Meet Heather and her family
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A Village for Lily
The saying goes "It takes a village to raise a child," and I'm here to tell you, it's the truth. On August 4th, 2005, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Lily.
Our own personal "village" began to develop shortly after Lily's birth. Our parents, families and friends came in a steady stream to greet our precious bundle of joy, give advice and wish us luck. Things were perfect.
They would not stay that way.
After I returned to work full time, I noticed something concerning. I just couldn't seem to catch my breath. I never had any energy and I was tired all the time. Something was wrong.
November 21, 2005 - Lily was almost 3-1/2 months old and I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. My doctor said the cancer was probably caused by asbestos exposure when I was a child.
I never spared a thought for myself in those first moments. I thought about Lily and my husband. I thought of him raising her alone, without me. I knew I would do whatever it took to be there for my family.
My doctor gave me 15 months to live without treatment. He laid out some options and I chose the most drastic-- for Lily.
Less than three months after my diagnosis my husband and I flew to Boston. On February 2nd, I had a procedure known as extrapleural pneumenectomy. In layman's terms, they removed my left lung and all of the surrounding tissue.
Then came the radiation and the chemotherapy...tough for anyone, but devastating for a new mom. All I wanted was Lily!
We never would have gotten through this trying time had our village not surrounded us with their love. Cancer allows you to see what really matters in life.
My parents took care of Lily while we were in Boston and a village developed around them as well. Kids I had taken care of as a teenager came to watch Lily while my mom and dad worked. People I had grown up with became Lily's village.
In South Dakota, Lily was eating solid food and learning to get around on her own. I saw this only in black and white copies of pictures. My nurses would exclaim over the pictures and I would fight back tears. This was for Lily. This fight, these procedures, the private hell I was going through on a daily basis - it was all for Lily.
I knew she was safe; I knew my parents were taking amazing care of her. To this day, she still has an incredible bond with my mom and dad, despite the months and miles that separate her from their embraces.
We did the best we could and we made it. Now we hold onto life for all it's worth because cancer taught us just how fragile life can be.
Cancer is horrible, but the lessons it teaches ring true. Good comes with the bad. Our village came through for us. For that, I will always be grateful.
The saying goes "It takes a village to raise a child," and I'm here to tell you, it's the truth. On August 4th, 2005, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Lily.
Our own personal "village" began to develop shortly after Lily's birth. Our parents, families and friends came in a steady stream to greet our precious bundle of joy, give advice and wish us luck. Things were perfect.
They would not stay that way.
After I returned to work full time, I noticed something concerning. I just couldn't seem to catch my breath. I never had any energy and I was tired all the time. Something was wrong.
November 21, 2005 - Lily was almost 3-1/2 months old and I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. My doctor said the cancer was probably caused by asbestos exposure when I was a child.
I never spared a thought for myself in those first moments. I thought about Lily and my husband. I thought of him raising her alone, without me. I knew I would do whatever it took to be there for my family.
My doctor gave me 15 months to live without treatment. He laid out some options and I chose the most drastic-- for Lily.
Less than three months after my diagnosis my husband and I flew to Boston. On February 2nd, I had a procedure known as extrapleural pneumenectomy. In layman's terms, they removed my left lung and all of the surrounding tissue.
Then came the radiation and the chemotherapy...tough for anyone, but devastating for a new mom. All I wanted was Lily!
We never would have gotten through this trying time had our village not surrounded us with their love. Cancer allows you to see what really matters in life.
My parents took care of Lily while we were in Boston and a village developed around them as well. Kids I had taken care of as a teenager came to watch Lily while my mom and dad worked. People I had grown up with became Lily's village.
In South Dakota, Lily was eating solid food and learning to get around on her own. I saw this only in black and white copies of pictures. My nurses would exclaim over the pictures and I would fight back tears. This was for Lily. This fight, these procedures, the private hell I was going through on a daily basis - it was all for Lily.
I knew she was safe; I knew my parents were taking amazing care of her. To this day, she still has an incredible bond with my mom and dad, despite the months and miles that separate her from their embraces.
We did the best we could and we made it. Now we hold onto life for all it's worth because cancer taught us just how fragile life can be.
Cancer is horrible, but the lessons it teaches ring true. Good comes with the bad. Our village came through for us. For that, I will always be grateful.
Thanks for sharing your story!
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