My Mother's Last Wish
Donation protected
It's no doubt that one of the hardest things in life is seeing one of your loved ones suffer through a horrible disease but even harder for the person living it. My name is Claudia, age 23 alongside my 25 year old brother, Marcos. I'm a junior at Bridgewater State University seeking a career in a combined Elementary Ed/ Spanish major and currently have two part-time jobs. My hard working brother works a full time job in the morning along with a part-time on the weekends. We've grown up in a single parent house hold but couldn't be more blessed to have such an amazing, comprehensive and compassionate role model in our lives. Irene Duenas, is our loving and caring mother, age 56 soon to be 57 on October 20th. She is the most admirable and dedicated woman in both our lives.
Our family has been filled with so many mixed emotions facing a horrific battle with our beautiful mother, for a really long time. Her first diagnosis was back in 2006 a day that impacted our lives forever. Receiving the news was not easy and we knew things were not going to get any easier from there. My mother fought through all the chemotherapy and radiation and never once gave up. She kept on working until the very last session of chemotherapy when it finally became too harsh. It drained her and all her strength. Luckily, once all the treatments were done she was cleared by the doctors. Her main motivation has always been my brother and I. She was determined to survive not for herself but for us. I was only 14 and my brother 15 years old at that time. We were young. We knew what was going on but our mindsets are not what they are now.
Unfortunately, years later we again received bad news. The breast cancer had returned in 2012. A new kind of chemotherapy was recommended for her which kept her stable for about two years. At the end of 2014 her body started rejecting it. Things became more and more complicated in late February of 2015. Stomach pain and discomfort as well as more and more symptoms came about which forced her to the ER. Multiple tests had been done which soon resulted into her final diagnosis. Our mom's diagnose was a terminal disease. Stage IV metastatic breast and advanced gastric cancer. This year overall has been a roller coaster. Her health has had many of it's ups and downs. Within these seven months it has progressed all over her body, up to her eye and brain.
The most frightening thing to ever hear is our mother having a terminal disease. It's unexplainable and heartbreaking. What amazes us since the first time she was diagnosed is to see her smile and to give us strength and hope when it should be the other way around. Our mother is incredibly strong and she continues to fight everyday.
Not only has this journey been extremely emotional but also very expensive. It has been extremely difficult for all of us. Our main focus and priority is our mother. For me personally, I have postponed my schooling twice because I knew we desperately needed it financially, forcing me to work more hours. My brother has also struggled causing him to pick up another job. Exhausted and bringing in most of the income has caused him to have limited time in his day to be able to care for our mother. Working around each other's schedule we've had to manage our time to care for her at home.
Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of her control it has not only affected her from obtaining her citizenship but the medical coverage she has is very basic so, almost everything was paid out of pocket. We have been blessed with great support from friends and family offering their help. However, having all of her immediate family in Guatemala has effected us and her tremendously. Seeing her deteriorate more and more breaks our hearts each and every day. One of her wishes is to be buried in Guatemala next to her father and we hope to fulfill her wish. We haven't given up and just as she keeps on fighting, we will too.
We thank everyone for the prayers and support. God Bless.
Our family has been filled with so many mixed emotions facing a horrific battle with our beautiful mother, for a really long time. Her first diagnosis was back in 2006 a day that impacted our lives forever. Receiving the news was not easy and we knew things were not going to get any easier from there. My mother fought through all the chemotherapy and radiation and never once gave up. She kept on working until the very last session of chemotherapy when it finally became too harsh. It drained her and all her strength. Luckily, once all the treatments were done she was cleared by the doctors. Her main motivation has always been my brother and I. She was determined to survive not for herself but for us. I was only 14 and my brother 15 years old at that time. We were young. We knew what was going on but our mindsets are not what they are now.
Unfortunately, years later we again received bad news. The breast cancer had returned in 2012. A new kind of chemotherapy was recommended for her which kept her stable for about two years. At the end of 2014 her body started rejecting it. Things became more and more complicated in late February of 2015. Stomach pain and discomfort as well as more and more symptoms came about which forced her to the ER. Multiple tests had been done which soon resulted into her final diagnosis. Our mom's diagnose was a terminal disease. Stage IV metastatic breast and advanced gastric cancer. This year overall has been a roller coaster. Her health has had many of it's ups and downs. Within these seven months it has progressed all over her body, up to her eye and brain.
The most frightening thing to ever hear is our mother having a terminal disease. It's unexplainable and heartbreaking. What amazes us since the first time she was diagnosed is to see her smile and to give us strength and hope when it should be the other way around. Our mother is incredibly strong and she continues to fight everyday.
Not only has this journey been extremely emotional but also very expensive. It has been extremely difficult for all of us. Our main focus and priority is our mother. For me personally, I have postponed my schooling twice because I knew we desperately needed it financially, forcing me to work more hours. My brother has also struggled causing him to pick up another job. Exhausted and bringing in most of the income has caused him to have limited time in his day to be able to care for our mother. Working around each other's schedule we've had to manage our time to care for her at home.
Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of her control it has not only affected her from obtaining her citizenship but the medical coverage she has is very basic so, almost everything was paid out of pocket. We have been blessed with great support from friends and family offering their help. However, having all of her immediate family in Guatemala has effected us and her tremendously. Seeing her deteriorate more and more breaks our hearts each and every day. One of her wishes is to be buried in Guatemala next to her father and we hope to fulfill her wish. We haven't given up and just as she keeps on fighting, we will too.
We thank everyone for the prayers and support. God Bless.
Organizer
Claudia Maricela
Organizer
Attleboro, MA