My Warrior Mother
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
By: Stephanie Sharpe-Howe

My mother is 53 years old and is dying from Breast Cancer

My mom is my best friend. I talk to her every day and always have. She was my maid of honor at my wedding and was with me when I gave birth to my son. I can't imagine my life without her.
My mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer on New Years Eve 2008. By mid January she had undergone a radical hysterectomy. I remember how incredibly proud I was of her because of the spirit she had shown after having her breast removed. She was so strong.
They began chemotherapy as soon as she recovered from surgery. The chemo treatments were administered for 6 months. During chemo my mom suffered with a lot of pain and extreme fatigue, however was more concerned about the well being of her family. Once she finished chemo she endured 5 weeks of radiation which burned her fair skin very badly and caused damage to her lung.
Over the year following her treatments my mother suffered terribly from that damage caused by the radiation. It was a huge relief when she finally started to feel better. Unfortunately it wasn't long after that the cancer returned.
In the summer of 2009, she began having vision problems. The specialist she saw confirmed that it was a tumor growing behind her eye but assured her there was no reason to believe it was cancer. It wasn't until 4 months later that she was scheduled for surgery to remove the "benign" tumor. It wasn't until the surgery was underway that they discovered the tumor was too intertwined and large to remove. The tumor was so large it had pushed her eye way out of its socket and she lost her vision completely. The biopsy of the tumor came back and she was told it was in fact Breast Cancer, meaning it had metastasized and was now considered Stage 4. By this time the Cancer had already spread to other areas of her body. Less than a week after her eye surgery she was admitted to the hospital for what they believed was a bowel obstruction caused by scar tissue. A few days later she had a large amount of Cancerous bowel removed. The MRI showed a spot on her brain at that time also. It was decided that they would perform radiation treatments on her entire head and chemo was not an option.
It has been less than 3 months since the recurrence was discovered and to date the Cancer is known to be in her eye, brain, spine, chest wall and abdomen. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy to try and extend her life. She is currently in the hospital fighting an infection. The outlook is not good and we have been told she may not live for very long.
If I ever had real hate for something in my life, Cancer is definitely it.
I relay for my mom, my best friend, the strongest woman I know.
Stephanie Sharpe-Howe
Team Determinators!
Relay for Life 2010
www.relayforlife.ca/kitchenerwaterloo