Chapter Twenty-Three
Beth
Another breast lump.
One big enough to be a marble and invading one of Mom’s ribs.
When the biopsy came back as cancer again, I felt betrayed. “How is it this big so soon?” I asked the doctor.
“Cancer can be unpredictable. With a strain like your mother’s, things can progress quite rapidly. Of course, without any follow-up treatment after the last surgery, I couldn’t guarantee a non-recurrence.”
“What follow-up treatment? Mom?”
Mom?She wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I didn’t feel it warranted chemotherapy after the surgery went well. I didn’t lie about doing my self-exams and nothing changed.”
“God, you’ve been in denial the whole time, haven’t you? I can’t believe you’d do this to us!”
I stormed out of the office and didn’t stop until the parking lot, so mad I
