*a date is set*

My mom will have her mastectomy on March 7, 2011. This is extremely bittersweet for me as I know she is looking forward to this day but I also know how much physical and emotional pain will be involved. Lucky for her she has not been in any physical pain but emotionally its taking its toll. During this surgery she will have a tissue expander placed under her skin then need to return to the plastic surgeon's office every 2 weeks to have it filled until they decide that she is ready for an implant. This whole process will start in a few months after she is healed and go on for a few months. When the expander is "full" they will go back in and remove it and place an implant. She is very lucky that this was caught to early! Our whole family is lucky this was caught this early! Unfortunately my aunt (my dads youngest sister) has breast cancer and has had a double mastectomy but has not been as lucky. Her cancer had spread to her lymphatic system before it was caught and she has endured months of horrible chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Due to the rapid nature of her cancer it has now spread to her lungs, spine and created a tumor in her pelvis which is causing her so much pain by pushing on a nerve that she cannot walk. She has stopped chemo and radiation as she is now considered terminally ill and its hard to say but basically she is just waiting to pass on. I know she is in so much pain and for her being the active police officer in Phoenix this has been VERY hard on her, and VERY hard on our family. She is about 10 yrs older than I am and helped babysit me when I was younger and would be watched by my grandma (RIP). My grandpa is an amazingly strong and faithful man. He has had to do what no parent should have to do, bury a child. My aunt who is my dads oldest sister passed away when she was 24 (i believe it was in 1981) due to an overdose by the hospital of Demerol after having a D&C due to a miscarriage (again i believe this is what happened as this happened before I was born). Then he had to bury my grandmother in 1994 and now this. I cannot say a bad thing about this man in my life. I know that growing older means these things happen but he has been put through so much. Please keep my mother and aunt in your prayers as they are both in need.