This story is about my mother who passed away from breast cancer 32 years ago at the age of 47. She was first diaganosed with breast cancer at the age of 35 and underwent a radical masectomy. At the time I was 3 years old and very unaware of what was happening to her. I just remember going to visit her at the hospital. Since I was three I could not go and see her in the hospital. My only option was to wave to her through her hospital window, which was very scary to me at the time. Eventually she came home and things became normal or as normal as they could be. After her surgery she received cobalt treatments for several weeks. My father would take her to the treatments and because I was not in school I would go with. It all seemed pretty normal to me going to different doctors with my mother and father at the time. I guess what I remember the most about that time was the horrible scaring my mother had, but that too became normal. After her surgery my mother was really remarkable because it seemed like even when she went through the cobalt treatments she always had the energy to raise and take care of three children. I'm sure she was tired and did not feel well many times but you would never have known it. When I was about 12 or 13 her cancer came back again and it was then I noticed her stamina was not the same. During my freshman year in high school she was in the hospital and never got out. She passed away in June 1972. I will never forget going to the hospital every night to see her. That was my normal, go eat at a restuarant, see my mom and do my homework in the hospital hallway. After she passed it was really weird because I had to figure out a new normal. I will always remember what a gracious. caring woman she was and hopefully I have some of those traits.

Anonymous
Lindsborg, KS