"My Mom, the survivor"

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Almost everyone knows someone fighting or is a survivor of some form of cancer. In my case, it is my mother Mabel Saiz, who was diagnosed with breast cancer eleven years ago. Going throught the "survivor" part has been a unforgettable 11 years of having our mom with us. In the mist of the 11 years, I have stood proud of the battles my mother has endured, whether they were physical or mental. I am a true follower of the tactics of spiritual, mental and physical forms of therapy. It is very hard to find strength in all of these tactics when hardship falls so close to home. In this case my mother was diagnosed with metastasized breast cancer stage 3, three weeks before Christmas 2004. In any case, you find any sort of instinct to fight the battle to cure or prolong life. Positively, going forth, that is what my sisters and I did. The most rational way is doctors, chemotherapy and radiation in my mother's case. Now, I am not the biggest believer in this rational method of care, but at that point of my mother's diagnosis it is what we were given. We recieved information about a tumor located above her cerebellum. It was then removed February of 2005. Then it was weekly visits to radiation and chemotherapy. She received chemotherapy treatments at the Denver Health Infusion Center. No matter how my mom was feeling that day, she was always treated so kindly. I want to thank the staff at Denver Health for alwasys putting a smile on my mother's face and giving her hope and courage to fight to the end. No matter what was going on in my mother's body or mind, she kept strong, never asking for a miracle, but just asking for some more time to spend with her family. In the early part of January and February of 2006, my mother was at a point of her battle of not being able to care for herself. She was admitted into Lutheran Hospital in March of 2006. It ws then that we received her prognosis of "weeks to months". Our only resort was to place her in the care of a skilled nursing home. There is where we celebrated her 71st birthday. She was allowed to stay there for up to 20 days. We then transferred her to Hospice of St. John. This has been the biggest struggle for me mentally and physically, but, in the same breath, a blessing to know I have a unbreakable bond with my sisters forever. My mother passed away on June 16, 2006. My mother has won her battle, maybe not in a physical sense, but in the sense that we have become stronger. So, if I were to leave any of you that are going or has gone through this some advice, it would be-keep your head raised high, never give up, never believe in a prognosis. Only beleive in your faith and your followings. For they are stronger than any word, thought or opinion. God Bless and stay strong.