Celebrating Mother’s Day with All Its Challenges, Triumphs, Love, Memories, and Genetics

My mother, Rochelle, migrated to America from Hungary. She was preceded by her father, Herman, who arrived first followed by his wife, Sara, and their three children – my mother along with her two brothers, Sidney and Benny. Sara and the children were forced to wait a few years to be able to come here, and when they did, I can’t even imagine how the family felt. Upon settling in Pennsylvania, they had to establish a new life, learn a new language, and then finally were able to reunite with their father again after missing so much precious time together. I have been sitting here looking at my own mother’s passport picture with her brave mother and two little brothers and cannot help but think about how young and brave they were.

Meanwhile, my father fled Germany as Hitler came into power. The first thing that my father did in gratitude for his safe arrival in America was to enlist in the U.S. Army once he could become legally accepted. He met my mother, fell head over heels in love, begged my grandfather for her hand in marriage, and soon thereafter, I was born. We lived in New York prior to moving to California.

My mother and grandmother were examples of strong and courageous women who instilled important life lessons, good values, and taught me to continue to grow and seek wisdom along with the lessons to always be kind, courageous, and meet life’s inevitable challenges with grace and faith. My younger sister, Selma, was born when I was nine-years-old, and she became a strong and amazing woman who died much too young from ovarian cancer.

This Mother’s Day, as always, I will remember my own mother who left this Earth almost 40 years ago after a battle with ovarian cancer. Her doctors initially expected her to pass on Mother’s Day, but she was determined to hold on for one extra day so she could say her individual goodbyes to each of my daughters, explaining that while she would be leaving her body, her soul would live on. Each conversation was deeply personal and meaningful with my mother giving everyone the gifts of acceptance and peace of mind.

Happy Mother’s Day in Heaven, Mom! As I am aging, I am grateful to be blessed with great memories and gratitude for learning about the life journey of my mother.

I hope everyone reading this will capture the life story of their mother, and your own life journey for your children. You can go to www.DebbyBitticks.com and get a FREE PDF of my award-winning Cherished Memories: TheStory of My Life interview book when you enter the code ‘GRATITUDE’. It also includes a family health history section.

Seeing three generations of the women closest to me lose their lives in their 50s to the malicious disease of cancer, I realized how important it is to get genetic testing. Each one of us was a carrier of the BRCA 1 gene mutation and learning that empowered me to seek extra screening. Thankfully, I caught my breast cancer in time and I am now a 10--year survivor.

After learning about the importance of genetic testing, I informed my entire family, including those across the world, encouraging everyone to get tested. Many of my family members tested positive and some had preventive surgery following the birth of their children. One of my mother’s brothers also tested positive while his grown daughter is also BRCA positive and is currently dealing with ovarian cancer.

Bottom line: Be PROACTIVE and remember that KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! We are all so blessed today to have access to genetic testing and the ability to share our family histories.

I want to thank my sister, Selma Schimmel, whose memory lives on through the nonprofit organization she started which is still helping and educating people. Visit www.VitalOptions.org to learn more about Vital Options International. I also want to express my gratitude to Dave Duplay who is the Chairman and CEO.

Every May 11, I light a memorial candle in honor of my mother’s passing and a birthday candle for my grandson, Eli, who was born on May 11. The souls connect, memories live on, and love is forever.

Please remember Debby’s 3 G’s – Get Informed, Get Organized, Get Moving!

I send you 3 kisses for the PAST, PRESENT, and the FUTURE!

Visit www.DigitalLifeCloud.com where you can maintain and have access to all your vital information 24/7 from anywhere in the world.