[White Out 403]

My mom's cancer came back in 2016. It started when I was in an arbitration hearing with the company and just as we finished for the day, i got a call from my Moms cell but it was some lady. She said that my Mom was talking a little strange and they thought she maybe had a stroke. In hindsight, that would have been a blessing. They did some tests found nothing wrong then decided to do a scan. I remember going to work that day and my Mom told me she'd know and call me right away. When she rang and I picked up and heard her voice, I just knew right away. "David, my cancer is back". She was crying, upset, and like someone plunged a knife in my stomach.We knew what the odds were if the cancer came back. At that point forward there was an uneasy and unspoken understanding we'd be throwing hail mary after hail mary to try and save her. First we hoped it didn't spread, it did. Then we hoped she'd be a candidate for some new chemo. She wasn't. Then we hoped the chemo would work. It did but it also destroyed her organs. She was healthy, happy, active, and a volunteer for cancer connection to help others with pancreatic cancer talk it out and have support. And in less than a year we lost her. And it hurts today as much as it did when I got that phone call. I just try not to think about it.