Guest Blog Post - Reilly

Today is a very special post from my amazing son, Reilly. When I was diagnosed with cervical cancer, he was 11 - a very difficult age to even begin to understand what cancer means, especially when it was his mom who was sick. I am so thankful for his support and his bravery. He really was my rock during my illness and recovery.

When I found out that my mom was diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t know how to respond. I was in shock, definitely, but I couldn’t respond. She then told me it probably wasn’t going to kill her, that helped but she said probably and that just, raced through my mind. She told me she was going to have her surgery, and that would take out the cancer and that I was welcome to come to the hospital for support. When the day came for the surgery I didn’t really know what to do. It wasn’t long until she came out of the operating room, alive and cancer-free. The next day she had to tell me there was a small chance of it coming back, but nothing to worry about. The way my mom persevered in this scary time really made her a trooper. I am proud to say my mom is 18 months cancer-free and she plans to keep it that way.