I Am a Cancer Mom

I am not a soccer mom or a hockey mom, though I dare say I am as tough as any of them, maybe even tougher.  But I am not bragging.  Although I spend hours on the road transporting my children to events, I do not take them to practice or games. The events my children participate in are more of the life-or-death nature. The competition is fierce. There is no practice for the contest we are involved in.  We have been thrust into the fight without practice and without warning, and even without our permission.  We meet with our team and coaches on a regular basis, sometimes as much as five days a week and for hours at a time, sometimes all day. Sometimes we must live at the facility where we have around-the-clock assistance from our team and access to specialized competition methods.  I cheer them on, but not from the sidelines. I get right in there and fight, too. Sometimes I have to wield the instruments of conquest.  It is all blood, sweat, and tears; my child’s blood, my sweat, and all of our tears. So far, we are winning, but the fight is far from over, and the tide could turn at any time.  Vigilance is vital.  To let up, even for a day, could be the difference between victory and defeat.  We are in hand-to-hand combat, so to speak; my hand tightly holding those of my children and husband, and I’m not letting go. I am a cancer mom.

© Heather Page 2012