The day my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumour was the worst day of my life. That was the day that everything changed, and my life was permanently dissected into two parts: Before she got sick, and after.
My mom is my favourite person in the world. She is the first person I call when something good happens, and the first person I talk to when something bad happens. She was completely healthy, until she wasn’t. On a Friday, she was babysitting my three kids so that I could take Zoom meetings for work. On the Sunday, she had a small stroke, and that’s when they found the tumour.
It still feels incredibly unfair that my beautiful, hilarious, kind mother got incurable brain cancer at the age of 66. Those first few months were a blur. I lost 10lbs, stopped being able to sleep, and cried all day every day. I was super lucky that I had a village who stepped up to take care of me through the shock of the diagnosis and early treatment. Here are the things my friends did to make my life easier.
- UberEats gift card: It’s not fancy or glamorous, but it was really useful. When you’re in a period of deep grief, it’s hard to listen to your body or hunger cues. Sometimes no food appeals to you at all, so you need to scroll around until you find something that you can keep down.
- Foods you can Freeze: My neighbour made me a small lasagna, and another one made a big batch of chili. Instead of being worried about wasting food, I was able able to stick the leftovers in the freezer. I portioned it out so that they were in individual-sized containers. They were great for my husband, who was struggling to manage the kids and work and keeping the house under control while I was out of commission.
- Foods you can graze on: My childhood best friend made some salsa, guacamole and chips for me, and gifted it with a loaf of beautiful sourdough bread. Having something in the fridge that was easy to eat, didn’t require any prep, and was somewhat nutritious helped me when I got home from the hospital. After eating mostly hospital cafeteria food, it was nice to have something fresh.
- Foods that spark joy: My aunt sent over a huge ziplock bag full of brownies. When everything is going to hell in a hand basket, a sugary treat can do wonders for your mental health.
While you’re here, please consider donating to the Glioblastoma Foundation.