26/08/2018
We are fundraising for the cancer society this week and spreading awareness around cancer. We have competitions happening in school with prizes valued up to $50 to give away. More info coming your way in the next few days.To start of our series "The person behind cancer", we have phenomenal story recounted by a daughter of a cancer survivor.
*THE PERSON BEHIND CANCER #1*
In April 2015, my mother discovered a lump on her breast. This occurred a week after the burial of her one and only sister, who died suddenly. The whirlwind was real. I remember feeling emotions that I had never experienced in my 20 years of life. I was in my last year of being an undergraduate at The University of Auckland, and felt that I could never recover from these two life changing experiences.
In May 2015, after countless appointments at Superclinic, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember being in the room during her breast screening, and when she had her biopsy. Being the youngest and unmarried, without kids, made me the perfect person to be with her during her appointments. It was a pleasure. It is not everyday that you get to watch firsthand, someone fight a battle that many people do not recover from.
In June 2015, my mother had a mastectomy where her left breast was removed. From then on came chemotherapy, radiation, and doses of herceptin. I watched the harmful reaction of these treatments. I could not believe that men and women who experienced cancer, had to go through this hardship.
3 years on, my mother has been clear of cancer. She fought long and hard, and was able to gain victory during this very tough life experience.
Cancer is a vicious disease that has gained many of my family members. The awareness is real and we must ensure that as citizens of society, we are aware of symptoms, and screenings. Although cancer is an experience that no one wants to undergo, the rebuilding of my mother’s strength has been a privilege to watch.
-Miss T