Why Do I Realy
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
By: Allison Martell

Cancer has had its grip on my family for 5 decades.....My grandmother in the 60s, my dad in the 70s, my grandfather in the 80s, and my aunt, my uncle and again my grandmother in the 90s, and finally in the 2000s, my mom!!!

WHY DO I RELAY

This is not a simple question to answer. The dreaded C word has been ingrained in my mind since an early age when my dad was diagnosed with Hodgeskins Lymphoma. As a small child, I always remember going to Halifax on The Checkup Trip, and my dad being so relieved on the trip home after hearing that he had a good report. I could never completely grasp what that meant for him. The appointments became further and further apart, until finally he was told that he no longer had to make the trek to Halifax for The Checkup Trip, and that day I swore that my dad had won a million dollars. Unfortunately, this was not to be our family’s last bout with this disease that shows no prejudice. My grandfather was stricken with lung cancer, and as a teenager, I have vivid memories of my grandfather coughing so much that he could not breathe. And in a cruel twist of fate, he died on Christmas Day in 1984; so when most people were getting up to open presents and put the turkey dinner in, my mother and her siblings were getting ready to plan a funeral. Which leads to the next chapter in the C story, and probably the one that has affected me personally the most, this is the story of my grandmother. She was an amazing woman, all 4 foot 10 inches of her. She read everything from The Bible to The Dictionary, and made us all beautiful hand knitted sweaters, the best cookies ever, and handmade quilts that kept us and later her great grandchildren warm. She was the kindest person, and always had an extra potato on in case company dropped in, and always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. She took care of my grandfather during his battle, only to be faced with one of her own later on. She was originally diagnosed with Breast Cancer the year my mom got married, and then went cancer free for many years. In 1992, the ugliest of diseases once again reared its head. She became ill with Breast cancer again, and this time she was not so fortunate to be cancer free. It eventually moved into her brain, and we watched as the woman we called when we were stuck on a crossword puzzle or a lexicon, became a former shell of herself. She suffered from some visual hallucinations, stroke like symptoms, and probably the worse for us other than her physical pain, memory loss. All of a sudden our family library was fading before our eyes. In 1999, she lost her battle, 17 days before the birth of her 4 the great grandchild, my son Trent. To add insult to an unbearable injury, the day we were to bury her, we received a call that my dad’s brother had also passed away due to a fast moving Cancer. So now all of a sudden, we were grieving for two cancer victims, rather than one. That time in my life has affected me in a profound way, making me more determined than ever to fight this disease. In 2004, a friend of mine was diagnosed with a fast moving aggressive breast cancer. She fought a courageous battle, but unfortunately in July 2005, she passed away. This was a special person whom everyone loved. I was saddened by her passing, but I was also angry that disease had taken yet another light from our lives. 34 year old woman should not be losing their hair and going through body wrecking treatments. They should be planning weddings, trips and play dates with their children. I am sick of statistics talking about children not being able to play outside for the fear that it could affect their immune systems, and of hearing that 1 in 8 women will face breast cancer. And two have been affected in mine; my grandmother and my mom, not a legacy that we want to pass on. We cannot be content to let these statistics grow, we must fight, we must do whatever we can to make these numbers obsolete.
I never thought I would have to update this story so soon. In November 2009, Cancer touched my family again; my mom was diagnosed with Stage One Breast Cancer. The weeks after her diagnosis were spent in a fog and a whirlwind at the same time, with doctor’s appointments, pre op sessions, and finally on December 6, 2009 my mother had a single mastectomy. So while most people are worrying about Christmas festivities, my sister and I were listening to Josh Grodin singing Christmas carols waiting patiently for mom to come out of surgery. She was very fortunate that her cancer was caught early, and this was done through her diligence with mammograms. So ladies get those melons squashed and squeezed, it really could save your life. So I relay for those lost, for those fighting and most of all I relay for a Cancer Free future. Seeing my mom in her yellow t shirt the last two years, makes me realized that I am blessed to have her with me, as some families aren't so fortunate, but if I had it my way, the yellow t shirts would be getting fewer, not because of illness and death, because a cure has been found, and there will no longer be a need for yellow shirts!
Another addition to the C story,, 2011 was especially difficult for our team, as we lost our dear friend and teammate Kitty Wincey. Kitty was certainly an inspiration to all of us, and her sense of humor will be missed...This one will be for you Kitty, and don't worry we will be counting how many tickets are sold on the PIE! .