Stacey Greeley

Team Maxine
 

My mother, Maxine was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2015.

For Mom the biggest challenge was the fear of not being there to see her grandkids or to see her daughter get married. Her daily routines had to change too, she had to become more cautious, and that changed her as a person. Her new normal is really tough as she’s not able to do the day to day things she was used to doing.

For the family, the biggest challenge was seeing mom go through cancer and not be able to help her. For me personally, because I work in the hematology lab, it really hit me hard seeing mom become one of those hematology patients. It was a reality check that blood cancer can happen to anyone.

Our lives have been greatly changed by a blood cancer. We don’t worry about the little things anymore and we don’t take things for granted. Mom’s message to others is “Stay positive. It’s ok to have bad days, but know that you will have more good days than bad”.

Light The Night is a way for me, my sister, and my dad to support Mom, and a way for her to feel that she’s not alone. It’s hard to put into words. We look forward to the walk every year. The Circle of Survivors is especially emotional for all of us, to see how many people have overcome cancer. Mom was too unwell to do the actual Walk last year, but she was determined to get in the circle. And she did!

Also, it’s an opportunity to see people that we don’t see throughout the year. Sometimes we meet people we know and didn’t even realize were going through the same issues as us. Many people don’t realize that blood cancers are different. Light The Night helps shed light on the disease.