“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have”(Bob Marley). Throughout my years, Randie Cunningham, the woman who gave agonizing birth to my brothers and I, has always been the backbone for the family. No matter the situation: broken bones, flu season, bloody noses, broken hearts, hunger, and so much more she has always been the calm, reliable parent. Although she has constantly taken care of everyone else; however, the table soon turned. The singular moment from my childhood that defines who I am today is when my mother battled breast cancer.
One spring afternoon Randie was folding laundry and cleaning the house. As she turned to grab a fallen sock she experienced an excruciating pain in her left breast. …show more content…
Randie’s last set of radiation; as we are driving to the radiation therapy offices we both glance at her bony chest. “One more, one more, I can survive one more” my mother kept repeating but the look in her eyes was all doubt. Pulling into the parking lot I notice that Randie was anxious, so I gazed into her eyes and whispered “you’re a fighter”. We glided through the office doors and into the big, brown chair; Randie took it like a champion. As the day went on mom started to feel stronger; however, we were not done yet. The next day she continued to vomit everywhere; she was not able to keep anything down. I rushed her to the hospital down the street and they immediately placed her in a room. IV’s were being placed into her heavily used veins, causing one vein to burst leaving a huge bruise on her forearm. After multiple test the doctors informed us she had the flu, and that it was common with cancer patience because chemo and radiation break down your immune system. They than gave her some medication and we sprinted back home. About a month passed by before Randie could be tested to see if she still had cancer. On April 23, 2012 we finally heard the words we have been dying to hear; “Randie Cunningham, you are cancer free”! As the fresh cut grass tickled my knees and water ran out of my eyes I could not help but smile. My mother was no longer going to leave me, and
One spring afternoon Randie was folding laundry and cleaning the house. As she turned to grab a fallen sock she experienced an excruciating pain in her left breast. …show more content…
Randie’s last set of radiation; as we are driving to the radiation therapy offices we both glance at her bony chest. “One more, one more, I can survive one more” my mother kept repeating but the look in her eyes was all doubt. Pulling into the parking lot I notice that Randie was anxious, so I gazed into her eyes and whispered “you’re a fighter”. We glided through the office doors and into the big, brown chair; Randie took it like a champion. As the day went on mom started to feel stronger; however, we were not done yet. The next day she continued to vomit everywhere; she was not able to keep anything down. I rushed her to the hospital down the street and they immediately placed her in a room. IV’s were being placed into her heavily used veins, causing one vein to burst leaving a huge bruise on her forearm. After multiple test the doctors informed us she had the flu, and that it was common with cancer patience because chemo and radiation break down your immune system. They than gave her some medication and we sprinted back home. About a month passed by before Randie could be tested to see if she still had cancer. On April 23, 2012 we finally heard the words we have been dying to hear; “Randie Cunningham, you are cancer free”! As the fresh cut grass tickled my knees and water ran out of my eyes I could not help but smile. My mother was no longer going to leave me, and