2008-10-10

In Loving Memory

I have been seeing a lot of post about breast cancer and breast cancer awareness. I have read some lovely and some sad post about survivors and those who were not so fortunate. So I decided to tell you about my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law.

This is Jackie she is my sister-in-law she was married to my husbands oldest brother.She lost her battle with breast cancer at a very young age she was in her mid 30's.The mother of two small children at the time. Her cancer started in the breast and moved throughout her entire body. It was horrible to see her suffer through it and not be able to help her. Jackie was one of the best people I have ever known and I have yet to meet anyone like her. The very first time I met her I felt like I had known her my whole life. I only had the privilege of knowing her for 3 years but she made an impression on me that will last a lifetime. Her kids are teens now and I can see her in their faces.She would be so very proud of them and how they have grown to be amazing young adults.
This is my mother-in-law Carmella her friends called her Chippy. When I first met her she scared the crap out of me. She was a strong stubborn woman if she liked you then you were golden if she didn't then you had better run. Of course I did become golden after the birth of my son lol She loved my son more than anything in this world and she let all of us know that he held a special place in her heart.She called him dueboy because when he was a baby his hands were always moving like he was doing something. So she would say there he goes again my little dueboy. They had a special connection his face would light up whenever she came into the room. Their bond lasted right up until the end. When she found out that her breast cancer had come back after 5 years of remission and spread like wildfire throughout her body she insisted on being the one to tell her dueboy.
I hated to see this woman I had come to love as much as my own mom suffer like she did. Once the cancer took hold it was a quick ugly thing to see. Not her of course but what the disease was doing to her. It got so bad that we wouldn't let the kids come to see her because we wanted them to remember her the way she used to be not the person this cancer turned her into. The pain she went through was to me unnecessary why does it have to be so painful why do they have to suffer so much? She went into the hospital the third week in December and she died on Christmas night in 2005. I was sad to have lost her but at the same time glad to know that she wouldn't have to suffer any more. This Christmas is going to be the third one without her and it is hard to be happy on such a sad day.

We love and miss both of them very much........

8 comments:

Tina said...

it must be hard for you to be happy when you have sad thoughts of people that cant be with you that made part of the happiness :(

im sure they wouldnt want you to be sad though. they prob looking down on you and your family laughing and smiling on those days.

they will always be with you in your heart. god bless them both x

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful tribute to both of these beautiful ladies. Thanks for being a part of my endeavor to tell E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E. that early detection does save lives.

If you want, I can post their photos rather than one of my own on my Tribute Post if you like.
Just let me know.

Mom Knows Everything said...

What a wonderful tribute! My MIL battle breast cancer twice and had a double mastectomy.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Tina: Sometimes through these remembrances we are able to help others. It was a nice tribute to two strong souls.

carrhop said...

In being willing to commemorate these women, you remind all of us of the importance of continued cancer research, of the need for better detection, of the need for better treatments. You remind us of the need to be thankful with the time we have with our families, of the need to treasure those around us. Thank you.

Blessings~

Sandra Carvalho said...

Lovely tribute!...Tkx for sharing your story with us...I guess that in the stress of our day to day lives we do forget that it just might happen to us or to the ones we love...
xoxo

Kmommy said...

Beautiful post and wonderful tribute! We just lost my husband's brother (at age 38) to cancer. He left behind 3 wonderful children. Its so sad to see such wonderful people go. I'm sorry for you loss of these two wonderful people.

Tiff said...

Very nice tribute! Very sad story! My husbands grandmother just passed from breast cancer..pray they find a cure for this in our time!