Sunday, October 3, 2010

Pink is the New Jen

The topic of this post may seem odd at first, but please stay with me until the end. It has to do with the fabric of who we are as parent advocates for our children. We all have roles we undertake and those become part of our identities. This about a new role for me.

The last two weeks have been rough. One of my dearest sisters, Kristen, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is only 36, and is the proud mama to a 10, 7, 4, and 8-month old. She has just begun her chemo process. And, no, we do not have a family history of breast cancer. Not that it matters anyway. Kristen is still fighting for her life.

It is odd, but I've never been in this position before. You may ask, "What position?"

Well, I've never been the one, who sits on the sidelines watching the nastiness unfold. In the past, I've been the one who nearly died from severe preeclampsia twice, watched my precious fragile babies fend off prematurity, and agonized over the fact that both of my daughters have Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency which brings on liver and lung disease.

Me. I was in the thick of it. I cheated death. My girls cheated death.

Me. I've embraced and immersed myself into the existence I had not planned for myself at the outset.

Me. I've been the one in the fish bowl, where all peer in wondering how and what to do.

Being a supporter on the side lines is an odd place for me to be.

It doesn't quite seem to fit yet. I'm so used to my preeclampisa, prematurity, sensory processing disorder,  and Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency awareness and advocacy starring roles. How on earth can I integrate another one? And a role where I get to feel powerless to provide any real help.

Gosh to integrate another role...hmmmmmmmmm. This is going to take some time, but I know myself. I'll embrace the pink. Kristen is so worth it, and so is her family.

Hopefully, my perspective on being the patient  and dealing with health challenges will help Kristen in some small way.

Gosh, I want to take those cancer cells out of her in some magic way.

Life threw Kristen a curve ball, and I'm going to help her hit it out of the park.

Jenabur shares her photography and blogs about life with the Alpha Girls at Unique But Not Alone.

 

4 comments:

  1. What a difficult position for you to be in. When my sister was diagnosed with cancer it was so very hard for me to sit by and watch. I was there for support but the decisions were hers. In the end I was able to help her move from this world to the next in the way that SHE wanted. I hope that your sister is able to fight hard and come out well on the other side. Either way I'm glad that she has your strength next to her throughout this battle.

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  2. Sending lots of good vibes to you and your sister

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  3. As someone who was just diagnosed with breast cancer and with a kiddo who has her own set of special medical needs, my heart goes out to you, your sister and her kids. Luckily there is so much known about breast cancer, and there are a lot of effective treatments. I didn't do chemo, but radiation was tolerable. Hugs to you from VT!

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  4. شركة تنظيف الفروانية شركة تنظيف منازل الفروانية
    شركة اصباغ الكويت شركات الدهانات في الكويت
    شراء اثاث مستعمل الكويت شراء اثاث مستعمل

    نقل عفش الكويت رخيص نقل عفش بالكويت رخيص
    نقل عفش حولي نقل عفش حولى

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