WEBVTT

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(Inspiring music)

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(Narrator) Performances inspired by real stories

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of women with metastatic breast cancer,

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told through artistic expression.

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(Soft music)

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I can't be with the other moms. Not anymore.

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Not like back when I knew who I was.

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I could have walked over to that park bench. No problem.

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Sat and talked about the small things.

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"How's she doing in school?

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Did you sign up for summer camp?"

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We would connect, mother to mother. Easy honesty.

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Cancer has taken that from me.

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The other moms used to know who I was.

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Now, all they see is the cancer.

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"How you doing?"

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With those looks of concern.

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"Please, take my seat."

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Everyone leaping up whether I need them to or not.

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Overcompensation for a willingness to help.

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Yet I'm here,

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living, still living.

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Embodying resistance. Honoring the good news.

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Because none of this is easy.

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Am I even a woman?

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I do have to ask.

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Chemo has stripped me of my hair.

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Surgery has taken my beautiful breasts.

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This whole experience has left me so tired...

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So tired...that I can't work.

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So tired...that I can't have a love life.

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So tired...that I can't be the mother I need to be.

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And this isn't easy on her.

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(Children shouting happily)

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She learned from a kid in her class

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that I could be taken from her.

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They said: "She has cancer?

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Your mother's gonna die.

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Your mother's gonna die.

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I held her,

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tried not to lie to her,

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but struggled to explain how, despite loving her,

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I might have to leave her in this world alone.

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(Children shouting happily)

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She's right over there.

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(Children shouting happily)

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Beautiful, climbing up.

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And yet, I think,

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"Does this make me the worst mother in the world?"

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Her friends keep asking her to see what I look like.

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What does cancer look like?

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And when they catch sight of me, they're confused.

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It's just me, her mother,

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still shining. Holding on

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for yet another day,

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watching her grow

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while I can.

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(Children shouting happily)

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I don't want to lose a single moment.

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But I'm just so tired.

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(Calm music)

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It's like I can't even pull away even if I tried.

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And then, just like that...

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I know deep down in my bones,

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my daughter knows who I am:

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her mother.

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I will always be her mother.

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And she is my legacy.

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(Narrator) mBC Unspoken.

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A voice given. A story heard.