fortunately, a mastectomy and 2 years later, my mom is still cancer free.  She never had to go through chemo.  That is another thing that hits hard.  Going through chemo is often so hard on a person.  I saw this when my father-in-law was diagnosed with bladder cancer about a year and a half ago.  He was a real trooper, and most days, he acted like it didn't even bother him.  But, you could tell how tired it made him.  He ended his treatment with a few rounds of radiation.  Just last year he got the wonderful news that he was cancer free! 

I'm so glad that my mom and my father-in-law are among the survivors of cancer.  There are so many who have not survived.  I have not had to experience that first-hand like so many others have.  I have heard their stories, and it is an awful experience to have to endure, just to watch a loved one lose their battle with cancer.  It is often a slow, cruel ending. 

So, today I would like to dedicate this post to all those who have fought the battle of cancer and won, but even more so, to those who fought and lost their battle, and to those who didn't have the strength to fight.

God bless you all...

3 comments:

rachel... said...

My grandfather lost his battle with cancer very recently, too. That's awesome that your school is fundraising, and I LOVE the header picture!

laughsquietly said...

Thank you for this. I have lost both my parents to cancer and I personally not only HATE the word but truly believe it's the worst thing. What you wrote made me not only cry but miss my parents so much more and I don't like talking about it (in general) but always seem to talk about it with people who have had experienced it.

Thank you again and all that you do.

Loren said...

very good cause, Sandra!