The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 13.7 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive on January 1, 2012. Some of these individuals were cancer free, while others still had evidence of cancer and may have been undergoing treatment. About 1,660,290 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2013.

Have you ever wondered how it feels when a loved one has cancer? When the person who has been there for you for your whole life tells you something this horrible? I do. My mom was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer this past summer. It was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to hear. The second I heard the news my head started to think of a million different things at once. I honestly didn’t know what to say or what to do. I knew what cancer was but I just didn’t know what the things that went along with it were, the things the patients had to go through, the emotional aspect. It’s a very hard thing to go through, not only for the patients themselves but for their loved ones as well.

Nobody can really say they know what it feels like to have cancer unless they have it. Before my family and I found out my mom had cancer I could only imagine how it would feel to have someone that close to you, someone you loved with every piece of your heart, be diagnosed with cancer. The only thing you can really do is try and stay positive, and just be there for the person who has cancer. That’s the best thing you can do is just be there for that person.

You may not know how it feels to have cancer but you can know how it feels to know someone with cancer. Not only does my mom have cancer, but my grandma and aunt both have cancer as well. The second that they tell you “I’ve been diagnosed with cancer” your heart stops, you have trouble breathing and you want to just burst into tears.

My mom is my best friend and knowing that she has to go through something this horrible breaks my heart. My mom had to go through six and a half weeks of radiation, Monday through Friday, and three chemo treatments. My mom got sick and very tired. It was hard to see my mom that way since she is normally the one running around everywhere, going shopping, bringing me places, picking me up, and just not being sick in general. Going from seeing her very active to seeing her lying on the couch most of the day, was hard.

I know that I have many people that are here for me for whenever I need to talk, like family, friends, and my guidance counselor, but it’s still a difficult thing to talk about out loud. I am still struggling on trying to find a place where I can be comfortable enough to just tell everybody how I feel. There are many things and places that a person who is struggling with the same issue as I am, can do or can go to in order to feel a sort of relief. There are many support groups that are for the patients with cancer, and there are support groups for people who know someone close who is dealing with cancer. If you’re an HHS student going through this terrible time, you might want to look into Holyoke High’s depression support group.