My Mija

  Easter is right around the corner and a time most families get together.  As I begin to make my phone calls to relatives, cousins, etc. there is one fact in mind.  The fact that I will not be calling Jeannette to join us. 


She was a happy young mother of four children back in 2008 and out celebrating Easter with her own family in Thousand Oaks.  She wasn't feeling great due to a slight headache and cold symptoms however, she made sure the children didn't notice and worry at all.  They had a fun time that day.  Later that night she took some over the counter cold remedies and went to bed.  Next day, she felt worse.  Three days went by and finally decided to make an appointment with her doctor.  Sure enough, the doctor said it was a bad flu virus and advised her to rest and drink plenty of water and that the virus would be over in a couple days.  She went home and then began to notice a small lump right under her shoulder blade and above her right breast.  Soon after went to Kaiser Hospital and had the doctor there check it out.  He told her it was a pectoral muscle and and gave her a prescription for Ibuprofen 600 mg.  She took the medicine and towards the end of April of 2008 she went back to the doctor at Kaiser and told him the lump was still there and asked if they could do a Mammogram.  The doctor said no they could not because it was a pectoral inflamed muscle and that she was "too young" for a mammogram. 


A week later and on Mother's Day 2008, she came to Fresno to see me and celebrate Mothers Day.  I noticed right away that she did not look well.  Her beauty was still there but the frown on her face made me ask her what was wrong.  She told me she was feeling tired, sleepy all the time and attributed that to the medication she was taking at the time.


Later that night she asked me to check out the lump.  I placed my hand over the lump and immediately felt electricity going straight to me heart.  A feeling of terror came over me.  She looked at my expression and asked me what was wrong.  I managed and by the grace of God to put all my emotions away deep inside me and told her that she needed to see a different doctor and get a mammogram. 


The following Monday she called me hysterically crying saying to me, "Ma, I have breast cancer last stage."


The beginning of my emotional days seeing my daughter in pain and not able to help her.  It will forever haunt me.  My beloved Jeannette.  I miss her so much.