When your mom fights cancer and still worries more about you than herself 

When I were in the third grade, cancer was not something I hadn't heard of. I knew about it always, thanks to the Internet. 

However, internet didn’t show the real face of cancer no one talks about the reality of living with someone who has cancer & how you just have to sit there watching them get worse & worse while not being able to do anything to help them. watching them be in pain 24/7, losing their smile & personality, all while knowing it's only going to get worse & never be the same as it used to be.

Hey, my name is Manar Alobaid and I’m a daughter of cancer survivor and fighter and the story begins:

In 2016, the family gathered on news that shocked us all, that my mother had been diagnosed with cancer. At that time, I was nine years old, and I only knew that cancer was a serious and deadly disease. That year was one of the scariest years, seeing the closest person to my heart deteriorate day by day. Some days, I would accompany my mother during her treatments and see her in pain. I wished I could be the one suffering, and to this day, I always wonder why specifically my mother had to endure this, wishing it could have been me instead of her.

Whatever the case may be, those are weak memories compared to those memories of the wigs, hats, and scarves - the things my mom used to cover her hairless head. She didn't like any of them, but I loved them all. Whenever I would hear her complain about wearing a wig, I would snatch it off her head and put it on mine, observing myself in the mirror and having fun together.

After a long struggle, news came that cancer had been defeated and my mom was the hero of this story. But the fear and panic never end. The nightmares faced by my mom and any cancer patient is that it might come back, and this is what happened.

In 2023, my mom underwent routine tumor tests and was surprised to find them elevated. After a month, they were retested and still elevated. But there was no sign of tension or fear until during the holiday vacation, my mom canceled her tests out of fear that they might be elevated, turning the holiday from joy to fear and tension. For the first time, my mom broke down beside me, seeing her in that state made me collapse.

Months passed, and the tests remained elevated until before the start of the new year came the news of the cancer's return. My mom was diagnosed with colon cancer, which has now spread to the liver, and tomorrow she will begin her chemotherapy. I want to send a message to my mom:

Thank you, Mom, for always attempting to keep me happy, safe, protected, and nourished. Thank you for your kindness, caring, and immeasurable patience.

Thank you for looking out for me even when you think I needed it and for letting me fall when I had to learn by making my own mistakes.

Thank you, Mom, for always being there; for waiting up and worrying, for the lectures and the endless concerns.

Thank you for laughing with me, even though I knew at times that you were also laughing at me.

Thank you for the limitless hugs, kisses, vitamins, and bandaids and for the support I receive from you every single day. Thank you, mom, for keeping me warm, for keeping me calm, and for keeping me sane. Thank you for understanding that there were times that I would be mad at you but always forgiving me in the end.

Thank you for sticking up for me, for encouraging me, for believing in me, and for letting me know that you never expected more than the best I could do.

Thank you, Mom, for teaching me to be honest, courteous, appreciative, and loving. Thank you for trying to teach me to be tidy, even though it didn't work. Thank you for teaching me to try to see the best in people.