The Real Teal.... to me
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month- a month when SAO sisters everywhere paint their nails, wear teal shirts, and bake teal cupcakes. This year our theme is The Real Teal. I (Meghan) chose this theme because to me, cancer is real. And not real pretty colors or real yummy desserts. But real pain, real fear, real loss.
Back in 2012, my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor that turned out to be a glioblastoma, a very aggressive brain cancer. It had a 25% five year survival rate, and a rapidly decreasing percentage after those 5 years. On my trips home from college on weekends, I saw my strong, beautiful mother rapidly decline due to the chemo and radiation treatments. I saw her lose the ability to walk on her own, eat on her own, and eventually even sit up on her own. I sat by her even when she was forgetting who I was, who my dad was. I listened as she became frustrated being unable to speak a coherent sentence.
At the end of February, three short months after being first diagnosed, she fell into a coma and was hospitalized. We were told that the radiation had killed too many brain cells. For 9 excruciating days, I sat by her side 16+ hours a day holding her hand, feeling her weakening heart beat, counting seconds between breaths, and praying for relief. On March 3, 2013, at 3:46PM, my mother, best friend, supporter, and role model drew her final breath and entered into the throne room of her Lord and Savior completely healed.
Now I know my mom didn't suffer from ovarian cancer, but millions of cancer survivors, patients, and families have a similar story to mine. And while I would be honored to see people paint their nails grey for brain cancer awareness, even the thickest nail polish doesn't cover the scars left by my mom's death.
So that's why this is real to me. Because I have experienced the story behind the smiling cancer survivor faces. I know the meaning behind the ribbons. I've felt the pain, the fear, the loss.
Ovarian cancer, like brain cancer, is a little known about and little advertised cancer. The average 5 year survival rate for ovarian cancer is 45%, though those diagnosed at stage IV can be as little as 17%. Those are scary numbers. And those numbers mean that there are thousands of girls, like me, who have sat beside their mother, holding her hand, counting her breaths, and saying good-bye. It's real to them too.
So I encourage you this September (and every day after) to let the awareness sink deeper than the manicure and become aware not only of the symptoms, but of the real women and stories behind the teal.
Back in 2012, my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor that turned out to be a glioblastoma, a very aggressive brain cancer. It had a 25% five year survival rate, and a rapidly decreasing percentage after those 5 years. On my trips home from college on weekends, I saw my strong, beautiful mother rapidly decline due to the chemo and radiation treatments. I saw her lose the ability to walk on her own, eat on her own, and eventually even sit up on her own. I sat by her even when she was forgetting who I was, who my dad was. I listened as she became frustrated being unable to speak a coherent sentence.
At the end of February, three short months after being first diagnosed, she fell into a coma and was hospitalized. We were told that the radiation had killed too many brain cells. For 9 excruciating days, I sat by her side 16+ hours a day holding her hand, feeling her weakening heart beat, counting seconds between breaths, and praying for relief. On March 3, 2013, at 3:46PM, my mother, best friend, supporter, and role model drew her final breath and entered into the throne room of her Lord and Savior completely healed.
Now I know my mom didn't suffer from ovarian cancer, but millions of cancer survivors, patients, and families have a similar story to mine. And while I would be honored to see people paint their nails grey for brain cancer awareness, even the thickest nail polish doesn't cover the scars left by my mom's death.
So that's why this is real to me. Because I have experienced the story behind the smiling cancer survivor faces. I know the meaning behind the ribbons. I've felt the pain, the fear, the loss.
Ovarian cancer, like brain cancer, is a little known about and little advertised cancer. The average 5 year survival rate for ovarian cancer is 45%, though those diagnosed at stage IV can be as little as 17%. Those are scary numbers. And those numbers mean that there are thousands of girls, like me, who have sat beside their mother, holding her hand, counting her breaths, and saying good-bye. It's real to them too.
So I encourage you this September (and every day after) to let the awareness sink deeper than the manicure and become aware not only of the symptoms, but of the real women and stories behind the teal.
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