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Personal Stories: If interested in sharing your story on our website please email holdingontohope2014@gmail.com and in subject line put- Sharing Personal Story. We would love to share your cancer journey to help others going through cancer, remembrance, or survivorship.  Angela's Story:I am A Cancer Survivor: I sat for hours thinking about what I would say for my story. Then finally it came to me. Cancer, It's a word that has been part of my life since the age of 14. It started when my dad was diagnosed with skin cancer which than led to brain cancer. On March 15th, 2000, my father lost his battle with cancer. I was only 14 years old. My mom was left to raise me by herself. She was very strong and she did a great job. A few years after my dad's passing, cancer came back into my life again. My dad's aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. My family's friends were being diagnosed with cancer. Never did it cross my mind that I would be diagnosed with cancer. I wouldn't be one of those statistics, I thought. Only later I would learn that cancer does not discriminate. Anyone can get cancer. Even me. A couple years ago, on August 8th, 2011, I experience the challenge of cancer. Yes sometimes it was a path that felt like it would never end, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I spent months going in and out of the hospital trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I was told by doctors to stop drinking caffeine or I must have been using recreational drugs when I wasn't. Never did I expect I would be entering a new way of life. For about five months, I continued to go back and forth to doctors and Emergency Rooms. Finally, The last time I went into the hospital, I complained my legs hurt. The doctor felt that I should follow up with my primary. I explained to the doctor that if he discharges me I will be coming right back to the Emergency room because there was something wrong with me. The doctor finally listened to me about the issues that I was having and decided to do a cat scan because I could have a blood clot. The cat scan showed I had a mass. This doctor was able to provide me with an oncologist that diagnosed me with Non Hodkins Large B Cell Lymphoma. I spent weeks in the hospital on and off battling cancer. I can now say, I am a Fighter and a Cancer Survivor. Hope and family and friend support got me through my cancer diagnosis. I was lucky. Cancer taught me that I got a second chance to life. Cancer taught me what is important in life and not to take anything for granted. Cancer taught me hope. Cancer taught me there is no reason or excuse to not appreciate life to the fullest each and every day. Life throws curve balls when we are not expecting it. We need to figure out why we are given these challenges and how we can overcome these challenges into ways of impacting others positively or making a difference in others lives. The challenge from cancer helped me realize that I wanted to give back to our community. Holding onto Hope helps families impacted by cancer. There are many people we serve through Holding onto Hope that do not have the support of family or friends. Some families have to rely on their social security disability check to take them from Wayne County to Monroe County for treatments. Which leads them to not have enough money to pay for food or become late in their rent or mortgage which could lead to eviction. Other individuals and families we help, have family support, but have lost their jobs due to their illness or their family members illness. This causes a financial burden. With your support, today and throughout the year, it helps these individuals and families that have financial burden due to the word cancer. This is why Holding onto Hope Exist. So, no one fights cancer alone. That way they know that the Community is behind them and fighting alongside them to beat cancer. |
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