To help you understand, I need to flash back a few months. At the beginning of the summer, my mom started coughing...a lot. She went in for an x-ray & they said she had pneumonia. She did what she was supposed to do, and the coughing went away. Then it came back. She went back in and they found a small mass on her left lung. I don't know about you, but when I hear "mass on the lung", I automatically assume lung cancer. The doctors thought that would be strange, because my mom has never been a smoker.
Three biopsies later, and she found out it is NOT lung cancer...this should be good news, right? Nope, not so much. It turns out that my mom has Stage 4 internal melanoma. Yeah, as in melanoma the skin cancer. This is where the education part comes in. My mom has never been diagnosed with melanoma, so how the heck did she get it on her insides. The doctors don't know. They think it may have come in through her eyes.
The silver lining of all this is that the cancer has not spread anywhere. It could have been so much worse.
I want to take a minute to try to explain how amazing my mom truly is. She has always, since day 1, been supportive and encouraged me to be happy with myself, just the way I am. She has always been a firm believer in the fact that our differences don't make us weak, they make us amazing. She is, and always will be, my role model for being a strong woman. She's pretty much a rockstar in my eyes (and I know I'm not alone). And lastly, she is a fighter...and cancer is going to be her toughest fight yet. She is now undergoing chemotherapy.
So fast forward to 2 weeks ago. One of my very best friends, Julie Hughes, also happens to be my daugther's 2nd grade teacher, and she started something called "Thoughtful Thursday". Every Thursday her class picks someone who needs a little pick me up and writes them letters, draws them pictures, etc. She got the idea from her friend Laura Doran, and I'm so glad she did! Last week they chose my mom. I was very excited when she told me because my mom is totally sappy & I knew she would absolutely LOVE it!
Yesterday my mom got her package delivered and she was super touched by the thought. I don't know if she'd want me to admit it, but I'm pretty sure she cried. It was a pick me up that she needed and so (dare I say it) thoughtful.
Here are some snapshots of some of the cards...so sweet!
So my whole point of this LOOOOONG post is to encourage you to spread some kindness. Take a minute out of your day and let someone know that you care for them, appreciate them, whatever. It means a lot and takes so little.
