Patricia and Rachel
Left to righ: Patricia and Rachel
By Rachel, a Sister Study participant from Texas
My sister and I grew up in Texas. There were four of us — two boys and two girls. Patricia and I were not really close growing up, I guess you could say, I tolerated her. She was five years younger than me and was such a pest. She always wanted to tag along with me everywhere I went. She was a girly girl, I on the other hand was much different.
When we were growing up things seemed to change in our relationship. I found myself going to her with my problems and I leaned on her for moral support and advice. She took on the role of the older sister in many ways. I was addicted to street drugs for a while during my twenties and she was always there for me when I needed a friend. It was her advice that made me enter the state rehab and eventually I got back on the right path.
When she was diagnosed with full blown breast cancer at the very
early age of 28, we were both devastated. She found the lump
only because while playing with her child she somehow bruised herself.
When she examined the bruise she felt the lump. Of course how young
she way, we thought there was no need to worry. I remember when
she found out it was not only cancer but that it was in her lymph
nodes as well, she began her battle with this disease, never thinking
about death in anyway. She went through the chemotherapy and treatments
with only the thought that she would win. And she did, she was
cancer free for seven years.
When the cancer returned she once again prepared to battle with
it. She went through even more chemo and even a bone marrow replacement.
The cancer just continued to return and she was told that she would
probably be on chemo for the rest of her life. I asked her what
was she going to do and she told me, “I have cancer, cancer
does not have me.” She made the choice to continue to fight
back. She researched and read everything pertaining to breast cancer
and anything else she could get her hands on. Actually, she was
the one that told me about the Sister Study. She learned about
it before she lost her battle in September 2003.
This was before it became national and she had asked that I participate in it. I had forgotten all about it until a good friend read about it in the Dallas paper. I signed up right away and I also began to tell everyone that I knew what I was doing. I wear the pink ribbon and tell everyone I see wearing one about the Sister Study. I am so proud to be a part of this important research study. I also know that Patricia is smiling down from heaven on me.
She was the most courageous woman I have ever known. I told her on a regular basis that I was proud to be her sister. She was truly my very best friend. We took “sister trips” together in spite of her illness. A lot of times I knew that she wasn’t feeling up to it but she made the effort even though we had to rest a lot. I wouldn’t trade any of those moments for anything else in the world. I miss her and I try to think of what I have and not what I lost. The best times to me were with her while she was on this earth for that short period of time.