IT’S THE SMALL THINGS

Ever since my mom’s ordeal with breast cancer in 2014, October has become a blessed month for me. For starters, it is a month that celebrates a lot of Feast Days – Saint Therese on the first, Guardian Angels on the second, and our Lady of the Holy Rosary on the seventh, to name a few. So much so, that I chose to get married in October last year, in the midst of a pandemic. Ever since 2014, October to me, has been lucky. It has been a month of hope and promise – it was then as much a month of answered prayers and miracles, as it remains to be now. October gives me new perspective, meaning and a renewed faith. Moreover, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) and suffice to say, I have never seen October the same way since my mom faced breast cancer head on, and kicked it in the butt.

Ever since then, I have viewed pink ribbons under a different light, and I have an extra soft spot (call me a sucker) for supporting breast cancer fundraisers and campaigns. No one ever wants to hear the word “cancer” associated with themselves, or any of their loved ones. But sadly, it exists in this world of ours, and despite technological advances, it is still a very tough and harrowing battle to say the least. So much so that those who have survived (and continue to survive) it share a special bond with each other, and I have never known the importance and value of a strong support system until I needed one.

Cancer does not only affect the patient. It affects the family as well – emotionally, mentally, physically and financially. With everything else going on in the world, it is so easy to dismiss it as just “another problem” someone and their family are going through. But believe me when I tell you I would not wish it on anyone. In the midst of a pandemic when we hear about losses left and right, we now, more than ever, know the importance of health, and that it is in fact true wealth. Cancer is one of those we fear simply because there is really no proven way to prevent it – it can be genetic, and it can just happen, even to those who live the healthiest of lifestyles. It is one of those journeys that changes you. In my experience, it truly allowed me to gain perspective on so many things.

Needless to say, my mom is the one of the lucky ones to survive. She is blessed to have overcome it so quickly, have the cause identified, and she has been cancer free since her mastectomy. That is not to say however that the fear did not exist. It did, and simply because I had always associated cancer with death. My mom’s experience with cancer indeed proved that breast cancer need not be a death sentence if it is detected early, and my mom is living proof that of the importance of annual check-ups and breast exams. Her journey has paved the way to give her the opportunity to help others going through a similar ordeal, and has led us to some of the most genuine and kind-hearted people. Indeed, everything happens for a reason.

And whether or not we realize that reason in this lifetime, we will never know. But what I am most definitely certain of though is that we can and should use those hurdles as checkpoints – are we where we want to be, and are we doing what we are supposed to be doing? Are we living life in our terms, or in the terms of others? Am I living a life with meaning despite the restrictions that exist? The list goes on. Next week, let me share with you how to turn perspective gained into a productive avenue. Rather, how my mom wears her cancer survivor badge with honor, and how the color pink continues to give me hope and promise.