Reality Check

And just like that, the world changes forever.

The weekend before Memorial Weekend, I found out my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. My mom found out during a routine mammogram. (Smart woman, my mom - breast cancer runs in our family. Learn the lesson well, women of the world - it's worth the inconvenience to get checked.) Anyway, this past Friday she went in for surgery to remove it. The doctor removed the tumor, along with 8-10 lymph nodes, a relatively small amount, and part of her breast. The doctor was confident he got everything. She had to spend one night in the hospital, then was able to come home and relax. Next up is probably some radiation treatment.

Needless to say, my wife, daughter, and I made a last-minute trip up north. We felt it was important to be there as a show of support. Besides, what better distraction than a cute 1-year-old who my family absolutely adores? It was a worthwhile trip, as there were plenty of smiles and laughs all around.

Where things go from here, no one knows. My folks consider this a "bump" in life's road, and I can consider it nothing greater as well. I am however still getting used to the concept of my mom as an official "cancer survivor". "Mom" and "Busha" were and always will be more fitting labels.