The author became her mom's caregiver when she was diagnosed with cancer.
Courtesy of the author
For years, my mom and I were likened to the Gilmore Girls because of our bond. But there's no episode where Rory has to tell Lorelai she has cancer. It was a reality I was forced to confront in early 2025, when my mom had to have a hysterectomy due to a large tumor pressing on her uterus. Her surgical oncologist informed me over the phone that it was cancerous while she was still in the operating room. Initially, I felt optimistic, assuming that the cancer must be gone after the tumor removal. He explained that they had biopsied some other concerning lymph nodes in her body and wouldn't be able to rule out cancer entirely until those were tested.When my mom woke up from the procedure, I assumed the surgical oncologist would return to inform her of the news. He never came back, so I had to tell my mom — the woman who gave me life — that she did, in fact, have a cancerous tumor, and that we both had to wait several weeks to find out if there was any cancer left in her body.The roles were reversed that day. I became my mom's sole caregiver. Three weeks later, we found out she had a rare form of uterine cancer — Stage 3 adenocarcinoma.I didn't miss any of my mom's appointmentsEven though it was traumatizing to hear my mom's diagnosis, I'm grateful I was there by her side. She credited me afterward for being able to think of informative questions to ask during the appointment, as she was in pure shock — one way I never anticipated my journalistic skills to come into good use.
