"Cancer Sucks"

That's a sign on the MSTI radiology receptionist's desk.  It does.  Even the "prognosis is good" "not an aggressive type" "we caught it early" kind of cancer sucks.  It's the "C" word, after all.  And it's my mother, after all.  Today I rode with her and my aunt Joan to Mom's first radiology appointment.  I mean, isn't the whole shoot-someone-with-radiation-to-stop-cancer thing kinda counter-intuitive?  Wasn't it radiation that gave everyone who experienced "the bomb" cancer? I guess it's a "good kind" of radiation.  I'm not going to try to explain or figure any of it out; I'm just going to trust that years of treating breast cancer has led to the best ways to do it.  It has taken literally months (~2) to get to the actual treatment, so we're all kinda relieved that we've finally begun.  Now we just go through the daily trips to Twin Falls, 5 days a week, for 33 days and wait to see what happens.  Mom showed no signs of reaction in the 2 hours I spent with her after the initial treatment (the doctor said most people only experience fatigue, and then only after 2-3 weeks into it) but I wondered if her palor and tired eyes were a result.  I think that's the worrisome thing:  Is she just tired because worry over today kept her from sleeping well, or is it the treatments?  For the rest of her life we'll always be wondering, "Is this from the cancer?  Is this normal, or cancer-related?"  Even after it's all done.  Even after she finishes the treatments and they give the "all clear" sign (which we totally expect to get because, after all, "the prognosis is good.")  Everyone is there for support and love and whatever they can do.  The people at MSTI are all so supportive, positive, and enjoyable to be around.  The people at her work are behind her all the way, hoping for some way they can be of help.  The women's center in Twin Falls has offered all kinds of materials and support groups and hotlines.  These things have seemed a blessing as well as a curse.  When you have so many people saying, "Let us help you through this" you wonder if it's worse than you thought.  It IS cancer, after all.  But when I think these scary thoughts, I remember "The Fam."

Mom and her sisters at a cousins' wedding in July.

My mother has the best support system in the world:  her family.  Her sisters and their daughters are always there for each other.  It doesn't matter what, when, or where something's needed, they show up.  When Mom was sent in an ambulance to Boise for heart surgery, some of them beat her to the hospital!  Yes, a call is all it takes.  The rides for the treatment are covered.  The support system is in place.  Bring it on!  We've got an army at the ready!