My experience with Cancer.. why the RFL is important...

I've meant to write this for awhile.

Nobody can really understand the impact of Cancer until it touches you and your family. My mother was diagnosed with Breast cancer, fortunately in its early stages, 3 summers ago. She had the surgery, she had the radiation treatments... and thankfully, because of advancements and programs like the RFL she was been clean of anything for more than a year and a half now. But her life-- and ours-- will never be the same.

I can't speak for my mother, but I think the hardest thing about it for her was second guessing her whole entire life. Should she have eaten healthier? Should she have not taken hormones? Did that fall she have 10 years ago where she landed on that breast have anything to do with it? What about the deoderant thing? Is that just an urban legend? Do I have the best doctor? Are they lying to me-- is it worse than I know? Have they gotten it all?

Watching her go through that is agonizing, because people want to comfort her, but they say the dumbest things. "I know how you feel." Is not a good thing to say if you don't.

I just found out recently when I went to a wedding, that our mutual friend's mother died of breast cancer about the same time as my mom was going through it. She didn't catch it until it was too late, and did some of the chemo treatments but then chose to live her last days as best she could than struggle through that painfully and-- as he put it-- "be a burden on my family."
This friend and I connected at this wedding and are back in touch now after 15 years. Words cannot express how sad that sentiment made me, and I'm not sure if it is because I got to keep my mother and he didn't, or if it is because I was close to her when we were in high school and I feel his loss a bit. Of course, I can't really say that, because it will seem like cold comfort coming from someone 15 years apart.

I haven't even started to tell the story of my friend who had lukemia, or ..

What does this have to do with SL me?
I really feel honored to be able to be in Caledon this year, actively doing more than just shopping and buying pretty dresses here and there to donate for the Relay for Life. The people are so creative,and have come up with so many good ideas for events.
I really feel like in my very little way I'm actually part of a team of people committed to something important.