Two kids are waiting for me at home: Reflections on Mother’s Day and the spirit of community
Patient Story
There are two kids waiting for me at home tonight. A son who's ten. A daughter who’s seven. They were the kids I was told I might never have.
My journey to motherhood didn't start the way I pictured it would. It started with a miscarriage. And the miscarriage is what found the tumour.
I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015. I was sent to London for treatment, then back home for surgery and follow-up. My OBGYN told me to think about freezing my eggs. He talked to me about a full hysterectomy.
I went home from those appointments and tried to picture a future where motherhood might not be part of the story but cancer would be.
Then something I didn't expect happened.
Right after my first surgery, I got pregnant. My son is my miracle baby. A few years later, my daughter came along, and my journey with cancer care continued.
September 2021. I'm in the Cancer Centre at WRHN, about to ring the gong that marks important milestones along a patient's treatment journey.
I'm wearing a mask. A tote bag is slung over my shoulder. Families weren't allowed inside yet and we were still deep in COVID, so the people standing with me weren't my family. They were my now WRHN Foundation colleagues.
By the time I rang that gong, my kids were 2 and 5 years old.
I work at WRHN Foundation now, raising awareness and funds for the hospital network that did all of this for me. Found the cancer. Got me through surgery. Helped me become a mom. Stood with me when my own family couldn't be in the room.
This weekend is one that brings with it so much reflection for me. Fri. May 8 is World Ovarian Cancer Day and Sun. May 10 is Mother's Day.
As the weekend approaches, I'm thinking about the moms walking into our hospitals right now. The ones sitting in the chairs I sat in. The ones being told something they don't know how to tell their kids. The ones who haven't met their miracle baby yet.
Would you consider a gift this week? Whatever you give goes where it's needed most.
Because of this hospital, I got more than I ever thought I would. I got my kids. I got more Mother's Days. I'd like to help make sure the next mom does too.
Ashley Howat
VP, Strategic Initiatives, WRHN Foundation
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