MANAMA, Bahrain - “Reveille, reveille, all hands heave out and trice up. Give a clean sweep down fore and aft. The smoking lamp is lit aboard the ship”. It was around the mid of November and the cool air from outside was a nice break from the scorching temperatures that had been in the Persian Gulf for the last five months. It had been 212 days since I saw home. The rough waves against the ship's hull and the sways of the ship were a part of the daily routine. My days started promptly at 0600 (6:00 a.m.) and I’d retire to my rack around 2100 (9:00 p.m.). Long days meant for good sleep - at least until I got a call from back home.
My mom had been diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer about nine months before I left for basic training. It was a difficult situation for my family and even more difficult for me as I was away on my first deployment. The American Red Cross sent a message to my ship’s captain informing him of the surgery my mom would be having in the next couple of days to remove the cancer from her body. The anxiety I felt not knowing if I would be able to make it home put knots in my stomach. My dad, at this time the sole provider for the family, had already been missing work to care for my mom right after she was diagnosed.
I had been there serving my country as a sailor and now it was time to serve my family as a daughter.
After the Red Cross notified my command, a swift process was put in place to get me off the ship in a timely manner to make it back home before my mom was out of surgery. The smile on her face when she woke up and saw me was priceless. I am so thankful for the work the Red Cross does for its service members. I truly believe if it weren’t for the dedicated work of the Red Cross, I would not have been able to be present for such a milestone in my mom’s cancer journey.
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