When I was 11 years old I was in the hospital with a spinal infection. Around the same time my mom found out she had breast cancer. She successfully fought and beat the battle, and stayed in remission for five years, thanks to the great research done to fight it. However, in June of 2012, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal lung cancer, we believe due to medical procedures from the breast cancer. I was 16 when we found out. We were driving home, after a day of running errands, when the doctor called. When she repeated what the doctor said, we both started crying. We got home and the first thing she did was figure out "what next?"
She fought hard, and she kept her faith strong. In July of 2013, I watched her take her very last breath and go to be with God. I was 17. Watching her fight lung cancer was the most draining and horrible thing. It wasn't until about a year later that I realized there's not enough support for lung cancer research, nor any other cancer. I see breast cancer research spread all over social media, but no other kind of research is quite as popular, unless you're the family going through it. I lost my mom at 17 to this horrible, awful disease, and I want to do everything I can to stop it. My heart is with all the families suffering or who have suffered, and my prayers are with you.
