LIVESTRONG Day Activity - Blogging Against Cancer -- Wednesday, May 17

Today is the "LIVESTRONG Day" and people are encouraged to raise awareness about cancer survivorship issues by blogging against cancer. The aim is a united voice to speak out on behalf of the needs and issues of cancer survivors across the country.

When I think about LIVESTRONG Day I get sad. I'm happy for all of the survivors out there, but I'm sad about my personal loss of my Mom on 3/26/2005. I watched cancer rob a energetic vivacious woman of her life in just 12 short weeks.

I watched my Mom maintain her dignity and strength as pain, nausea, and sickness stole her freedom. I watched her world grow smaller. I watched her bravery in the face of the inevitable. She showed me courage. She showed me how to live your faith. She showed me how to maintain dignity when your body betrays you. She showed me caring and compassion as she got to know and comfort each of her caregivers. I watched as she showed me that quality of life matters. Why fight to keep living if you have no quality of life. People of faith have something to look forward to when they leave this life.

My mom showed me a faith beyond compare. She never had doubts for a moment about what comes next. She was ready to let go of the pain and suffering her life became -- she was ready to step into eternal life. She showed me faith in the face of fear. She showed me resolve in the face of the inevitable. She showed me what really matters in life. She made me fear death less in the way that she could be so strong in the face of her own mortality. She never questioned "why me?" She said we could as God when we got there. She accepted but didn't give up on the hope that prayer could bring a miracle if that was God's will. If not, so be it. She was sorry for what she would miss but felt she'd had more of a life than she'd ever dreamed possible. What a great way to view life. She never felt robbed. I try to remind myself of this. I want to honor her memory by keeping bitterness at bay.

I honor her memory today and continue to pray for a cure. We know people who had "worse" cancers who are still here. We know people who were not expected to survive but did. I'm happy for them. I'm sorry my Mom wasn't one of the lucky ones, but I'm grateful someone else's mom is still here. I'm grateful Mom isn't suffering anymore. I'm glad there are 10 million cancer survivors in the United States. Mom might have had a better chance if her first doctor had not missed the signs of uterine cancer for a year. She was treated and in remission for over two years before it came back and spread to the brain (and eventually throughout the body). We wish she'd gotten a second opinion sooner. Maybe her story will save a life. She would be happy if it did. May a cure be found. May all who suffer receive great care. If there is one lesson cancer can teach you it is LIVE IN THE NOW.

Prevention is better than a cure. Be healthy and take care of you. Second opinions save lives!

Enjoy today.