@OfficialGamboaLikeUs 19 December 2025

Discovering My Mom’s Battle with Breast Cancer As many of you may have seen on my Facebook account, on December 14, I lost my mom. It was a moment I still can’t fully wrap my mind around, one of the most painful experiences of my life. But as I’ve been processing the grief, I’ve come to learn something that has made the pain even more complex: on December 17, just three days after her passing, I found out that her death was caused by breast cancer. In those first few days, I was in shock. The loss itself was overwhelming, but to learn that it was due to something as serious as cancer, a disease that she had apparently been quietly battling for some time, was hard to accept. It felt like I was still trying to come to terms with her death, only to be hit with a deeper, more painful layer of reality. **A Silent Battle** For many of us, cancer feels distant until it hits close to home. I knew about breast cancer, of course, it's something we hear about all the time. But when it happens to someone you love, the weight of it is completely different. What made this even harder was that my mom had kept her diagnosis to herself. She hadn’t shared the news with me or anyone else in our family. I don’t know if she was trying to protect us from worrying or if she thought she could handle it on her own, but the fact that she fought this battle in silence makes it even harder for me to process. Breast cancer is tricky, it often doesn’t show obvious signs in the early stages, and by the time it does, it can already be advanced. I now realize how much harder it is to catch it in time if you’re not actively checking for it or getting regular screenings. My mom was one of the many who didn’t get a chance to catch it early. **The Pain of Unanswered Questions** In the wake of this news, I’ve found myself grappling with many questions. Could things have been different if she’d shared her diagnosis? Was there something we could’ve done to help her sooner? But I’ve also come to understand that these questions, while natural, can’t change what’s already happened. What I can do now is take this painful experience and try to learn from it. I can raise awareness about breast cancer, share what I’ve learned, and hopefully encourage others to get regular screenings or checkups. It’s a small way to honor my mom and make sure that something good comes out of this loss. **Moving Forward with Purpose** Losing a parent is something that no one is ever fully prepared for. I’ve had to confront grief in a way I never imagined. But I’ve also had to find a way to move forward, to keep going even as I hold this pain. My mom may not be here anymore, but her love and the lessons she taught me are still with me. One thing I’ve learned through all of this is the importance of talking about health openly and honestly. Whether it's a serious diagnosis or a simple checkup, we need to have more conversations about our well-being. Early detection and regular health screenings can save lives. While I will always miss my mom, I now know that it’s up to me to keep her memory alive, not just through my thoughts and prayers, but through action. And if my story helps even one person take the time to get checked, then maybe some of this pain can serve a greater purpose.