A lot of cancer survivors, who also happen to be parents, have told us that telling their kids about the diagnosis was one of the hardest parts of dealing with the disease. There’s an instinct to protect kids from worrying about the worst that could happen. That’s how breast cancer survivor Victoria Rego felt when she had to tell her teenage daughter that she was sick. However, she was able to use the experience to demonstrate real strength for her daughter.
“I’ve had the opportunity to show my daughter that no matter what happens, you can’t let it knock you down,” Victoria said.
Read More Victoria was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. She said that at the time, she couldn’t even fathom how she would go about having the conversation with her daughter. “I’m a single mom, and she had just lost her idle, her great grandmother a few months before,” Victoria said. “So, telling her that this was happening was just beyond my understanding of how I was gonna do it. But I did it, with the held of her father … I can only imagine that it was frightening for her, even though she didn’t let it on.” RELATED: WHAT IS TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER? Later, after treatment was finished, Victoria’s daughter told her that she always knew she would pull through — “because of your strength, I always knew you were gonna be OK.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
