Mother of three children tells of her battle against breast cancer: “I had to work hard”

At 46 years old, Jamil Rivers, originally from Philadelphia, He clearly remembers the day when his exhaustion reached a critical point. While facing treatment for metastatic breast cancer, she found herself raising three children and maintaining a full-time job.

Despite the harshness of the chemotherapy, he continued with a routine that gave him no respite. “I told myself I had to keep moving forward,” Jamil said in an interview with People.

However, one day, upon arriving home after a particularly tough treatment, Fatigue took hold of her so much that even blinking or breathing was a difficult task. “I felt like my whole body was defeated,” he explained. “Seeing the concern in my children’s eyes, I realized that I didn’t want that to be the image they remembered of me.”

Her three children, who were 23, 13 and 11 at the time, were her biggest motivation to find a way to take care of both them and herself. This is how she began to explore self-care methods that would allow her to feel better. physically and emotionally during your treatment.

Jamil decided it was time to prioritize his well-being, starting with acupuncture and massage sessions, which helped him cope with the side effects of chemotherapy. He also connected with several nonprofit organizations that provided support, from transportation to their medical appointments to resources to help their children better understand cancer and the process they were going through.

These initiatives not only improved her quality of life, but inspired her to help other women in similar situations. Thus was born The Chrysalis Initiative, an organization dedicated to guiding and supporting women facing metastatic breast cancer. “You can live with metastatic breast cancer and your life doesn’t have to end because of it,” Jamil said with determination.

In 2018, Jamil was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, after experiencing symptoms that initially appeared to be a persistent cold. Knowing the discouraging survival rates, he decided not to let those numbers determine his fate.

“I realized that the responsibility was on me. I had to do my best to make sure I had the best quality of life possible,” he reflected to the aforementioned medium.

Over time, Jamil became a single mother after a separation and focused on her well-being and that of her children. Her ex-husband, who overcame colon and kidney cancer, remained an important presence in her children’s lives, but she took the lead role in raising them.

The woman dedicated much of her time to keeping up to date with the latest advances in cancer research, always looking for ways to challenge the statistics. At the same time, he deeply valued everyday moments with his children, like family movie or game nights.

“Each of those little moments gave me energy to keep going,” he shared. “We hugged each other, we laughed, and that recharged me. It was what drove me.”

Her children, whom she described as compassionate and caring, learned to adapt to the reality of having parents who sometimes needed their help. “I noticed that they were very observant,” Jamil explained. “If they saw that she was tired, or that her dad was, they would immediately ask us if we needed anything. “They were always there, attentive.”

Despite the challenges, Jamil hoped that her children, looking back on their childhood, would see her beyond her illness. “I wanted that, over time, when they thought of me, they didn’t just see me as the mother with cancer, but as the mother who was there for them, who loved them and who always fought to be the best possible for them.”

“I did everything in my power to be here as long as possible, and to take care of myself in the best way possible, for the sake of my children,” he concluded.