You know when you have a bad day with your kids; everyone seems to be fighting and bickering and you kind of lose it?! Then you hear a song on the radio that reminds you of everything good and wonderful and you say to yourself, “%H#T!” I’m a jerk. It is called a gentle reminder. Sometimes these reminders are soft and in the form of a song and sometimes they are LOUD and unable to escape, like a death in the family or a diagnosis. That day, “Something just like this,” by Coldplay was my reminder: a reality check if you will. It is time to reel it in. Let’s reel it in. Stay calm. Take a breath.
I pray that everyone has reminders that are soft.
But for those that don’t, like my friend Jen, we will all hear it.
Jen is a fellow mom who I met a few years back in the pews of CCD and on the sidelines of swim and dance classes. We would sit and chat while we waited. Our conversations were always easy. It is hard to find other Moms who “get it.” But she does. We would complain a little, talk about our feisty 3rd children, and bond over everything motherhood.
My friend Jen Cosgrove was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer last summer at age 38. She has three kids that are all the same ages as mine. As a nonsmoker, this was a very LOUD reminder that nobody wants to have to face. But she has faced it head on with strength, motivation, and courage. Jen’s rare form of cancer is a genetic mutation called ALK Positive Lung Cancer. It is so rare in fact, that it lacks the funding needed to do research to help my friend find a cure. Our friend. Our fellow mom. Let’s help her.
Sometimes our friends go through something and we don’t know what to do. Sometimes people tip-toe. Sometimes people turn a blind eye. Well, we won’t, will we?
This can be a reminder to all of us, which will be one that is flecked and speckled with hope and strength. Because that is what moms are and all have within us; we are the meaning of life. We are the ones crowding around each other in support at the airport when a child is throwing a tantrum. We are the ones giving each other the “look” at the food store. Yes we get it. We are the ones reminding each other that we aren’t alone, ever. Nobody ever fights alone. And especially when someone’s reminder is unable to escape. That is when we have to speak the loudest. We are with you Jen.
Let’s reel it in.
Because this is about hope!
“I want something just like this.” -Coldplay
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Here is the link to donate to the research fund specifically for her ALK Positive Lung Cancer. Those diagnosed are funding their own grants to make this a chronic disease or prolong their lives, Jen’s life.
All donations go directly to her cause. Please consider donating and helping to save our fellow Mom’s life.
Noreen Heffernan, Writer, MA in Public and Corporate Communications, Certified in PR , Writer, Growing Ladies and Beautycounter Consultant,
Noreen.heffernan@gmail.com