Cancer Mom Quotes

“As a caretaker, you play a unique role. You show your love to your spouse; you constantly affirm that things are improving; you work out the details of appointments and travel; you answer the countless questions of “How is she doing?”; you put on a determined front when the doctor gives you bad news; you take care of the children; you become the primary housekeeper; and you try to fulfill your obligations at work. Outside these responsibilities, you have a lot of free time! I”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“It’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to let those you love cry. When people we love are upset, we tend to want to help them respond differently. If that doesn’t work, then we try the drill-sergeant approach. My family’s favorite: “Let’s not shed any tears or have anyone upset.” We all know that grieving is healthy—we just don’t want anyone to do it. It makes us feel bad and helpless. As if we had the power to heal someone’s pain. I”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“I realize that my difficulty in making a decision stems from fear—I am so fearful that I will make the wrong one. Trust”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“February 20 I still can’t get the divorce out of my mind. How do I help? Today I realize my helplessness. I can’t fix Brian’s marriage. I can’t fix my body. I don’t know why I ever thought I could control the things around me. Today I feel like I don’t know who I am anymore. When did I stop making decisions? I’ve become so accustomed to trying to please everyone or trying to impress others that I don’t even know what Susan wants. Lord,”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“Unconditional love is the most powerful stimulant of the immune system. The truth is: love heals.” I”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“Tonight in my room, I look over all my cards again. So many people. So faithful to send me well wishes. One Sunday school class sends me a card every week. I never knew such a simple act of kindness could mean so much to someone. I have a box with all my cards. I save every one. December”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“What I’d learned in this first week of chemo was that when you feel sick, tell someone. Don’t try to keep toughing it out. Once they changed my anti-nausea medication and I quit taking the pain medicine, I felt better. This lesson applies to life as well. We often hold in our thoughts and struggles because we don’t want to burden others, but we can’t be blessed by what change might be offered to us.”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“That night Coach Valvano gave a memorable speech that included these remarks: Time is very precious to me. I don’t know how much I have left.… When people say to me, How do you get through life or each day, it’s the same thing. To me, there are three things we all should do every day.… Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears—could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day.… One last thing. I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get your emotions going. To be enthusiastic every day and [as] Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm”—to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems whatever you have. The ability to be able to work hard for your dreams to come true, to become a reality.… I said it before, and I’m gonna say it again: Cancer can take away all my physical ability. It cannot touch my mind; it cannot touch my heart; and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever. Jim”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“Cancer is a disease that leaves you feeling helpless. As a young woman, I was used to taking charge and feeling some sense of control over my life. But cancer reminds you that any feeling of control is a façade. I felt healthy and looked healthy, yet my body was filled with cells that were sick and abnormal. And I had absolutely no control over what was happening. Carmella”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“When it comes to cancer, it seems like cancer affects the healthy and the unhealthy alike, young and old alike, sinners and saints alike. Notes”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“The surgeon also reminded me that I had no family history of breast cancer. Only later would I learn that 80 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. I”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“I’ve always heard that it’s the little things you need to pay attention to. I was in the routine of thinking about the future—my kids, my dreams, and my career. But this little knot, so small I could barely feel it, would impact every area of my life. Sometimes,”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey

“Our prayers were genuine and our concern was real—but we had no idea what these people were really dealing with, or what it meant to cope with the pain and fear of cancer. Remote”
― Susan Parris, Cancer Mom: Hearing God in an Unknown Journey