It runs in the family, terrible words to repeat but they need repeating. I knew that my dad’s sister, my aunt died from breast cancer. I knew his other sister had some kind of cancer and that she passed from it. I knew several of my cousins had cancer and passed from it and I knew that several of my dad’s cousins also had various cancers. That’s one side.

My mum’s mother, my grandmother had some kind of abdominal cancer that she died from before I was born. My mum had several aunts and cousins that also died from various abdominal cancers. My mum and her twin sister both survived colon cancer. Several of my cousins on my mum’s side have struggled  fought and survived cancer.

It runs in the family.

When you hear that you start to look at how many people in the family have had cancer. I knew these things and yet I hadn’t thought about it until I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  When I really looked at it, it kind of felt inevitable.  It runs in the family sounds like it’s fatal. It sounds like a bad thing. It forgets all the positives that exist too.

So what I’ve decided “it runs in the family” is going to mean to me is not something negative or awful or fatal.

Strength Sohkatisiwin

Strength is runs in the family. We’ve endured a lot of difficulty,  we’ve persevered and continued.

Hope Pakoseyimowin

Hope runs in the family. We keep going, we continue to fight, we keep trying.

Love Sâkihitowin

Love it runs in the family. We support each other. We are there for each other, we may disagree, we may live far from each other but our love is always there.

It runs in the family is all about how you choose to see what runs in the family. Yes our family has cancer but we also have strength, hope, love and we continue.

Ahkamēyimok, perseverance it runs in the family.