Happy Mother's Day to all of Casey Cares moms, aunts, grandmothers, and maternal figures! Motherhood is a profound journey filled with its own unique challenges and responsibilities, but when your child faces medical complexities, the experience takes on a whole new level of complexity. Casey Cares mother Evelyn reflects on motherhood as the parent of a critically ill child this Mother's Day.
"Being a mom comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities, including navigating everyday life. Sometimes, you feel as though you may have it all figured out, and other times, you may feel defeated. Now, add being a mother to a
child with medical complexities that further complicate the way you may view motherhood. Unfortunately, I know this story all too well, for my daughter Destiny was diagnosed at the tender age of 10 months with Aggressive Infantile Fibromatosis and spent four straight years receiving weekly rounds of chemotherapy treatment. She is now in remission; however, we're challenged with other medical diagnoses that cause concern. I sometimes questioned the doctors about whether this ever would end. I get tired of getting adverse reports. I get tired of going to different specialty appointments. I get tired of crying and worrying throughout the night. I get tired from just being tired. Yet, I never get tired of being a mother. The laughs, the hugs, and the embraces remind me as a mother that I have someone depending on me to be their advocate and to help her fight alongside the battles she didn't ask for. So, Mother's Day is significant to me because I get a chance to reflect upon all of life's ups and downs yet still have the opportunity to look into my child's eyes and know we have another day to create another memory." - Evelyn, Destiny's mother.