Mommy Vows – what if I could foresee my breast cancer diagnosis?
Before my mom passed away from breast cancer when I turned 16, she had been undergoing constant chemotherapy for 6 years. As grateful as I am for our time together, I did not get to see a lot of her throughout my teenage years, and unlike other girls my age who grew up with their moms as their best friends, I missed out on quite a few things as a daughter. But don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for this situation that was set up for me since it toughened me up in a way I could never have expected.
Breast cancer is proven to be genetically inheritable, meaning that if my mom got it, 80% chances that I will as well – it’s inevitable. But I don’t want history to repeat itself: just because I might get breast cancer doesn’t mean my future daughter would have to grow up in the absence of a mother’s company like I did.
So I drew a comic book for my future daughter, naming it “Mommy Vows”. This book imagines what vows that I, as a mommy-to-be who can foresee my cancer diagnosis, would make to my future daughter, reflecting on my own experience as someone whose mother had been absent from most parts of my teenage years, due to breast cancer.
P/S: I can’t help but believe that this whole COVID-19 tidal wave has brought along a positive light: for the first time, health is prioritised over anything else. And I hope we’ll carry this attitude even after this insane period is over, because deaths don’t just occur in a cluster – they are scattered all over on a daily basis, and breast cancer is one of the reasons. So, have an annual check-up – you have no idea what will possibly happen.
