Two years after my mom sewed my prom dress, I went to pull it from the closet, ready to wear the last gift she ever gave me. But just hours before the big night, I discovered something had happened to the dress that nearly kept me from wearing it at all.
I was 15 when Mom was diagnosed with cancer. Little did I know that someone new would come into my life and try to wipe all memories of my mother away.
That’s when my loved ones showed up and showed out.
Cancer—the word itself sounded like something sharp that could slice through the air and leave everything bleeding behind it.
I remember how my dad gripped the steering wheel tighter when the doctor said it.
I remember how the light in the kitchen changed, feeling colder even when the sun was still shining.
And I remember how Mom smiled.
She smiled through everything, including the nausea, the appointments, and the hollowing out of her cheeks. My mom hummed when she folded laundry, even when the pain drained her strength.
She whispered, “We’re okay, sweetheart,” even when I could hear her crying softly behind the bathroom door at night.
She never let the darkness take her.
Mom knew how much prom meant to me, even years before it was real. We’d watched enough teen movies together to make a ritual out of it.
On Friday nights, we sat with popcorn between us, quoting lines from “Never Been Kissed” or “10 Things I Hate About You.”
Prom was the one night I’d feel like the girls in movies, all dressed up, dancing, and carefree.
My mom always said, “Your night will be even better, you’ll see.”
What happened next changed everything… FULL STORY on the next page.
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