When I had my first cup of tea, I was in England with my mom, dad, and older brother. By this time, I had already lost my maternal grandmother to cancer. My extended family in the UK consisted of my grandfather, my aunt, and uncle who lived in the northeast of Scotland near the North Sea.
It would be over 15 more years before I learned about the significance of family members suffering with cancer. By this time, my family was back in Canada and I was a young bride living in the USA with my husband. A letter from my mother explained that she had discovered a lump on her breast and she had surgery scheduled to remove her left breast. Keep in mind that in 1970 surgery was much more invasive and involved removing breast tissue, lymph nodes, muscle and fat. I remember watching her try to navigate with a walker but not having enough body strength to manoeuvre around the house.
Within two years the cancer had metastasized and my mother was gone at the age of 45, leaving behind a family in mourning; a husband, a son aged 25, a daughter aged 22, and a son aged 6.
It would be over 15 more years before I learned about the significance of family members suffering with cancer. By this time, my family was back in Canada and I was a young bride living in the USA with my husband. A letter from my mother explained that she had discovered a lump on her breast and she had surgery scheduled to remove her left breast. Keep in mind that in 1970 surgery was much more invasive and involved removing breast tissue, lymph nodes, muscle and fat. I remember watching her try to navigate with a walker but not having enough body strength to manoeuvre around the house.
Within two years the cancer had metastasized and my mother was gone at the age of 45, leaving behind a family in mourning; a husband, a son aged 25, a daughter aged 22, and a son aged 6.
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