Living Life to the Fullest–Traveling Because of Cancer

There’s nothing like a diagnosis of cancer to convince you to live life to its fullest, as I found when my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer several years ago. 

Living eight hours away by car, it was hard being so far away, but I made a promise to myself to visit as often as possible while I still could, sometimes driving eight hours just for a hug from him, only to turn back around less than 24 hours later to get back to my ‘regular’ life. This went on for two years while he fought the cruel disease. I don’t regret one single trip.
But when my mother was diagnosed less than two years later with breast cancer, my reaction was exactly opposite of that with my dad. I was afraid to go home, afraid to watch my other parent suffer through it all again. It turns out I didn’t have to. The very day my mother found out about her cancer, she scheduled surgery to have her breast removed almost immediately. I explained to my mom that I was scheduled for a conference on the day she was having surgery, but offered to cancel, secretly hoping she’d give me the out. I knew I was being selfish, but I don’t think my mind could wrap around the potential outcomes. In true mom fashion, my mom told me not to change my plans…in fact, she said she’d prefer if my entire family came to see her a couple weeks after the operation. She felt like she’d be able to enjoy our company a little more then. And I felt incredible relief at being able to see her again when I hoped she’d be much better.
As always, my mom proved she’s one smart lady. It turned out that plenty of people were there for the surgery, and they kept me updated about it by phone.
I couldn’t wait to see her after that, though. I simply couldn’t get home soon enough.
And that next visit was honestly the best one my family ever had to my hometown.
Instead of staying with family, we booked a hotel on the beach and turned our visit into a real vacation, having my mom stay with us on the beach, too. We relaxed in the sand. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch on the water, then dinner in the restaurant with my other siblings. We walked to the ice cream store across the street for dessert. We enjoyed each other’s company. We soaked up all the sun, sand and love that we could stand for the weekend.
We knew my mom had faced the devil and stared him down, at least at the moment. And even though I felt shame in not being there during the surgery, I was incredibly thankful for the special time we shared shortly after, a time I know we wouldn’t have ever experienced if I had been braver. In this case, my mom had all the courage and wisdom, and I was glad to witness that again on that next visit.
I know I’m not alone when it comes to those traveling to see loved ones facing cancer. If you have been in the same boat, I hope you’ll join us for our Traveling Mom twitter party next Monday night. You can find all the info by clicking here.
RSVP there, too, because there are prizes being offered by SunChips. The company is partnering with Susan G. Komen to support the fight against breast cancer (you can find out more about that by clicking here. These are the twitter names that might help during the party:
@DesireeMiller, @SunChips, @TravelingMom
Hope to chat with you then!