I Want My Mama!!!

After I hung up from the phone call with my wife, when I first learned of her breast cancer, I was nearly overwhelmed with the new information I was processing. How was this going to affect our family. My wife homeschools our oldest son. How is that going to work if she is recuperating from surgery, or if she is enduring the ordeals of chemotherapy or radiation for months at a time?

Your mind goes wild with speculation at a time like this. What if we were to lose her? I would lose my sweet companion that I hold so dear. I cannot imagine the void that I would feel in my heart, and the prospects of going on through life alone. The kids would be devastated to lose their mother. And how would I cope if I suddenly were to find myself in the role of a single father?

You start getting a better appreciation of just how valuable your wife’s contributions are to the family, when faced with the possibility that she might not have the health to continue doing the everyday things that she does for us -- or in a worst case scenario, not be there at all!

After a few moments of panic and fear, I reeled my wild thoughts and emotions back to reality. We don’t know that any of these worst case scenarios are going to play out. All indications are that her cancer is in its early stages, and that its highly treatable. Now is not the time to jump to conclusions or to start worrying unnecessarily. We'll just have to take each day, one at a time, step-by-step. That's all we can do. We'll enlist the support of God, our family, friends and loved ones. This is something we will have to face together.

At a time like this, I needed to talk to my mother. Even though it was getting late (nearly 11:00 pm) I knew that my mom would still be awake. She has always been a source of strength to me, throughout my life. She always has sound advice and suggestions. She has always been a source of hope and inspiration. I called her on my cell phone as I was wending my way back home from the mountain top. We probably talked for about 45 minutes.

In that phone call, I learned that my mom had heard of Dawn Ann’s breast cancer, even before I did, since I was out of cell phone range up at the campground. Earlier in the day, Dawn Ann had called my mother to make arrangements for the kids while we went to the appointment with the Surgeon the next day (Friday, August 24th) . My mother is always a great one to help out in any way possible.

My Mom commented that Dawn Ann had seemed strangely upbeat during her phone call, as she had been with me as well. We were surprised by her lack of panicking. Her attitude helped us to better grapple with the bad news.

It was a great comfort to talk my mother right away after hearing the news. It was good to just talk it out to help relieve some of the emotions that I was feeling. I am so grateful for her willingness to help out. I know we will be calling upon her for help many times in the coming months. Thanks for being there for us, mom!