My Dad My Hero

At the age of 11 I lost my dad, my hero, after a 6 year battle with brain cancer. I’m thankful for my innocence in not understanding at the age of 5 the full details as to what the gliblastoma robbed him of. But my sister and I knew that night stays in the hospital and the hospital bed with an IV stand in the living room were not quite normal. The 6 months he was given to live when originally diagnosed turned into 6 years with the help of surgeries, clinical trials, radiation and chemotherapy. Looking back, as a mother of 3, this has given me the utmost appreciation for my family and the time I am able to spend with them.

Rather than dwelling on our unfortunate experience as kids, my sister and I were shaped into strong hard working women. This last fall to celebrate my 30th birthday I had my dad’s initials tattooed on my wrist as an everyday reminder that life is short and to make him proud. I couldn’t be happier to use my expertise to help with the planning of the upcoming Dallas Brain Tumor Walk to raise awareness and fund programs to improve the lives of those affected by brain tumors.

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Opinions expressed within this story belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of the National Brain Tumor Society.