According to the National Cancer Institute, “In 2015, an estimated 1,658,370 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States” (“Cancer Statistics”). What if one of those cases was your mother? Husband? Grandson? What if more horrifically, it was all three? For Mary Kenyon, that devastating thought became a reality. In just three brief years, she lost her mother, husband, and grandson. All three of them battled cancer, and two of the three died from the disease. Through strength, resilience, and a whole lot of faith, Mary overcame grief and shows true heroism by inspiring people and helping them defeat the same obstacles she faced.…
I looked around and I wasn’t in my room anymore, I was in the hospital during my grandpa’s surgery. The waiting room was cold and sterile and the smell of antiseptic was so strong I could taste it. Waves of uneasiness washed over me as if they were trying to drown me. My grandma and my mother were sitting in the room with me and they looked just as scared. I remembered how long my grandpa was in surgery to get his windpipe removed, how I had thought that I wouldn’t make it through the hours he was and that if he didn’t then I wouldn’t make it for much longer afterward.…
There is a lot of pain and struggle in us that we sometimes find hard to deal with. I was a child when I first learned what cancer meant and what it would do to my beautiful, loving and caring grandmother. I was still too young to understand fully, but I knew more or less that she would be leaving us too soon in her time. I saw her struggle with the changes the sickness had done to her body. She was weak and always tired. It hurt me so much to see her in pain and she always tried her very best to not show that she was hurting around us. She would smile and always have words of wisdom. Growing up she was the only person I thought I could tell my secrets to, my grandmother was my best friend. Before she passed I wanted to hold her, be with her and just…
On Saturday July 2, 2010 I meet Tiffany a 10 year old girl that has leukemia at St. Jude Children’s Hospital. We started talking and when she told me she had leukemia I was surprised how happy she seemed, so I asked her why she seems so happy when she knows she has a disease that’s life threatening, her response was “you only live once and if something were to happen to me the day after tomorrow I don’t want to have any regrets “like I wish I did that” I want to know that I lived my life to the fullest when it’s time for me to go.” When Tiffany told me that it inspired me because you don’t know what the future holds. Although this little girl had gone through intense sessions of chemotherapy somehow she still found the strength to influence…
Other personal experiences include two of my siblings, both served in Iraq, who were exposed to enemy gunfire while serving. I lost my grandmother eight years ago, who was my rock in every possible way. My grandmother was diagnosed with Leukemia, which she kept from everyone in my family until two months before her death. I believe family stress developed due to her sudden death. Aside from family stress, I personally struggled with my grandmother’s death, who reflected as a woman with great strength and lots of wisdom; who also taught me values, honesty, and community. Further, five years later, in the year 2009, I lost another family member to gunshot violence, who was shot in the head and died instantly; this family member was also…
His battle with leukemia outlasted his predicted time. His tough mentality brought him through countless doses of chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants. Watching him go through this process sparked the first curiosity with medicine I had ever experienced. When Boppa went into remission for the last time, he had one wish; he would go to his condo in Florida or he would die trying. Unable to provide necessary care in Florida, my Grandmother invited me to be the muscle that would help him up the stairs and off the toilet while he was there. Yet again, my curiosity in medicine was sparked while helping him deal with what seemed like a thousand different medicines that he required. The time came for me to go home and soon after, he fought his last battle with his disease. I missed him more than ever and I had a desire to not only uphold his…
any given person knows at least one person, who has suffered from cancer. Talking about cancer…
The lives of most people have been impacted by cancer in some way, including my own. While my mother is a breast cancer survivor, cancer has taken the life of my paternal grandfather and the parents of multiple friends. My maternal grandfather is currently battling stage 4 bladder cancer and recently took part in a ground-breaking medical trial that’s allowed him to be cancer free for nearly a year. Developments such as this or the recent breakthrough CRISPR/Cas9 technology, which edits genes by deleting or replacing unwanted sections of the DNA sequence, excite me about the potential of a cancer free…
With, this came obsticles that would push her to the limit, considering that, staying healthy was her biggest concern. Chemotherapy made that a tough task, food tasted bland, and made her feel sick through most of the treatment yet, she stayed strong through the whole thing. This was delightful for me, and everyone else, knowing that she would be with us for more days to come. The recovery days of treatment went smoother, and now she is cancer free. Bringing an end to the story, my aunt has shed light on how unpredictable life’s battles could be. When looking back on this event, it wasn’t just my Aunt that learned a lesson, the rest of the family learned to value each bother…
My grandfather, who is now 82 years old, was diagnosed with colon cancer five years sago. He fought it, went into remission, but unfortunately, it has now come back. Today it is stage-3 colon cancer. He has gone through radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. My grandfather moved in with my mother and me because fighting cancer left him fragile.…
This was a devastating truth that I found out because no one what to find out that their family member has cancer. When my mother was going through cancer I couldn’t stop think about her being in pain and sickness I just wanted to be by her side every hour of the day but I couldn’t because of school. During the time I was at school the only I could think about was if my family was ok especially my ill mother. When my mom was going through cancer I didn’t do so well in school because the only thing I had on my mind was my mom and wishing that I could help take her pain away and be by her side every day. About five or seven months later my mother’s breast cancer was in remission. This hardship in my life was a very difficult for me to deal with because I do not like to see anyone sad or in pain especially my parents. An obstacle that I am dealing with now is a hardship I would have never thought to have in a million…
The next day at lunch was buzzing. Everyone was talking about my home run and our big win, but that wasn't the biggest thing on everyone's tongue.…
Today I will be talking about three aspects of Leukemia; First what it is and one of the possible causes, Secondly what are the recognizable symptoms and what tests doctors use to identify leukemia in a young child. And what are the treatments for this disease.…
In January of 2012 my great grandmother, Charlena Ware, died. Everybody in my family was impacted by her passing, even my extended family. Her funeral was a family reunion of sorts. Although many members of my family were affected greatly by her passing, her death was the worst event in my life that I can remember. Before her passing, my great grandfather, Horace Ware, was the first to pass. From what my family tells me his death was the same caliber of tragedy as my grandmother’s. And after that, my grandmother on my dad’s side and my first dog died. However, my great grandmother’s death affected me the most out of any of those. In part because of my age, and in part because of the many memories I had of her.…
In 2010 my mom was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. I remember the day well; I remember feeling afraid and confused- but mostly confused, as I was promised that my mom would be okay- that she would just be sick for a little while. I remember being told that my three year old sister wouldn’t understand, so I wasn’t to tell her anything. I remember hearing my mom cry as she told my grandparents her diagnosis- I remember feeling helpless. Fast forward two years, and the cancer was finally beaten; my mom was crowned the victor, and I pushed any thought of cancer into a deep recess of my mind. My mom’s hair grew to her shoulders, she smiled more, and once again became the happy mommy of my childhood. Then it was Thanksgiving of 2015. She had…