The word "cancer" is scary. We use it so flippantly, but the reality is no one wants to have a doctor say those words. It’s devastating. It changes your outlook on life from that point on. I have not been affected by blood cancer, but cancer in general has been a part of my family for as long as I can remember. My mother had breast cancer when I was a child. I can remember her getting chemo and the effects that it had on her. It affected all of us. Even now, because of her legacy, there are extra screenings I have to do yearly. I wasn’t too aware of what that word meant back then. It was just a memory of a time when Mom looked so sick. It wasn’t until my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer that it really scared me. He came in just for a routine test, and the doctor sat us down and told us the news. I was devastated, and it wasn’t me who had cancer. Everything from that point on changed. We didn’t know how to act or what to say. I was supposed to be lifting my husband up, and all the while, inside, I was terrified. What do you say to a person when their world comes crashing down? You start looking at statistics. You Google treatments. You pray a whole lot. You feel helpless.
Jennifer
Advocate, supporter, donor
