My Wonder's & Worries Story - by Nanette

My son's feelings in a pot from W&W

Hi All - my name is Nanette Labastida and I will be a regular contributor to the Wonder Ball blog! I'm very excited to do this and even more excited to attend the Wonder Ball in 2011!
This time last year I was vaguely aware of Wonder Ball, I caught a few tweets about it on Twitter in my feed, I read an article about it, it seemed neat, cool, a worthy event. But separate from my life.

This year is a different story - because since last May, my family has been a Wonders & Worries family - that's the month I was diagnosed with breast cancer and our world took a new path.

What do you think the first thing a parent thinks of when they get the diagnosis of cancer or any serious illness?  Well, i’ll tell you, it’s “what will happen to my kids?” – this question encompasses all the rest…..how will they react, how do I tell them, won’t they be scared? , how will I take care of them, how will they understand what’s going on – endless questions, fears & stress.

Wonders and Worries is an incredible gift to families. It has been to mine. My children have benefited, they understand cancer and the processes and treatments. The met kids who as my son said are “just like me” – that is so comforting to me as a parent.

That all of this was available to me at no cost was such an added blessing - financial worry is just the last thing you want to think about, and I am always looking for a way to give back to the organizations and people that helped me during the hardest times. This is why I am so thrilled to be on the Wonder Ball team, spreading the word, helping out where I can and sharing my stories!

See you all at the Ball!
xo

Nanette