Family

From Hope to Heartbeat

Just as I did with my studies, my husband and I had postponed trying to start our family when my mother’s diagnosis came to light. We both knew that time with her was fleeting, and it was important that we focused on her treatment and care.  It was a year after my mother’s passing when

From Hope to Heartbeat Read More »

When the Roles Reverse

In 2005, my mother stopped smoking after 53 years. Four years later and months shy of her 70th birthday, my mother was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma—aka lung cancer. Because of the size of the mass and its location, post-surgery she was left with both of her upper lobes and a partially lower

When the Roles Reverse Read More »