The C Word

No, not that C word. I'm talking about Cancer.

"You're mom has cancer" the Doctor told me and moved quickly from laymen terms to material that basically would've taken an in-hand doctorate for me to understand (that story is for another day).

But, he always came to back to that single term cancer. They told me it was cancer, what they didn't tell me was that much more than a noun, this term takes over a life of its own. 

According to dictionary.com:

can·cer

  [kan-ser] 

noun

1.

Pathology .

a.

a malignant and invasive growth or tumor, especially one originating in epithelium, tending to recur after excision and to metastasize to other sites.

I put the term in red because invasive is probably the only word needed to define cancer. It's much more than a tumor or growth, it becomes a part of your life, squeezing its way into your everyday routine and it doesn't care who its bothering, it works on its own schedule. 

I quickly saw one of the strongest women I have ever known battling everyday. In addition to life's stress she had to worry about something that should be hidden in our minds: surviving. 

How did she handle this? Humor. My politically correct, j crew model of a mother came home with a do rag on her head and a sweatshirt that said "I have chemo brain, what's your excuse."

 And we laughed and we laughed. Like nothing was wrong, and she wasn't sick, she was my mom. And for a second.... everything in my world was right again.... for a second. 

Proceeds from the sale of these shirts go to supporting the fight against cancer and cancer research:http://www.choosehope.com/product/i-have-chemo-brain-what-s-your-excuse-t-shirt