THE RESERVOIR
A Community Approach to Cancer BY MARIE KETELIE SEIDE,RN | MLCANCERFOUNDATION.ORG
W
ith a family history of cancer, I never thought I’d be directly impacted by cancer not once but twice within weeks. In October of 2005, my sole surviving parent, my mother, was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. Amid providing support financially and emotionally to my mother, I was dealt with another blow to my core. Two months later, I received my diagnosis of Stage II breast cancer. Can you imagine? I was a single mother to a teenage daughter and now my mother was perishing slowly before my eyes while I, too, was fighting for survival. I knew I wasn’t willing to be defeated by this monster. I couldn’t allow my loved ones to bear the burden of losing two maternal figures within months of each other. It was evident I only had one choice: Fight. I would fight for myself, my family, and later my community. Unfortunately, my mother passed. I was overtaken by sorrow and knew my fight wasn’t over. After undergoing treatment and reconstruction, I focused on aiding my surrounding community and founded the Marie Louise Cancer Foundation (MLCF). 10
THE WELL OF PBC / DEC ISSUE 2021
Marie Ketelie Seide
