by Michael
They say that 1 out of 4 Canadians will develop cancer within their lifetime. But I have lost more than that.
In 1984 my mom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. When the doctors told her she had between 2 to 3 weeks to live, she decided they were wrong, and that she would dance at my wedding. I got married 4 years later and I not only danced with my Mom at my wedding, she also got to know her granddaughters. We lost her in 1995. A couple of months later, her brother, my uncle, died of cancer. In 1997 my sister Marie was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, which later became leukemia, and she died in 2001. During Marie’s treatment, my wife’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. We lost her in 2002.
From my perspective, those 1 in 4 odds seem much worse.
I believe it is very important that everyone get screened regularly for different types of cancers to prevent stories like mine. It’s important to get checked not just for yourself, but so that you can be there for those you love.
If you are going through the cancer journey this at the moment, please pay close attention to your daily attitude. Try to be happy as much possible. A good attitude helped my mom to live 11 years after her diagnosis instead of a few weeks. My sister Marie is another good example of someone who lived through her cancer journey with a great attitude and much hope. Here’s her story:
THE PAINTING
Marie was my only sibling, and a very talented artist. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she kept a brave face and soldiered on. When the initial cancer was killed by chemotherapy, we thought that she had it made. About a year later Marie called me with the bad news: she had absolutely no bone marrow left and needed me to be checked as a possible match for a bone marrow transplant. Of course, I gladly volunteered to be tested and the good news came about a week later – we were a perfect 6 out of 6 match. I was a valid candidate for transplant!
During her chemo and bone marrow transplant she worked on a piece that she named “The Painting”. She told me that she really couldn’t put a name to it – it just was! The painting contained her hopes, her personal thoughts, and some things that she saw everyday while sitting in Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment. She would look out the window, thinking about life, death and everything in between.
Marie wanted to be able to help people through their struggles. She wanted people to have hope, even when it seemed like that was just a foolish dream. Hope is one of the words on her painting. It is there for many reasons – without hope we have very little to carry us through hard times and hope made her feel good.
Marie’s wish was that I show her painting to other cancer patients to help them maintain their hope. Please pass this along to anyone who may get a moment of respite from the stress of the day. The emotions that Marie painted here are as real to me today as when she was working on it. I am still filled with her hope.
