Cancer is ‘one of the hardest things’ anyone can face

In the face of a mortal challenge, sometimes you can’t win.

But brave people, no matter how the odds are stacked against them, go the distance in their fight to survive.

Whether they win or lose.

Brenda Baros lost her battle with lung cancer on Nov. 18, 2010.

And on March 23, Shannon Long, Brenda’s loving daughter, will go the distance by walking in her mother’s honor in the Relay For Life of Gonzales County.

Shannon recalls the day they found out her mom was sick.

“It was April 21, 2008,” she says. “We both cried. She told me she would do whatever was necessary to beat the disease.”

Brenda made her stand against cancer and began a long, arduous struggle against it.

“She did radiation therapy,” Shannon says. “This went on for a few months, several times a week in the beginning. She received chemotherapy once a week for over a year.”

For two-and-a-half years, Brenda held on to life as tightly as she could. But the challenge proved too difficult for her to overcome. Though heartbroken at the loss of her mother, Shannon refuses to believe that all hope is lost.

Even though cancer seems unbeatable, Shannon holds in her heart the belief that mankind will one day triumph over the disease.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” she says. “Cancer is such a tough disease to fight. Some people have fought it and won, while others have lost their lives to it. I think research is getting better, and I hope one day there will be a cure for this terrible disease.”

Shannon wants others who are dealing with cancer to know they are not alone in their struggle, and to stick close to their family and friends. Never give up.

“For anyone who has cancer or has a family member with cancer, I would tell them they are not alone,” she says. “This will be one of the hardest things you will ever have to go through, by far. Dealing with cancer is a complete emotional rollercoaster, and at times it is hard to keep it together. But you have to try and stay positive.”

All in all, Shannon cherishes her mother’s memory and retains a sense of optimism regarding the outlook for cancer research and treatment.

“My mom battled with cancer for over two-and-a-half years,” she says. “And even though it is a nightmare that I relive daily, I am grateful I was able to be there for my mom emotionally and physically. There is not a word to describe how much I miss her, but I know she is no longer in pain and she is now in peace.”