Warrior!

My new friend/neighbor, E, is having a hysterectomy next week.  She's young and was very open with me when she explained that her mom had fought and died from several different cancers and that she (E) had tested positive for the BRCA Gene, so the odds were stacked against her. Not only has she made the courageous decision to do this surgery at a young age, but she also had a double mastectomy not too long ago. To be faced with losing her mother five months ago and then having another surgery to prevent what her mom went through is inspiring.  It's something I cannot even begin to wrap my head around. 

I try to keep things light hearted and find humor in a pretty shitty situation because let's face it, that's what I do and who I am. I immediately think that she'll never have a period again... ever!  That sounds awesome!  However, I can see the struggle she is going through.  While she and her husband are not planning on having another child, having a hysterectomy is so final, and the decision is made for them.  If it was me, I'd be feeling the finality of my child bearing years also (hell, I already feel my biological clock ticking faster than ever!), and that would be difficult.  Her decision cannot be reversed, but she is making a decision that will allow her to be here for her husband and son for many, many more years to come.

So I sit here and think: holy mother fu#$er! So much of our womanhood is tied to our uteruses and ovaries.  I grew my baby there. She grew her baby there. My uterus was my son's first "home" and if faced with a decision like E, his "home" would be yanked out of me in an instant and be forever gone, robbing me of the ability to bear another child... ever.  While I would probably do the same thing if faced with those awful odds that she learned she had, I can't quite imagine the finality of what that surgery means to her.  Not only is she facing the fact that her insides are being ripped out of her, but she is facing the finality of what woman's bodies were made to do... have children. She is an F'n warrior!

I ask that all of my readers/followers please say a little prayer for and send good vibes to my friend, E, on Tuesday morning and the days leading up to and after her surgery. While her mother is not here for her, let's surround her with a lot of love that she can feel from all around the world.  Thank you.