My Angel in Heaven

It's the first day of spring!  The day that many people (in the Northern Hemisphere) have been longing for all winter.  Spring is the season of rebirth.  The harsh winter season is behind us and Mother Nature nurishes the earth with a rebirth of beautiful flowers. 

For me, spring is a constant reminder of breast cancer's unforgiving nature.  Twenty-six years agotoday my beautiful Aunt Rainy succumbed to her battle with breast cancer.  For a three-year-old, I still remember that day vividly.  I was walking down the stairs at my Mom-mom and Pop-pop's house holding my mom's hand.  I was wearing pink pants and a white shirt.  My Pop-pop answered a phone call and then told us that Aunt Rainy had taken a turn for the worse.  Everyone cried.  I didn't fully understand what was going on, but I knew it couldn't be good. 

Aunt Rainy was the first person in my immediate family to have breast cancer (that we know of).  Genetic testing wasn't available in the 1980's, so she didn't have the option to prevent cancer.  I've witnessed first hand what breast cancer can do to a family.  My mom lost her only sister.  My Mom-mom couldn't watch a home video of Aunt Rainy without crying for days.  Although I was very young when the Lord called Aunt Rainy home to Heaven, her memory lived on through the stories that my Mom-mom would tell me as I was growing up. 

I cannot stress enough that if you have a strong history of breast or ovarian cancer in your family, please consider genetic testing.  Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer pops up earlier in life than the general population.  Genetic screen potentially saved my life.  Under the Affordable Care Act, genetic testing for breast cancer will now be covered according to this news article. 

http://news.yahoo.com/breast-cancer-genetic-testing-gets-covered-health-care-234648209.html

 Aunt Rainy did not have the options to prevent breast cancer that we have today.  Her legacy will live on through me and I will do my best to spread the word that prevention can save lives.  She is my angel and my guardian, and although my family (her daughter, my mom, my Mom-mom...) miss her tremendously, Heaven is a little bit brighter today as she smiles down upon us. We miss you Aunt Rainy! 

In loving memory of Lorraine Marie Castellucci 1948-1987.