Lucrezia Ciotti When a mum fight against a tumor, her battle becomes that of her children. Fears, difficult questions and uncertainty about the future weigh on the entire family, especially the little ones. This is the story of Misty De La Cruz, a woman who faces stage three breast cancer while trying to protect her eight children from the pain of the disease.
A mother's battle against cancer: the pain and daily difficulties
Misty De La Cruz, a mother of eight, was diagnosed with tumor stage 3 breast cancer on September 2024, 10, a discovery that has completely turned her life and that of her family upside down. What saddens her most are the feelings experienced by her children. In this regard, a nurse at her youngest son's school, aged XNUMX, tells her that the child he often feels exhausted during lessons and confesses to the staff be afraid of falling asleep at night, fearing that the mother may never wake up again.
Misty shared the heartbreaking moment in a TikTok video, explaining that the emotional toll of the disease is much greater than the physical toll. After her diagnosis, she had open and honest conversations with her older children, but talking to her youngest proved more difficult. When she found a way to explain to him what cancer was and how it would impact his health and family life, he cried, repeatedly asking if his mother would die.
“As a parent you try to be strong for your children, but they see you slowly transform into a completely different person. It's heartbreaking, you feel helpless", the woman confided to People.
‘She’s afraid I’ll die’, Cancer-stricken mother in tears after school call
As the months passed, women are having more and more difficulties to carry out even the simplest daily activities, such as preparing lunch for the family, which he once took for granted. Chemotherapy had a major impact on his the body: she explained that she has lost any sense of humility or embarrassment, because there are days when she can't even wash herself and needs assistanceThe debilitating pain caused by neuropathy sometimes makes it impossible for her to even stand.
Although her children's schools were promptly informed of her illness and offered support, the phone call from the elementary school nurse deeply shocked her, bringing her to tears.
“It’s one of those calls no parent wants to receive. It's a heartbreaking feeling. It's like someone took your breath away. I couldn’t help but cry.”
That day, after their son returned home, they talked about it together and the parents understood that therapy would be the best choice for him.
@lifewithmisty8 It's just not fair. I can handle this suffering but to watch my babies suffer is horrible. #chemotherapysideeffects #breastcancer #brca2positive💕💞💞💞 #ptsd #brca2 #breastcancerawareness #depression ♬ original sound – lifewithmisty8