by Sarah Elizabeth Dwyer
when you lose your mother
The Things You Learn
I’ve never really been one for personal non-fiction. I’m a journalist who loves capturing and sharing other people’s passions and a fiction writer inspired by real-life events and fantastical musings. I never felt like my life was interesting enough to share. I’m happy with the life I had, but is it interesting to other people? Not so much.
However, as I watched my mother battle cancer and her health simultaneously slowly and quickly deteriorate, I started writing my experience to help me get through it. As I continued writing and sharing some of my thoughts with others, I realized my experience may help others as well. I learned so much more than I ever could have imagined and I can only hope this helps someone get through a difficult situation, whether they have lost a loved one or not.
About This Blog
About My Mother
About Me
“Stories like yours and worse than yours are all around, and your suffering won’t mark you out to be special, although your response to it might.”
-Rebecca Solnit, The Faraway Nearby
I graduated from Emerson College in May 2013 with a BFA in writing, literature and publishing and a minor in entrepreneurship. I have always kind of been a lazy writer. Not a lazy person, just a lazy writer when it comes to creative writing. I love conceptualizing and coming up with ideas, but I usually have to force myself to write. Because of this I fill my time doing other things I enjoy to put off writing. I function best under deadlines which is why I enjoy and am highly proficient in magazine writing and content marketing. I also love dance and fitness and am a licensed Zumba Fitness instructor. I also thoroughly enjoy hiking, camping, fashion, and technology (especially in its relation to the publishing industry). Losing my mom challenged me and helped me grow as a person and I expect this blog to challenge me and help me grow as a writer.
Laurie Macomber Dwyer was a book reader, nature lover and yard sale enthusiast. She enjoyed road trips with no destination in mind and when asked where she was going, she would reply, “Crazy. Wanna come?” She struggled with self-confidence and had multiple different jobs throughout her life, but all involved working with people. She could strike up a half hour long conversation with anyone polite enough to listen. She especially loved working with kids and would happily tell you that she always knew she wanted to be a mom. She was known as “mama bear” for dedicating her life to her daughters—and I was lucky enough to be one of them.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and battled for five years as the cancer was surgically removed, but then metastasized into her bones, liver and eventually her brain. She realized towards the end that she wanted to help people become their own advocate in terms of their health, but did not have the time and energy to follow through. Through her understandable fair share of “why me?” moments, she fought on right to the very end and passed away in her sleep after a meaningful week surrounded by friends and family on June 10, 2014.
