My name is Valerie Serrano and I am 26 years old (for only 11 more days). I am currently battling Thyroid cancer, fibromyalgia, Hoshitmotos Thyroid Disease, along with some other health problems. My mom passed away 4 1/2 years ago from small blue cell carcinoma, and my dad had melanoma. Coming from a family with two parents that had cancer, my reaction to learning that I had cancer was still complete shock to myself and my husband.
I can’t lie, my body is tired from all of the pain and medications that I am on. However, I am fighting like a girl. I’ll start radiation next month and under go many other tests. Last month, I had surgery to remove my entire thyroid and some lymph nodes. My doctors thought that they got all of the cancer, but now I’m being told that they didn’t get all of it. That was another blow to the heart.
If it weren’t for my hubby, family and friends, I honestly don’t think I would have survived through all of this. What keeps me going strong is knowing that I have my mom as my guardian angel. She fought like a girl until the very end. When I get down, I remind myself of how strong she was, and if she were here with me, she would be pushing me to fight.
My surgery has left me with two scars that aren’t very pretty. At first I was embarrassed because I thought people would stare at me. I’m four weeks out from surgery, so my scars are really new and bright. My neck looks like someone slashed my throat.
When I first removed the bandages, I cried. My husband was a sweetie and told me how beautiful I was. Even then I still wasn’t convinced, but then my sister left a beautiful picture on my Facebook. It read “Your scars are beautiful. They tell a beautiful story of healing, grace & love.” Then my cousin left a picture that read “Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” After reading these I realized that my scars are my badges of honor. My scars remind me that I survived.
Valerie S
New Mexico
Submitted 8-20-2012
The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
This story is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
