my mom has cancer essay

And some fears may lessen over time. This book points out that a diagnosis that Mom has cancer is as frightening for her children as it is for her. We all knew what was going on, so it didn’t matter if she left her head bare around us. Initially I thought of a celebrity as a person with the most influence in my life, but as I thought about it, I realized my mother has had the most influence in my life, always smiling, laughing and having fun. If you’re an individual or company looking for help making your content better—or you just want to go out to tea—get in touch at, 15% off Career Coaching | Use code CYBER15 through Dec 13th |, mom and daughter courtesy of Shutterstock. This is manifested through withdrawal, somatic symptoms, anxiety, and depression. These statistics are truly astonishing and scary. Hoke (2001) found that adolescents coping with maternal cancer did better in their social and academic endeavors when their mother was more distressed. (2005) reported clinically elevated scores in internalizing and externalizing problems. Breast cancer essay by: Marla Strong- Miller Breast cancer can run in the family. A Letter to My Mom Who Has Cancer A Letter to My Sick Mom on Mother's Day: We Need More Time. Parents diagnosed with cancer reported that due to the illness, they were unable to spend time with and address the needs of their children (Walsh, Manuel, & Avis, 2005). According to the Department of Health (cited in “DOH Launches,” 2008), approximately 10 Filipinas die from cervical cancer each day. They didn't understand much at the time and my son (who is younger) seems to have thankfully been spared from a lot of it. I just continued living as I had before cancer entered our lives. Almost one year ago, my father died from brain cancer. It is a really scary thing. They didn’t feel like we should have to worry about our mom not being around in a year or think about the crazy chemicals being pumped into her body. Being more emotionally involved in relationships and having higher levels of interpersonal needs, warmth, and sensitivity are important factors which contribute to the finding that female adolescents are less lonely than their male counterparts. This provides an individual with an assurance that there will always be someone to count on when problems arise. My Mom Has Cancer Essay you with the required assistance on time. A role change initiated by one member will alter how the rest of the members play their roles. If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! The adolescents showed that they were not affected by the situation so that their parents would not worry about them. The children shared that they had difficulties in dealing with their ill mother’s emotional outbursts. My Friend's Mom Has Cancer It was a beautiful summer day down in Phoenix and the first day of my junior year of high school. It is typical for a nuclear family to share a roof with a few relatives and a nonrelative, which is usually the househelp. The tension or conflict within a family can also induce distress within the child, whether the child is directly exposed to the stressor or not (Sokolova, n.d.). She has cancer. Women diagnosed with cancer belong to various age groups. Such disruption in the family system undeniably exposes the children to many psychological stressors such as: threat of permanent loss of parent to death, temporary loss of parent due to the treatment demands, and changes in family roles and routines (Davey, Askew, & Godette, 2003). Inconsistent findings were found. This is not an example of the work produced by our Essay Writing Service. The Filipino family is also described to be bilateral (Jocano, 1995). Filipinos recognize that the family is the most basic institution in the society and is at the center of the affairs of the community. There were loud beeping noises around the … The following standards are honored and imbibed by traditional Filipino families: “kapwa,” “damdamin,” and”dangal” (Jocano, 1995, p.7). The debilitating effect of cancer on the patient can cause a disruption in routine, changes in lifestyle, and limitations in performing one’s responsibilities. In line with Western theories on family systems, she suggested that any stress experienced by one member can be vicariously felt by the other members. A change in one part causes a change in the entire system. It is also projected that the number of cancer cases and deaths will continue to escalate in the future. This is true, most especially for middle class urban families. Cancer blurs the roles in the family. The high speed of writing is one of My Mom Has Cancer Essay the superpowers our experts have. At that time, cancer for me and probably for anyone else was an unknown monster who spared no life when it hits you. When I was fifteen years old, my mother died of brain cancer. Granted, my brother and sister were probably too young to do much. We could try them on for a while and see what we thought. “Damdamin” on the other hand, deals with valuing others people’s emotions and striving in order not to hurts the feelings of others. So let us take a look at the meaning, causes, and types of cancer in this essay on cancer. These extra tasks required them to make personal sacrifices such as not being able to engage in their usual adolescent activities. It has been estimated that around 12.2 million people are diagnosed with cancer worldwide (American Cancer Society, 2007). At the time, I wished that it had. Based on her research among Filipino college students, females exhibited higher tagasalo traits than males. May 12, 2018 by Athena Sobhan. This contributed to their perception that they were older than their years, after having gone through that experience (Davey, Gulish et al., 2005). She has been my teacher, counselor, role model, and friend for the past 17 years. And while I’m sure the road was more than a little bumpier for my mom, she never faltered in keeping on down the road. This bilateral characteristic of the family makes the relationships within the family system wider and more intertwined. “My cancer is my Siberia” (93), Terry Tempest Williams’ mother concluded. Based on the 2005 Cancer Facts and Estimates (cited in “A Look at Cancer,” 2007), approximately 39,929 men and 32,917 women were diagnosed with cancer that year. Candidates must be a cancer survivor or currently diagnosed with cancer, but do not need to be receiving treatment to qualify. I could write a damned good application essay about it. They felt that their friends could not really understand what it is like to have a mother diagnosed with cancer. Losing my mom has reshaped who I am, how I see the world, and has changed my life forever. I am very proud of my ability to fulfill my true potential in life and I owe all my strength to my father, my reason for living. Erin Greenawald is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist who is passionate about elevating the standard of writing on the web. This was their way of protecting their parents from additional stress (Visser et al., 2007). Some of the possible symptoms of cancer are abnormal bleeding, blockage in the bowel, excessive weight loss, pneumonia, excessive fatigue, changes in the skin and prolonged cough. Informative Essay About Cancer . The roles within the family also have to be re-assigned in order to compensate for the changes related to the patient’s inability to fulfill one’s role. In the local scene, it is estimated that one in every 1,800 Filipinos will suffer from cancer every year (“Philippines’ Breast Cancer,” 2008). Essay on benefits of cow argumentative essay topics ielts my life essay has mom impacted My what do research papers look like. Aside from emotional problems, behavioral changes were also observed among children of cancer patients. Common sources of social support were family, friends, school counselors, teachers, and support groups (Davey, Askew, & Godette, 2003; Grabiak, Bender, & Puskar, 2007; Huizinga, Van der Graaf et al., 2005). Such circumstances subject the daughters to witness drastic physical and emotional changes in their mothers, disruption in their daily routines and changes in family roles. Jillian got a more understated look to match her short, straight ‘do. I relate a lot to this. Shortly after my mom’s diagnosis, I shared the news with my friend Jen, whose mom died from cancer 20 years ago. Several studies compared the psychological functioning of adolescents whose parents have cancer vis-a-vis a control group. I’m afraid that something might happen to my parent at home, and I won’t know what to do. Cancer comes in many forms and types. My Mom Has Cancer Essay to deliver the best results. According to Grabiak, Bender, and Puskar (2007), the behavioral adjustment of adolescents rely heavily on the emotional condition of both parents and on the family functioning. Its goal was to help women who were dissatisfied with their lives to figure out what would make them happy. As per studies, in India, we see 1300 deaths due to cancer every day. (2007) revealed that adolescents whose parents have cancer displayed a significantly higher level of anxiety compared to the age-normed sample. This is my most vivid memory from the time my mom had breast cancer. Despite the changes in the society, in light of modernization, Jocano (1995) found that many Filipino parents continue to inculcate the following cultural ideals to their children: “paggalang,” which is giving respect to people and venerated customs; “pagbabalikatan,” which is empathizing and sharing the burden of others; “pagbabayanihan,” which is cooperating with one another; and” pagmamalasakit,” which is being considerate and concerned with other people’s welfare (Jocano, 1995, pp.7-8). This favorable social functioning may be attributed to the strong social support which the adolescents actively seek and maintain. Not yet old enough to own makeup, I dove into my mom's drawer. All of my friends were waiting for me outside on the wall, which is right outside of BigB’s. Fies has managed to capture, in word and graphic panels, the thousand emotions and moments that swirl about a family when cancer changes their lives. My Mom Has Cancer Essay the personal information you disclose when using our service will remain safe with us. This was consistent with the findings of Kristjanson et al. However, some teenagers expressed that their friends had difficulty empathizing with their situation. All of my friends were waiting for me outside on the wall, which is right outside of BigB’s. The well-being of the family members and the family’s functioning depend greatly on the interaction of the subsystems (Faulkner & Davey, 2002). Another source of the eldest children’s stress was their informal role of being next to their parents in terms of responsibility and authority. All work is written to order. I explained the type of cancer she … Researchers have acknowledged that it is also necessary to look into the effect of cancer within the context of the family. 156 Shares Dear Mom, I … Moreover, a chronic illness is any disease that can have a long term effect on the body. Dealing with my mom's breast cancer made me adapt to the stressors of life, and it showed me the amazing strength my mom has. Your mother is an important figure in your cancer risk profile if she has or has had breast cancer. Internalizing problems refer to turning one’s emotions inward. Thus, when the mother is not well enough to carry out her responsibilities, adolescent daughters take over in caring for the family. This feeling further highlights the sense of isolation which the adolescents sometimes feel. With this new role, adolescent daughters assume a considerable number of their mothers’ household responsibilities. This is my most vivid memory from the time my mom had breast cancer. Early on, we had a family meeting so my parents could announce, “Your mom has cancer,” and then another one later to tell us, “The radiation didn’t work, so we’re going to try chemo.” I’m not even sure now if all of these memories are real or if they are just made up from what I believe cancer memories should involve. They had to adapt to seeing their usually healthy parent slowly become weak and ill (Davey, Askew, et al., 2003). There were also cases of less communication, decrease in supervision, and lack of consistency in discipline and nurturance. By going beyond the immediate family, the individual can draw support and security from both the immediate and extended family. I don't think they wanted cancer to infect our lives, too. Visser et al. So if you want to achieve the best My Mom Has Cancer Essay grades, come to us. A significant number of women who belong to this population are mothers. It is estimated that 30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer has one or more dependent offspring still under her care (Faulkner & Davey, 2002). A chronic illness is a general term describing the length of time of a disease’s symptoms. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. Study for free with our range of university lectures! In this case, the whole system has to make corresponding changes in their behavior in order to compensate for the disruption in the roles among the members. You don't want to My Mom Has Cancer Essay see your paper destroyed by inexperienced writers, do you? If your dad, mom, or a first degree relative has had lung cancer, you are at higher risk than general population to develop the same condition. I would spend the day at school, then come home to find my mom on the couch—“resting,” as she called it. Young and middle-aged women are at great risk of developing cancer. Her findings suggest that the tagasalo generally possesses the following characteristics: strong sense of responsibility, good listener, nurturant, peacemaker and a strong need for control. She’d been sick and receiving treatment in France for the past eleven months. Sure, there are the memories of the days after she had undergone a particularly bad treatment, when we would tiptoe around the creaky wood floors upstairs whispering, "Shhh, Mom's sleeping." I thought that if it had been more traumatic I could have gained something from it. I relate a lot to this. They based this suspicion on the mood and behavior changes in their mother. But we figured they deserved a chance. As of 2008, the Philippines had the highest reported cases of breast cancer in Asia, even surpassing other European countries (“Philippines’ Breast Cancer,” 2008). On the contrary, most students keep asking why they even need to write essays on such adverse topics. She didn't really like any of them, but I loved them all. Being diagnosed with cancer at this stage in one’s life can be stressful and in some cases, traumatic. Or maybe the idea of not having one of my loved ones around would help me treasure all the time I have with them. Every member of the family, especially the children, has to adjust to the emotional burden, physical demands, and lifestyle changes which cancer brings about. My Mom also has Lung cancer with bone mets. The qualitative study of Forrest, Plumb, Ziebland, and Stein (2006) reported that children already suspected that something was wrong even before they were told about their mother’s diagnosis. Much of past research on cancer has focused mainly on the psychological impact of cancer on the patients themselves (Veach, 1998). The initial emotional responses were shock and disbelief, followed by devastation and intense feelings of sadness (Davey, Askew, & Godette, 2003; Davey, Gulish, Askew, Godette, & Childs, 2005). I learned and grew, not because of my mother's disease, but in spite of it. This makes the children the most vulnerable members of the family because they can be easily affected by the stresses experienced by the family (Carandang, 1987). Based on the worldwide proliferation of cancer cases, this disease is now considered to be a major health problem. The teenagers expressed that they felt guilty because their own lives were normal, whereas their mother was enduring the painful physical and psychological consequences of cancer. The breast is the most common cancer site among Filipinas. Some adolescents showed a decline in their academics and attendance (Visser et al., 2003; Grabiak, Bender, & Puskar, 2007. As a reaction to these changes, the entire family undergoes a process of emotional distress characterized by disbelief, denial, and initial resistance to the diagnosis. They were able to empathize with their mother’s suffering but they expressed guilt about their own situation. Being the eldest, they had to take on additional household responsibilities, including caring of their ill mother and younger siblings. No matter how urgent the deadline of My Mom Has Cancer Essay your paper can be, you will get it My Mom Has Cancer Essay on time. The Association of Cancer Patients in Finland has published a handbook for cancer patients: Even though they were less convinced that things will work out, they took more initiative in handling the medical concerns of their mother (Gilbar & Borovik, 1998). There are around 100 types of cancers that impact the human body. She still had that same pretty face, beautiful eyes, lovely shaped lips and brilliant mind. I was a middle school girl wrapped up in my own world. Being the protectors, the children absorb the family’s stress and respond through their behaviors. And if I had learned all these things through a traumatic experience with cancer, I could write a damned good application essay about it. Lung cancer is a common cancer, and even it often leads to death (it ranks the first common cause of death due to cancer). My Mom has had many scares of thinking that she had breast cancer because people in her family have it. Thus, the Filipino family tends to be protective of its members, as a way to preserve not only the individual but the entire system as well. In some cases, these stresses are manifested through the children’s behavior. It proposes that all the subsystems within the family interact and affect each other (Faulkner & Davey, 2002; Papadopolous, 1995). Adolescents felt that their peers were positive sources of support with whom they could talk openly about their feelings and fears. The adolescents’ emotional difficulties partly stemmed from feeling powerless over their parent’s illness. These symptoms do not appear in the initial stages of cancer and are often dismissed as general bodily issue… Erin previously helped build The Muse’s beloved daily publication and led the company’s branded content team. This is due to gender role socialization, which dictates that women are expected and trained to take care of household matters (Liwag, Dela Cruz, & Macapagal, 1998). You can view samples of our professional work here. There are inconsistent findings in terms of the children’s school performance. New cancer cases are estimated to increase from 11.3 million in 2007 to 15.5 million in 2030 (WHO, 2008). My bond with my family grew more by laughing together than by worrying together. I found out today that cancer has a … This research will look into the psychological impact of maternal cancer on adolescent daughters, specifically in terms of emotional, behavioral, and social functioning. In the end, they both looked fabulous, worthy of being put on display. This additional burden makes adolescent daughters the most vulnerable to experience psychological distress. Mothers with cancer are forced to shift their role from taking care of their family to the one being cared for. thank you for watching this video, I need all the support I can get right now. Cancer comes in many forms and types. According to the family systems theory, the condition of one family member influences the condition of other family members. It was also found that adolescents who experienced difficulty with behavioral adjustment perceived their families as having poor quality of communication, responsiveness, and involvement. Their distress arose from their considerable worry about their mother’s health and fear of losing their mother from cancer (Davey, Askew, et al., 2003; Davey, Gulish, et al., 2005; Grabiak, Bender, & Puskar, 2007; Kristjanson, Chalmers, & Woodgate, 2004; Walsh et al., 2005). This was supported by the study of Faulkner and Davey (2002) which revealed that parental cancer can lead to impaired parenting. I am not able to deal with the this and there are lot of expectations from me being the man of the house. We even have an urgent delivery option for short essays, term papers, or research My Mom Has Cancer Essay papers needed within 8 to 24 My Mom Has Cancer Essay hours. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? It has to be taken into consideration that the Filipino family is usually comprised of immediate family members, as well as extended relatives. Don’t worry: you won’t lose your money on the way to buying high-quality essays. Looking for a flexible role? This refers to the establishment of close relationships with relatives from both the sides of the mother and father. Compas, Worsham, Ey, and Howell (1996) assessed the emotional distress experienced by children of cancer patients by looking into their depression and anxiety. Recently, the battle against cancer has started to affect younger women. It has shaped my entire college experience, my everyday life, and my plans for the future. When I was fifteen years old, my mother died of brain cancer. The entire family is subjected to the repercussions of dealing with maternal cancer. The family is defined by Buckley (as cited in Papadopolous, 1995) as a system made up of sets of different parts which are interdependent and interconnected. We even have an urgent delivery option for short essays, My Mom Has Cancer Essay term papers, or research papers needed within 8 to 24 hours. My research mentor shared his oncology books with me and I learned that my Mom's type of cancer carried a 40% five-year survival rate at the time. A short section at the back of each book offers related advice to parents. The Cancer Survivors Fund provides scholarships for cancer survivors who are residents of the United States. After chemotherapy and surgery, my mom officially went into remission in March 2011. Older siblings, most especially the daughters, are commonly expected to fulfill the role of being the family’s “tagasalo.” Daughters are groomed at an early age to assist in tasks which are domestic and nurturant in nature, such as household chores and caretaking duties. I was 35 at the time, married and with a young family of my own. Company Registration No: 4964706. But I was 12, and a mature 12 at that. Although no significant differences were found in terms of psychological distress, a percentage of the adolescents of cancer patients exhibited scores within the clinical range. Aside from dealing with worry over the ill parent’s condition, the adolescent children in the family felt that their lives were complicated due to the additional responsibilities they had to carry out in order to augment the deficiencies caused by maternal cancer (Davey, Gulish, Askew, Godette, & Childs, 2005). However, findings consistently show that cancer risk is positively correlated with age (Baum & Andersen, 2001; “A Look at Cancer,” 2007). My grandmother died of cancer. “Well you’re a hat person, Erin,” she would reply, smiling at me. They wanted a normal childhood for me and my siblings. May 12, 2018 by Athena Sobhan. The most common cancer sites for both men and women are as follows: lung, breast, liver, cervix, and colon (“A Look at Cancer,” 2007). Which they were—for the next year and a half, Sharie and Jillian sat on my mom's dresser, their newly decorated Styrofoam heads holding my mother’s wigs. It’s weird to write that down. When both parents display symptoms of depression, adolescents tended to show increased behavioral problems. However, some adolescents actually performed better in school even though they were dealing with parental cancer (Visser et al., 2003). Thank you for this essay. It didn't bother me that mom was going to the hospital—as long as there was someone around to drive me to my friend's house. Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. As a response, the family members’ reactions are manifested through their behavior and emotions (Sargent, 2003). Cancer is considered by many as a “silent killer,” which unsuspectingly ravages the body from within. This forced them to put other aspects of their lives, such as studies, work, and heterosexual relationships aside. It can be a stressful experience, not only for the patients themselves, but also for the entire family. In some studies, adolescents were also concerned with the possibility of potentially inheriting the cancer (Davey, Askew, et al., 2003; Walsh et al., 2005). These symptoms do not appear in the initial stages of cancer and are often dismissed as general bodily issue… Mothers diagnosed with cancer are faced with various issues in the different facets of their lives. These families are put in a predicament wherein they have to adapt with the changes and stresses brought about by maternal cancer. They were also more tolerant and understanding of both their parents, who exhibited increased irritability and moodiness (Davey, Askew, et al., 2003). I should have grasped what was going on and been more helpful to my parents. I wasn't concerned when my dad took us on vacation while she stayed home—I was excited to go to camp! In contrast, Udarbe’s (2001) research proposed that the family’s tagasalo is not necessarily related to the child’s gender or birth order. With all her extra time at home, my mom started her own business. Daughters whose mothers have cancer also became more involved with the medical aspects of the treatment. An individual must involve the family in decision-making and resolution of important issues. We've got articles, videos and forum discussions that provide answers to all of your test prep, admissions and college search questions. I am able to write the true story of how my parents did hide cancer from me, not because they didn’t think I could handle it, but because they didn’t think I should have to. Another cause of the adolescents’ distress was witnessing their parent’s pain.

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