Happy Mother's Day

"Mom? Where is the whisk?"

"Mom? Where is the pancake pan?"

"Mom? Where is the pancake recipe?"

"Mom? How can I tell if the pancake batter is too thick?"

"Mom? How do I turn it over?"

These are the sounds of my children making me breakfast on Mother's day. They want me out of the kitchen so they can accomplish their task unassisted but they have many questions. I of course will dutifully eat whatever they produce, regardless of whether it falls apart in the flipping or whether it ends up burned and I will likely do the kitchen cleanup at the end. But it is a lovely tradition our family has had since my sons were little. Even if I am awake hours before they arise I stay in my bedroom and allow them to bring me breakfast in bed.

Mother's Day is a day to celebrate our mothers and should be a day filled with joy and family celebrations. Unfortunately, when a BRCA mutation lurks in a family many of the mothers who should be celebrated have been taken from their families by breast or ovarian cancer. The loss of these mothers leaves a hole in these families and turns this day of joy into a day of sadness and remembrance. The FORCE Blog has stories and perspectives of mothers and daughters whose lives have been changed due to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC). HBOC affects generations of women and families. If you are one of our regular subscribers it is no doubt touched your family.

I am lucky. Although my mother had breast cancer at age 43, she is a long-term survivor and still a central figure in our family. I don't know what I would do without her as she always hops on a plane and comes to rescue me in my time of need: the birth of my children, illnesses that have knocked me off my feet, recovery from surgery, and stepping in to fill my role on those rare occasions when I need to travel.

Thank you Mom, for everything!

What is your family's story?  Please share your stories and comments here or send us an email.  May should be filled with stories in tribute to our mothers.  Become a guest blogger and join us in paying tribute to all the mothers whose stories need to be told.

Happy Mother's Day!!!





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