Writing

She knew something was wrong the summer before her sophomore year. The sudden barrage of appointments, appointments she didn’t know the reason for. After a quick search of the family computer’s history, she began to under­stand the gravity of the situation.

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Soon after she began her search, senior Sara Veerjee found out her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The revelation was accidental. Her older sisters were out of town at the time and her parents didn’t want to discuss the diagnosis until the whole family was together. “I freaked out and checked her email and found this surgeon she’d been having appointments with,” Veerjee said. “I asked the next morning and she told me and obviously I was dis­traught but since it wasn’t totally random, I saw it coming.”

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Veerjee soon assumed the role her mother had filled once she learned of the diagnosis. She went grocery shopping with her sisters and made dinner every night so her dad could take her mother to appointments and her mother could focus on recovery. “I remember it being kind of hard to keep it together, but my sisters and I all tried to act normal in front of her and keep her the main focus,” she said. “The family dynamic changed but it definitely made us a lot closer.”

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But after three surgeries, including a double mastectomy, Veerjee and her family found out that her mother would not have to undergo any chemotherapy or radiation treatment. For Veerjee, this made her newfound responsibilities worth it.

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Her mom’s doctors included her and her sisters in the diagnosis and treatment process to help ease their minds, which made Veerjee adopt a new role in the family. She became a caretaker just like her mother had been for her. During one of her surgeries to test if the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes, Veerjee sat with her family in the hos­pital awaiting the results. She did her best to keep everyone calm, and when they found out the cancer had not spread, she planned a celebration with her mother’s doctors. “We were all just cheering in the waiting room,” Veerjee said. “For her one-year cancer free we made a whole day out of it to celebrate and got tattoos together of the breast cancer ribbon.”

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Now, Veerjee and her family participate in the Making Strides walk each year, as well as donating to the American Cancer Society. Despite the difficult experience, Veerjee said she has become a better person because of it, emulat­ing the traits she admired in her mother. “I think I’m more appreciative of everything people do for me,” she said. “I try to spend more time with my family since you never know what can happen.”

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