Meet cute Heather!
She reached out to me a few weeks ago and told me about her touching story. I was so touched by her story and her power to stay strong when going through something so hard! I cant imagine going through what Heather did right now with my little Ryann. Heather is such an inspiration and as she tells her story below I hope you too can feel of her determination to live and her love as a Mother.
Surviving Mesothelioma: A Mother's Story
Whenever
people ask about my fight with cancer, my seven-year-old tells them, “I saved
my mommy’s life.” She blurts it out almost automatically now, and though some
may doubt the truth of this statement, I know she is absolutely correct.
Cameron, my husband, and I were married seven years before we
considered starting a family. When we made the decision, I had a lot of
questions about how the process would play out. Only three months after we
began trying to start a family, we received the news that we were expecting. So
many emotions filled me! I was shocked and excited, nervous and overjoyed. I
wanted to be the best mother possible.
My pregnancy went more smoothly than I could have imagined. During
delivery, a minor speed bump arose, resulting in an emergency C-section. When
the doctor told me what was happening, I simply joked, “At least she’ll have a
round head.” Nothing could assuage my joy at becoming a new parent, especially
once my precious Lily was placed in my arms for the first time. I wanted to
hold her like that forever. Emotion overwhelmed me. I felt more love than I had
ever known in my life. But, nothing could prepare me for the trouble that lay
just around the corner.
Only three and a half months after Lily’s birth, I was diagnosed
with malignant pleural
mesothelioma. If I refused treatment, I had less than 15 months to live.
When the doctor delivered this news, I sat stunned. How could I even think
about leaving Cameron to raise Lily alone? As I sat there, Cameron came to my
aid. He told the doctor that we would pursue the most aggressive treatments
available and began making arrangements for me to receive care in Boston under one
of the world’s best
mesothelioma doctors.
In
Boston, I endured a procedure that involved the removal of my entire left lung
along with my heart and diaphragm linings. Afterward, I recuperated in the
hospital for 18 days followed by a two-week stay at a care facility nearby.
Meanwhile, Lily spent her sixth month of life with my parents in South Dakota.
Later, I joined her there for two months before returning home to Minnesota
where I completed radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
All
good mothers make sacrifices for their children. For me, the sacrifice of being
away from my daughter for her sixth month of life was very difficult, but it increased
my chances to watch her grow up. Being able to be there for her as she grew and
developed was all that mattered. It gave me the strength to endure through
difficult treatments and therapies.
As I reflect on my experience with
mesothelioma, which kills nearly 95 percent of its victims, I realize the power
of my determination to survive for Lily. She truly did save my life.
Thanks Heather for sharing your beautiful story. I was touched and I am sure many others will be too!
