NEW JERSEY, USA: A Mother Named Ama

On March 13, my mother celebrated her 69th birthday.  I am thrilled to still have her in my life, and I cherish every moment we spend together.  You see, two years ago she was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer.

On the day she received her diagnosis, she was immediately admitted to the hospital.  We had no idea what to expect.  I was eight months pregnant at the time and could not stop crying, day and night.  My mother spent Christmas in the hospital, making it the worst Christmas EVER, then she had extremely invasive surgery which left her in the ICU for days.

Once she was strong enough to undergo chemotherapy, she completed six rounds over a period of about 5 months and was cancer-free.  In the spirit of celebrating her recent birthday, I want to honor her by sharing the incredible life she has lived.

My mother was born in 1942 in rural Spain.  Her mother suffered from tuberculosis and was 47-years-old at the time of my mother’s birth.   Due to complications associated with the birth, my grandmother died two days after my mother was born.  (more…)

The Last Piece of the Jigsaw

Six years ago today, my Dad lost a brief but excruciating battle with cancer. He had been diagnosed just three months previously, and he had gone through rounds of crippling chemotherapy, as well as a ten-hour long operation. Although Dad had been so desperately ill during the last weeks of his life, I had held onto the hope that he would survive and grow old with my Mom.

And so, when my Mom called from the other side of the world with the news that Dad was gone, I went into immediate denial. What do you mean, gone?

This is the man who raised me, played with me and read to me as a kid, gave me financial advice as an adult, watched an entire Olympics with me when we both had the flu, attended father-daughter dances with me and helped sell my Girl Scout cookies, and so much more.  Gone?  It just didn’t seem possible. (more…)

Kirsten Doyle (Canada)

Kirsten Doyle was born in South Africa. After completing university, she drifted for a while and finally washed up in Canada in 2000. She is Mom to two boys who have reached the stage of eating everything in sight (but still remaining skinny). Kirsten was a computer programmer for a while before migrating into I.T. project management. Eventually she tossed in the corporate life entirely in order to be a self-employed writer and editor. She is now living her best life writing about mental health and addictions, and posting videos to two YouTube channels. When Kirsten is not wrestling with her kids or writing up a storm, she can be seen on Toronto's streets putting many miles onto her running shoes. Every year, she runs a half-marathon to benefit children with autism, inspired by her older son who lives life on the autism spectrum. Final piece of information: Kirsten is lucky enough to be married to the funniest guy in the world. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to check out her YouTube channels at My Gen X Life and Word Salad With Coffee!

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