Hello [[INITIATIVE.AUDIENCE MEMBER.FIRST NAME]],
This past Father's Day was the first one without my Dad*, who died from lung cancer on April 24. I'm swimming in mixed feelings about my Dad dying. I was driving to see him—3.5 hours into an eight-hour trip—when my stepmother texted me that he had died. (Yep. She didn't call; she texted.) As I entered Memphis, I turned the car around and went home.
Now, I've lost seven family members to five different types of cancer: bone, breast, lung, head/neck, and liver cancer or HCC.
▶️My dad, his brother, and his father (lung cancer)
▶️My maternal aunt and uncle (breast and bone cancer)
▶️My step-grandfather (head/neck cancer)
▶️And of course, my sister Adrienne died from primary liver cancer.
Last night, I discovered that a long-distance friend, easily my favorite person whom I never met in person, succumbed to breast cancer. She was a fierce advocate for the cancer community and everyone knew her death was imminent. She posted her bucket-list stuff in her private Facebook community. Before her stage three cancer diagnosis, Tess specialized in helping people with disability and cancer thrive intimately. She continued working throughout her treatment. You can watch my interview with Tess on YouTube.
I know my Dad was ready to die. He felt at 78 years old, he had done almost everything that he wanted to do and his body was failing him. But Tess? Like my sister, she was far too young. Mid-thirties, I believe.
Some days, this work is harder than others. I take pride in what I do. I love helping patients and families, but it doesn't stop my heart from breaking when another person dies from cancer.
Fighting Liver Cancer Together,
Andrea Wilson Woods
President and Founder, Blue Faery
P.S. *My sister Adrienne and I shared the same mother, but different fathers. My dad treated her like his granddaughter.
