And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive.You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over.But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.That’s what this storm’s all about.―Haruki Murakami
A Mother’s Point of View
From a Mother’s Point of View, is the book I wrote to perhaps help another mother who might have to endure the pain of a son’s diagnosis of testicular cancer. It was a huge challenge to get all the feelings and experiences on paper because of the icky memories and yet it was also cathartic. As a mom, you don’t expect to have to deal with anything like this. You are scared. You haven’t been given the tools. Just like anything else, you take one step at a time. You can handle anything.
When my son was diagnosed in 2002, there was very little literature. The internet was in its early stages and Google wasn’t even a verb! Hard to imagine, right? Google was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on June 15, 2006, and to the eleventh edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in July 2006. It’s crazy to think about how much has happened since then and how much valuable information is now available at our fingertips!
Also, if you are reading this, there have been so many more advancements in the treatments and successes in this area. This type of ‘c’ is 98% curable! So with that new information, you can take a deep breath. Imagine it is 6 months from today and you have your life back!
-
- It is important to focus on full health.
- Don’t talk about the symptoms to others
- DO have one person you trust to give the information to and let that one person call family and friends
- Even better is to create a site to update the status GOFUNDME.com or CaringBridge.com
- Research complementary modalities
- Importance of nutrition
- Understand the psychological implications
Yesterday, I received this email. It totally captured my heart. I was filled with immense gratitude. I have removed any personal information about her son.
I wanted to first thank you for sharing your accounts of your journey with your son’s diagnosis.
My name is (name removed) and I am a Mother of three sons. I am a Family Nurse Practitioner and my son (name removed) was diagnosed with testicular cancer 10 days before his 20th Birthday. He found a lump and told me about it, being that I work in this field my stomach sank and I made an appointment with his PCP immediately. From finding the lump to surgery was 4 days we had a big early 20th Birthday celebration with 30 of his friends. We also had to gets labs, CT scans, sperm bank appointments completed in 3 days. Two weeks after surgery we started chemo and have completed round 1 of 4.
Round two starts this Tuesday 5/15/18. Every single account that you wrote was as if you were walking right beside me. I may work in the field but I experienced everything and felt every emotion you experienced, I’m his Mother and the Nurse Practitioner in me needs to sit in the back seat. I pray that all is well with you and your family and I pray for strength for my family to continue this journey and look back on it stronger. You are right, make plans for the future and stick together like glue and keep your circle small. Thank you again for sharing your experience, strength, and hope.
Thank you so much for reaching out to me… You know who you are. You are stronger than you know.
Hang in there!!
