This week 5 years ago...

This week 5 years ago, I found out my Mom had cancer.

I had just gotten back from a trip to look at colleges with my two best friends. When I got home, my parents sat me down and told me my mom had lymphoma. At the time we thought it was curable, but a week later we found out it was terminal and she was diagnosed the mantel cell lymphoma. She had a very aggressive cancer and started on chemo therapy right away. She went into what we thought was "remission" in February. The doctors told us she would probably be in remission for about five years and then it would eventually come back and end her life. The doctors were wrong. In August 2006 we found out her cancer was back, and that it had actually never really gone away. I had just gotten engaged, so my mom and I went and picked out my wedding dress the week we found out it was back. I am SO thankful to the Lord that we went then, and didn't wait. On August 25, 2006 my mom went to heaven. I was thankful that she didn't have to suffer anymore, and knew that God loved her so much that he wanted her to be with him. I bet that was a very happy day in heaven when my mom went home.

Most lymphoma cancers are treatable and can be cured. The only thing I have found that I can do to personally help is to be on the bone marrow donor list. I hope someday I can be a match for someone and help them.

I miss my mom everyday but I know that it was God's will and she was too wonderful not to have with him in heaven. It is so crazy to see how my life has changed in the last five years.