In conjunction with UC Irvine Athletics Think Pink Week, women's water polo player Riley Shaw shared a raw and emotional look at the effect breast cancer has on a family. The Shaws are a strong and loving family and we are truly grateful that Riley wanted to share her story to let people know the struggles and triumphs people face when dealing with breast cancer. We are happy to report her mom is in remission and wish her continued health and happiness.
 
Dear Mom,
I'm not sure when it first hit me... it wasn't when we first saw the lump, it wasn't when you got your mammogram and biopsy results, it wasn't at your first official appointment with your surgeon, but when it did hit me, I had never felt anything worse. My mom...my best friend, my person had breast cancer.
 
August 12^th 2016, was the day you got your cancer results. Looking through a medical lens was the only way I could cope with the situation, I had to view it objectively. It worked for a while, up until your surgery on September 27^th. I remember Dad saying that your bilateral mastectomy went well and that you were recovering…but they discovered that it had spread to your lymph nodes and that you were now Stage 3. He explained that they worked up the lymph nodes and that they'd remove one and test it. 10 came back positive, the next 3 were negative. This gave us hope that they had stopped the cancer in its tracks. But to your dismay, your new stage brought a new treatment plan. Stage 3 meant you were doing chemo, something I knew you absolutely without a doubt did not want to do. I was scared that you weren't going to do it, I know how much you wanted to keep your hair, and your "old, normal" life. I felt so relieved when you changed your mind, and I am forever thankful that you did.
 
November 10 was your first of the 8 rounds of chemo, with the "Red Devil"(red for its color, devil because of the strength of the chemotherapy agent). Your last chemo was February 27^th and I remember how excited you were to be done…I also remember how mad you got when your doctors told you that you needed radiation. You told them no, and kept telling them no for a long time. Again, I am so thankful that you changed your mind, and on May 15^th you had your first radiation treatment. It would be every week day for 6 weeks. I remember how much you hated radiation, your skin was so affected from the treatment and you were in pain. June 27^th was your last day of radiation and you were so excited that you were done with it all. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, you had survived it all. With all of the fantastic work done by your doctors, and your strength to push through you are officially "in remission."
 
I started watching Breaking Bad about a week ago, and seeing the character go through what you went through, it made me realize how much I had missed. It hit me all over again, along with an overwhelming sense of pain. So I want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there as much as I should have been, as much as I wanted to be. I was thankful for the weekends I could fly home, but leaving you to come back to practice and school was horrible. You were fighting the hardest battle of your life and I couldn't be with you. However, looking back on it now, with everything you were going through, you never let it affect you being a mom. A strong mother who let her daughter continue to pursue her dreams of playing Division I water polo. You were always a phone call away, ready to set aside anything to make sure I was okay.
 
Just know that when you had your surgery, when you lost your hair, and when you were too tired to function, I never saw weakness, I only saw strength.
 
Mom, your cancer never defined you, and it never will.
 
I love you mom, always.
 
Riley Ann
 
PS.
As hard as all of this was for me, I know it was harder for someone else. So I asked Jaden (my little brother) to write a little bit and this is what he'll always remember, "When my mom pulled over on the side of the road and told me that she had breast cancer I felt something I never have before. It was like a wave of emotion that swelled over me and I felt trapped. That feeling was a special kind of fear that told me there was nothing I could do to help, and that it was out of my hands. I love my mom very much and I was scared just by hearing it, I can never understand how she was able to stay so strong and hopeful for herself, but I'm very proud she did."
 
I would like to thank UCI Athletics for taking a special interest in Breast Cancer Awareness and all of their efforts to promote it until we find a cure.
 
Think Pink events begin with men's volleyball on Wednesday (Feb. 14) through baseball on Saturday (Feb. 17). Women's water polo will play pink on Friday when they host UCLA at 7:00 p.m. at the Anteater Aquatics Center.
 
UCI Athletics is proud to support UC Irvine Breast Health. UC Irvine Health breast cancer specialists provide state-of-the-art care with advanced technologies such as 3-D mammography, which can detect breast cancer earlier and with more accuracy than standard 2-D mammography. The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of only 45 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States, one of the region's most experienced team with the most advanced therapies and technologies.