The Day My Daughter told Me She has Breast Cancer

On November 1st, my daughter Teri called to ask, “If I could come over to her house to talk.” I thought I am never too busy to talk. When I got there, I noticed a journal sitting on the counter, as she started talking, she touched the journal & said she has Breast Cancer. I was trying hard to listen to what she was saying, but it was hard for me to comprehend that my 47-year-old daughter said she had Breast Cancer. I had so many things going on in my head at that moment. I was trying so hard to pay attention to what she was saying, but looking into her eyes, I knew I could not fix this or take away the uncertainty. All these questions started to come into my head; what do I say? How do I tell her, Dad? As her Mom, how do I help her? I also started to think about her photography business that will need to be put on hold & her gifts to tell the many stories she loves to tell through the lens of her camera. I remember after one of her first shoots; she said, “I love making people smile even when they do not want too.”

My name is Darla Conner; I am Teri McNabb’s Mom. Teri has been diagnosed with HER 2 Negative ER Positive Breast Cancer. Teri & Her husband Jeff are a hard-working middle-class family with three wonderful young men. Their oldest is serving our country in the United States Army, their middle son is serving a Mission & their youngest son is in the 8th grade.  Like many families, they have faced many challenges over the 25 years of their marriage; this may well be one of the biggest challenges they will have to face together.

Most of us know Breast Cancer has many steps of treatment. Teri’s next step will be to have surgery to remove the cancer and biopsy the surrounding areas. Once the doctor has the results of the biopsy, then we will have the next steps toward her care treatment. This is the reason I wanted to set up a GoFundMe page for Teri & Her family. Their out of pocket cost to get diagnosed has reached beyond their means. They have also found out that they are underinsured for all cancer-related surgery & treatments.

I am asking for your prayers & hopefully a few dollars so she can see those smiles through the lens of her camera once again. Teri wants you all to know that if there is any unused money, she will help another cancer patient through the GoFundMe group.  May God Bless Darla Conner, Teri’s Mom.