This month we donated the proceeds from our POUND class to a local mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Katie received a lovely email from her that we would like to share with all of you:
I walked into work one morning ready to start my shift, put my things down and did what I did everyday before I started my shift and walked down to my patients room whom I had grown close to and against the the rules had become a little attached too. She was losing her battle with breast cancer very quickly. This particular morning though her room was empty. I put my head down and swallowed back tears bc she had told me when this day came to not cry. She had accepted her fate and told me that I needed to as well, with her big beautiful smile. So I stood in her empty room for a few minutes and said a prayer and also realized that she was at peace and not suffering any longer. I will never forget her and her strength.
Three weeks later at the age of 37 I received that phone call that everyone always thinks they will never receive. I was told that I have invasive breast cancer with lymph vascular invasion. Nope not me, I’m only 37, I have no family history, they were wrong....except that they weren’t. My head immediately went to my patient that had just succumbed to this disease 3 weeks earlier . I could feel her sending me strength. I have 2 little girls that need their mother. From that day forward my life forever changed. Could no longer work, over a year of weekly chemo treatments, surgery after surgery. No income at all bc I had not been at my job long enough for FMLA, no family to turn to bc The Lord had already called them home, an absolutely worthless social worker, a husband who had already left us and filed for divorce, and his family who say “well she’s not our daughter, we don’t owe her anything.”
What I did find however is this amazing community. A community that takes care of each other as well as each other’s children when in need. I’ve had people drop off meals, and groceries, and drive my daughters places. We are so grateful for the kindness and for the people who have opened their hearts.
I was speaking to Katie and I was very down about another set back I was facing, and Katie being the amazing woman she is told me about the Pound class she organized in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month and how once again this community has come together and opened their hearts to us, and for that I thank each and every one of you. The impact it has on us and on every other woman fighting this disease is probably unknown to you, bc there really are no words to describe it. So I thank you all for your generosity, kindness, support, prayers, and positive thoughts you are all sending.
I will finish this thank you with my senior year HS yearbook quote and that is “We are all angels with one wing, and we need each other to fly”-unknown
Brigette, Madelynn, & Reece Mitchell Xoxoxo 🙏