I have overcome several challenges in my thirty years of life. Some have been huge and others not so big in comparison to the ones my husband has overcome. I have survived losing both my parents at the worst possible times in a girl's life. I was thirteen and in the midst of puberty when my dad died. It was sudden and shocking when I was just coming to grips with the fact that he had some serious demons that plagued his life. So I researched and turned to myself and my family to get through. The whole scenario made me closer to my mum and made our relationship stronger.
I was eighteen when my mum was diagnosed with advanced rectal-adeno carcinoma (better known as colorectal and lymphatic cancers). I was living in France at the time of her diagnosis and so my understanding of the whole situation was vague until I got a call from my older sister with the whole prognosis. They gave her a 6 month life sentence. My mum was a fighter and she was determined to see my younger sister graduate from secondary school (Danica still had two years to go). I came home from France in October for my older sister and brother-in-law's wedding. I lived at the house but only for a brief time as the rules imposed on me were ridiculous. I had already been living on my own for the better part of a year and then to have a curfew again was strange and made having a social life impossible (not to mention the presence of my mum's husband who tried to control every aspect of our lives). So I got a bachelor suite just down the street from my mum's house. She fought hard and she successfully completed 36 out of the 64kms of the Great Walk in June of 2001. I spent as much time as I could with her while she was ailing, but at the same time I needed to figure out how to take care of myself and maintain a relationship with my sisters. August 24th, 2002, my mum died, two years and one month to the day from her diagnosis. She made it to my Danica's graduation from school and she died one week and three days before my first day of college. I had made her a promise that I would go back to school and take general studies until I decided on which career path I would take.
My husband and I have made it through the amputation of his right leg (BK) and the accidents leading up to the eventual amputation.
I have also overcome the gender issues in my trade. When I started my welding career in 2005, there were still fairly few women in the trade. Today it is much more common to find women in the shops and in the field but when starting jobs, I was given a hard time and really had to prove myself in my profession even to men less qualified than myself. I am a fully certified, red-seal welder and I am hoping to go for my pressure tickets early in the new year. But I have been working for the same company here in the Halliburton Highlands since May 2008 and have had two maternity leaves (the most recent one ends on July 30th and I am looking forward to going back to work).
My life is no walk in the park and has been riddled with grief and dealing with family demons but I am strong and I will survive.
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