Health & Fitness
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall....
I have had a confession to make and an apology, and both are long overdue!
October is , and in honor of that I want to talk about my mom, who is a breast cancer survivor. Actually, my mom was a survivor long before she was diagnosed with cancer.
My mom survived raising three kids, two girls and a boy. The youngest daughter was born with heart defect and was in and out of hospital until she had major open heart surgery at the age of four. All through this my mom was strong and kept things smooth as she dealt with the fear of losing a child.
One of the kids turned out to be a real challenge during her teenage years. She didn’t get arrested or do drugs, but she gave mom a run for her money. She dressed in the most outrageous ways; it was the '80s and Madonna and Cindy Lauper had nothing on this kid. She hung out with the outcasts in her school and would not hesitate to voice her strong opinions. Mom frequently was subjected to eye-rolling and arguments, this kid thought her mom knew nothing.
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Then in 1985 when my mom was 45, my dad died suddenly. My mom was left alone to raise her 21-year-old son and 17- and 13-year-old daughters. Once again I got to witness how strong my mother is.
Fast forward 20-something years and here I am with two daughters, ages 14 and 16. I see that look in my 16-year-old's face. She thinks I know nothing, I know she wants to tell me I’m a dinosaur and clueless. I see the eye-rolling too. I owe my mom an apology; do you think it’s too late to say I’m sorry? Yes, I was the challenging kid. Well you know what they say about payback…
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I realized that my mom and I are not so different after all; I have caught myself saying and doing the things I swore I never would! I have uttered the words “Because I said so!” and my mom’s favorite “This is going to end in tears.” Mirror, mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all!
So thank you Mom, thanks for being strong and being a survivor. I would like to think some of it has rubbed off onto us kids. Oh and for the record, you were never stupid and clueless!
PS, If you are over the age of 40 or have a history of breast cancer, go get a mammogram!
