mia foundation

Through the Mia Hamm Foundation, Mia is able to connect with many of her own heroes: people bravely coping with a chronic or serious illness as well as their supportive family members.

One of Mia's Heroes is Richelle Lambert, the daughter of a cancer survivor.

Richelle sent MHF her very honest and moving story. We thank Richelle for allowing us to share it with you.

"When a Loved One has Cancer"

My name is Richelle Lambert and I would like to share with you what a family goes through when a loved one has cancer. First, I would like to tell you a little bit about my family and how it was between us before my dad was told he had cancer. I have a wonderful family: parents Joseph and Barbara, three brothers, two nephews and one niece. We traveled a lot because our father was in the Air Force; we would be in different states anywhere from six months to two years.

Then in 1997 it all changed for my family because my dad went in for a biopsy on a lump in his neck and it came back cancer. The doctor told him he had a rare form called Mantel Cell Lymphoma - it's cancer of the lymph nodes. He had to undergo eight treatments of chemotherapy every third week of each month for about six to eight months. He went into remission for about two years. In the Fall of 2000 the cancer returned…it showed up on the ct-scan that it had spread all over his body.

There were times through all this that we had great times making some good memories as a family. When things would get to that point where I had a bad time handling it I would withdraw and bottle things up like my true feelings. So my family and I would sit down and talk about our feelings. After we were told that it had come back a third time, I couldn't believe it because I always thought that it would never touch my family again. I went into denial not wanting it to be true that someone I cared about and loved had cancer and might die from it.

In June 2001 my father underwent a stem cell transplant, knowing that it wasn't a cure but would give him more time to be a father, a grandfather and a husband.

People ask me how I'm doing and I tell them I don't think of it as a death sentence, it's more of a blessing instead, because it has brought our family closer together than we ever have been. We have been there for each other and we don't take things for granted anymore. I would like for people and families to know that no matter what happens to a family member, never blame yourself, or shut them out, and always be there for them. I hope that this helps others going through this and understand that it takes a big toll on everyone not just the family member that has it.