Dear Christmas on the River Listeners,
I’d like to share the story of a patient I have gotten to know while working as a breast cancer nurse navigator at the Memorial Health Curtis & Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute. MP, as we will call her, is a kind and loving 35-year-old mother of three. She has two boys, ages 18 and 14, and a beautiful, 10-year-old daughter. She’s engaged to marry the love of her life, but instead of “Happily Ever After,” she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, just before her 35th birthday. As they had no other family where they were living outside of Atlanta, she and her fiancé have made the difficult decision to uproot their lives and move to Savannah, so that her loving and supportive brother could help them while she undergoes treatment. Her fiancé is currently driving back and forth between Savannah and Atlanta multiple times a week, trying to be with her for as many appointments as possible, but still needing to work while looking for a job in Savannah.
MP lights up a room wherever she goes. Despite receiving a terrifying diagnosis, she always greets me with a beautiful smile and a warm hug. The nurses at chemo are always amazed by her strength and positivity. No matter the toll the treatment has taken on her body, MP has not let it break her kind heart and strong spirit. She is providing her children with a beautiful example of what both true strength and grace under fire look like.
I’d love to see this sweet family have an amazing Christmas despite what they are facing. All they have asked for is pots and pans, towels, blankets and similar supplies for their new home in Savannah. But with the costs associated with treatment and moving, and though she would NEVER complain, I’m sure that there is concern over what Christmas might look like this year. As any mother knows, it is important to us that we provide our children with the best Christmas possible. So as a mother myself, I would like to ask that people also consider donating gift cards to Walmart, Target, and Amazon, as well as Visa gift cards to help this mother provide the joyful Christmas she desperately wants for her children.
Thank you, and Merry Christmas,
Megan Harrison, BSN, RN
Adult Oncology Nurse Navigator
Memorial Health
Curtis & Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute
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