I Relay for many reasons: I love community involvement. I love volunteerism. But the main reason I Relay is because I lost someone I love very deeply to cancer.
I polish for to fight cancer
Relay for Life Brownsburg 2010
We really miss my mother-in-law and even though Chris' family was affected by cancer with the lose of his is grandfather in 1995, it wasn't until he lost his mother and me joining the MOM's Club that I got involved in Relay. Then my friend Michelle invited me down to her Relay in Greensburg in 2009 to Polish for to Fight Cancer and I decided I need to go back to my community and Relay. Now it has become a passion of mine. I really hate this disease and want to get rid of it.
My Mother-in-law would be celebrating her 74rd birthday come June 1st, but instead all we have is the memories to reminisce about and the knowledge that she is at peace. I hope and pray that we will all continue to FIGHT BACK and that no more children have to deal with the loss of their loved ones, whether a mother, father, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle or a friend. I know that she would be very proud of her granddaughters Sydney & Bridget, who gets so excited each year to participate in RELAY and walk a lap for a cure. I am so proud to be a part of this great association to help others Fight and Survive this killer.
Here is my story about my mother-in-law and how it affected our family. I know each and everyone of us has many similar stories. For me Relaying is Personal....
It all began back in 1999, on the same day my daughter Sydney was born, my husband and I found out that his mom was sick. The doctors were still uncertain about what was going on with her, but we learned she was jaundice and that the doctors were still running test to find out what the cause was. In less than a week, the doctors knew exactly what was going on with my mother-in-law and she was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Because she was feeling so sick Chris? parents could not come out to see their most recent grandchild. It was amazing how connected our new baby was with her grandmother, even though they were hundred of miles apart and, yet, they had never even met each. We would joke that Sydney and her were both jaundice at the same time, had colds or feeling yucky at the same time too. Finding humor and trying to stay in good spirits was hard, but was really needed because this time was so scary for us as a family. We were all excited to have a new baby, but so frightened about the out come of my mother-in-law prognosis. The doctors felt her best chance was to have the famous Whipple Procedure to remove the tumor. We knew the outcome of this procedure would let us know what her chances of survival would be. We prayed as a family for the doctors to be successful and in the beginning of July we traveled back home to be with mom during the surgery and for her to finally meet her newest grandchild. We were so grateful that surgery was a success and knew that our prayers had been answered, but we also knew that if the tumor came back anytime after that, she would be terminal. My mother-in-law struggled for the next 2-1/2 years, after a round of intense chemo/radiation that was done simultaneously. During this time, she had very low energy and had a lot of stomach problems after the surgery, but we still had her with us and that was all that matter. We believed that she had beat cancer.
On my mother-in-laws last visit to our home in Sept. 2001, I spent many hours in her bedroom visiting with her, playing cards and massaging her feet, which was one of her favorite things for me too do for her. It was the only time that she was able to feel any sensation in her feet because with the surgery, she became a diabetic and now had peripheral neuropathy in her feet. It was the last time I saw her looking so good and upbeat. By Thanksgiving, she was feeling pretty weak and in January of 2002, after some testing the doctors found out the cancer had comeback. We were all devastated, but we tried to look on the bright side, she had gotten an extended time on earth with us. She got to bond with her newest granddaughter and grandson during her remission and it prepared my father-in-law to be able to care for himself and the house. She was given 3 months to live, but lived almost 10 months. She lived out her last days on her terms. She made sure she saw the birth of her next granddaughter, got to spend her last summer at her favorite place, Lake Owassa in NJ and to see the beautiful Mount Laurel Bloom, to take a boat ride around the lake, and to find out where her oldest grandson would be going on his mission. She refused any morphine to help with pain, because she wanted to be active, alert and part of the family. It wasn?t until the day she passed away that she took any?she knew it was time to let go. We were going home every 3 weeks to PA to see her during these last 9 months and speaking with her daily. When we were home she would sit and read to Sydney, put rollers in Sydney"s hair and they would take naps together. I would once again rub her feet. It was the only thing I could do for her to make her feel better and it became my fondest memory of her, she is one of the reasons I became a pedicurist because I knew the power of foot rubs, the soothing power of the hands and wanted to make others feel good. When we were home I would also help her bath her during these visits, which was a really hard thing to do, because I could visually see the tumor growing and I knew exactly what was killing her. It was a very hard realization also to know that nothing I did could change it at this point. She passed away on Sept. 25, 2002. I know that she not only went home to her loving Heavenly Father, but to her parents, who were waiting for her.
Love you Dolly
