Hug your loved ones

Today was a wonderful day! My mom went for her yearly checkup on her breast cancer and got AMAZING news-she is now five years cancer-free, and truthfully, I'm not sure I've ever heard her sound so relieved. Granted, my mom is a bit dramatic about the annual checkup (shocking that we're from the same gene pool!) considering hers has been one of the most minor cases I've heard of, but cancer is cancer, and it can't be easy for anyone. I feel so extremely fortunate that I am blessed enough to have both of my parents alive and (now)well, and that my son is lucky enough to have all four of his grandparents around to spoil him. Things could have gone very differently with that dreaded diagnosis, and we are so very lucky they didn't.

I'll never forget the day my parents told us about the diagnosis. I had returned from school over labor day weekend of my senior year to help close down the pool for the fall. I had gone off to work only to get a call minutes after arriving from my dad--crying. Yes, crying. I had no idea what had happened or what he was about to tell me.

"Mom has breast cancer."

It hit me like a ton of bricks. Cancer? But how? My mom is probably the healthiest, most active and fit individual I know. I just couldn't fathom the word. Cancer. My parents had both recently lost several of their closest friends to cancer, and I had watched their kids lose their parents- something I couldn't imagine going through. Immediately my brain took me to the image of my dear grandmother sitting in the hospital hooked up to tubes. I just couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that my mom was now a victim as well.

We waited and waited for news, updates, anything we could get. I said more prayers that month than I had my entire life. I made trip after trip home from school to support Mom through everything. Then, the day of her surgery came and we all waited with bated breath for the final diagnosis. The cancer was contained, had not spread to the lymph nodes and wouldn't require any further chemo or radiation. Thank goodness!

That was the best news we could have asked for. We all were so relieved and knew things could have gone very differently for us all that day. Each year, when my mom goes for the dreaded annual visit to her oncologist, we all say our prayers and hold our breath. We know how lucky we are that things happened the way they did.

Five years is quite the milestone. It means no more annual visits to the oncologist, and more importantly it means that my mom is healthy and cancer free and here for all of us and for Braden. I hugged Brett and Braden a little tighter today knowing that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Hug your loved ones and cherish the good times. Tonight I will say a prayer for all those who have struggled, are struggling or have survived cancer and for their families and friends, and I will say a prayer of thanks for giving me all that I have.