My Story

Hi, I’m Carrie. I would like to tell you my story, and my motivation for starting the organization “Friends of Carrie and Ross.” This group is dedicated to forming a supportive community for younger children whose parents have, or have had, any serious illness. By sharing a common experience, these children can begin to understand their parents’ disease and begin to hope for a healthy future.

When I was six years old and my brother, Ross, was five months old, my mom was diagnosed with Lymphoma and my grandfather, who we called Poppy, was simultaneously diagnosed with Lymphoma. 

Before my mom became ill, she worked as a doctor at a busy hospital. She worked long hours and was always on call and willing to help her patients at any moment. All of a sudden, or so it felt, my carefree, goofy mom was sleeping all of the time, going to doctors instead of being a doctor, and losing her hair. Even now, almost ten years after my mom was diagnosed,  I can still remember hating the sight of her hideous gray blue bandana.  My mom, however, tried to craft stories for me so neither of us would lose hope. She told me that when she got her hair back, her curly, frizzy hair was going to grow back pin straight and that it would be pink with purple polka dots. My Poppy’s hair was going to grow back in a purple afro, and my neighbor, who had also lost his hair to cancer, was going to have a blue buzz cut.  As a six year old, I believed her completely. I dreamed of how awesome it would be if they started a band. These stories helped me get through my day.

That period of my life was particularly tumultuous. My dad had recently married my stepmom, I started 1st grade at a new school, I had a new baby brother, and mom was sick. I did not know that there were any other kids out there who were going through the same thing as me. I can  remember people coming  over – family, friends, neighbors – and looking at me with sad eyes, trying to smile and pretend like nothing was going on. This is why, since fifth grade, I have wanted to start an organization for kids to be with other kids going through the same thing. We will not pretend like nothing is wrong, but neither will we focus on the sadness.  I will try to follow my mom’s lead and craft stories to help the younger children understand the disease while maintaining hope.  We will come together to be happy and  generate hope for the future that involves healthy parents. 

My Poppy passed away during a relapse when I was twelve. My mom is again battling with cancer after being healthy for eight years. Everyday she stays strong as she goes through radiation. She has hair now, but unfortunately it is not pink with purple polka dots