Will Johnston: Think pink for mum

This is my mum. Photo / Supplied

COMMENT: This is my mum. She's in her early 70s (she'll hate me telling you that), she's 5ft 4 tall (I'm 6ft 4, so is Dad).

I displaced one of her ribs on the 'way out' — that's what you get for procreating with a person a foot taller than you — so I've always been a bit of an annoyance to her I suppose!

She's a caring mum, a grumpy mum, a nurturing and long-suffering mum, a frustrating and annoying mum, she's been selfless and every now and then selfish. Though, so have I. So have all mums. So have all children!

I have 35 years of memories attached to this woman.

Being my mother is probably not the easiest job. I'm 35, fiercely independent, sometimes self-centred, quick to take the piss out of both of my parents, quick to nag them when I think there is something they should be doing for themselves to make their retirement better.

Don't even get me started on the little s*** I was as a kid.

Throwing rocks at the cars below from the bank at the end of our section with my best mate Stu — who had a reverse mullet to compliment the fat-kid bowl-cut I had — was the light end of it. Though to be fair, she had the last laugh with that aforementioned bowl cut I guess!

Don't even get me started on the teenage years.

This is where most of the grumpy/angry mum came out. But clearly for good reason.

Like, you've birthed this human, you do everything you can for them and then they just become a bit of an idiot for quite a while! Doesn't seem fair really does it?

You know what's less fair? Breast cancer.

You know what's even less fair? Getting it twice.

This is something my mother has endured. Both times it was caught early.

So just over a decade ago I was in Wellington, as a radio intern, thinking I was cool in my early 20s smoking with all the other 'cool' radio announcers. Then I got a call from Mum and Dad and they wanted to meet up for a coffee. Literally one of the worst coffees of my life. And Wellington makes GREAT coffee, so that's saying a lot!

That fear and sadness I saw in Mum's eyes when she told me she had breast cancer is something that I will never forget. It was some sort of mix of terror over what might happen to her and disappointment that she was bringing worry and anguish to other people in her life through something that was no fault of her own.

I quit smoking that day.

She had no choice in getting cancer. I was literally opening the door and welcoming that bastard of a thing in. And it IS a bastard.

In the end Mum was 'lucky'. They caught it super early, they operated and took out the lump and some lymph nodes, she had radiation and she was clear of it.

Then it came back 18 months later, in the other breast! The same process for her again, lump removed and radiation.

As invasive and horrible as that is, to me it seemed to be harder mentally to overcome.

The not knowing the final outcome is a horrible rain cloud to carry around every day.

Then, once it's clear, the waiting twists your brain to terrible places about it coming back,
or turning up in different organs, etc.

Upshot, Mum is lucky. She's been clear of cancer for about a decade now.

Another decade of her son annoying her and working on his horrible impersonation of her voice literally every time he answers her phone call.

Seriously though, I know there are thousands of people in this country that WISH this was the outcome for their mum when she got breast cancer. I don't claim to know how they feel having lost someone like that (it puts me on the verge of tears even thinking about it), but I understand how important it is to respect, care for and not take for granted ANYONE that loves you and you love back.

It's breast cancer awareness month. Give the ladies in pink some change this month, they might be the ones looking after you or your mum, researching a cure, or have had it themselves. Also, call your mum. Even if it's to impersonate her annoyingly!

• Will Johnston is the local 9am-3pm host for The Hits Bay of Plenty 95FM. He's also a celebrant and MC.