In Honor Of My Mother
September 12, 1937 ~ May 23, 1994

Happy Mother's Day (5-11-03)

Dear Mom,
Thank you for remembering things
too important to be forgotten...
For sharing memories
too bright to ever fade...
For handing down a legacy
too rich to ever be lost...
Your loving daughter,
Susan

Living with a serious disease, such as cancer, is challenging. I have created this tiny page in hope that it might provide support for people with cancer.

I have had loved ones who fought cancer and have friends who are battling cancer. My mother is now with the Lord and all of her loved ones who went before and after her. I know we will be together again.

We'll Never Say Goodbye

I cannot see you with my eyes
or hear you with my ears.
But thoughts of you are with me still
and often there are tears.

You whisper in the rustling leaves
that linger in the fall;
And in the gentle breeze
I'm sure I hear your call.
A part of you remains with me
that no one can take away.

It gives me strength to carry on
at dawning of new day.
I think of happy times we shared,
and then I softly sigh.
But this I know; we'll meet again
And never say goodbye.
~Author Unknown~

My Mother, a R.N., recognized the symptoms she had as Colon Cancer. However, once the diagnosis was made we were stunned as we have never been in our lives. Cancer was a blow to our family just as it is to every family it touches. Luckily, our family was able to share our feelings with each other, talk about the disease, and adjust to the changes it brought. There were periods of despondency and despair but my Mother's faith remained strong. She saw each day as precious, a gift to be used wisely and richly. No one could take that away.

  

Cancer is not something anyone forgets. It's okay to hurt and it's okay to cry. Life's about changing. Nothing ever stays the same.

I have found some cancer resources and informational sites that I would like to share with you:

The Seven Warning Signs of Cancer

Questions and Answers About Care for Children and Adolescents with Cancer ~ A fact sheet about children's cancer centers and health care approaches, including clinical trials.

Leukemia Home Page

Ovarian Cancer Home Page

Prostate Cancer Home Page

Breast Cancer Home Page

Lymphoma Cancer Home Page

Lung Cancer Home Page

Pancreatic Cancer Home Page

Colon and Rectal Cancer Home Page

Look to this day
For it is life
The very life of life.
In its brief course lie all

The realities and verities of existence
The bliss of growth
The splendor of action
The glory of power

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today, well lived
Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day.

Sanskrit Proverb