Dear Cancer, She Is Too Strong For You. Quit While You Can.

Cancer. For a long time the word consisted of a disease that happened to people on TV or somewhere far away. Not to someone who is close to you. Then on September 2010 my Mom was on the verge of stomach cancer resulting from malignant tumors in her uterus. It was detected way in advance, It was checked too, before anything could happen. Touchwood.

But this post is not about my Mom. It is about this amazing woman I know. And yes, she fought Breast Cancer. And is still fighting it in more ways than one. She is 50 and she is "funner" than most 25 year olds. Especially when drunk. Probably the coolest wine glass topper there is. But that is not why I call her amazing. There is so much happening with her and so much that has happened in the past year (that I have heard of) that she has every excuse to be a little sad or a little weak at times. But, hell to the no, she is not one to do any of that. It hardly ever shows on her face. She hardly ever mopes over anything. She always looks at you with a sparkle in her eyes and a smile on her lips. When the music is on, she'll be the first to dance...or the first one to make plans for eating out when things get dull. In the past 3 months or so that I have come to know her the only thing that she has ever been is positive. And she has so much love to give! That love inside of her is magical. And when it comes to showering it over us, she never holds back.

Except for a moment today her resolve, her strength wavered a little bit. Just a tiny little bit. We went to the Hospital today. Just the two of us. Liver Ultrasound. Everything was near about perfect. She came out and I could almost ‘see’ the wave of relief washing over her. Her eyes glazed up with tears as she said, ‘Everything is OK, Pooja. I’m so happy. I really want to see my grandchildren. I really want to play with them.’ I told her that she will because she is too strong for Cancer. I held her hand and we walked out. I turned and the smile was back. So was the sparkle. I smiled to myself and thought:

Dear Cancer, 

This is not a woman you want to mess with. You see that resolve? She’s going to fight you and beat you to death. So don’t come back. You know she’s too strong for you. Quit while you can.