Chemo Cat by Cathy Nilon

My Name is Cathy Nilon, I am a mother, a wife,a student and an artist... I’m also
a six year breast and skin cancer survivor!

I grew up in City Island – off the coast of the Bronx.

In my twenties, I spent years as a shoe buyer for a major store chain, then moved to Milan to study shoe design.

I earned a million frequent flyer miles were earned while working with shoe factories in Europe and Asia
but no home base and no weekends off….
Sounds thrilling but truth be told it was demanding, cutthroat and exhausting… I was lonely and living out of a suitcase.

I had a lump in my left breast since I was 35 yrs old.
I was told it was a cyst
it wasn’t diagnosed as cancer until 7 years later; at that point it was in my lymph nodes. I had Stage 2b invasive breast cancer.
Our son Luca was 4 years old and I was 43.

The biopsy result was given to me on a Friday night over the telephone.
I was told good luck, given a few names of oncologists

Christmas was not merry thanks to the diagnosis.
I was a walking disaster, seething with anger.
Nobody seemed to understand me …except for other survivors;(which is clearly why I now soeak with the newly diagnosed at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance as a survivor volunteer).

I had many surgeries- including a double mastectomy.
Aggressive treatment was prescribed.
Certain that the first chemo would kill me instantly; I was a ball of raw nerves.
It was especially frightening to have such a young child, with my family back east and no one to help.
I couldn’t imagine how we would cope or who would feed our son while my husband drove me to all of my appointments?

Through the miracle of grace,God sent the right people to us bearing gifts , meals and words of encouragement.

Eventually, I found the quiet inside my head, heart & soul for the first time in my life and I knew that I wanted to help other women coming down the road after me. But how?
I began to sketch how I felt.Dr. Julie Gralow my oncologist saw my drawings and loved them; she wondered what I wanted to do with them?
I said I’d love to make a children’s book but knew nothing about that business, she encouraged me. A local publisher got behind the book immediately after I boldly left some sketches and an outline on her porch. (Thank you Kathryn from Ravenna Press.)

“Chemo Cat” is our family’s story- personified as family of cats.
Mama cat has a lump and needs chemo. The book gently explains to young children a bit about hair falling out and mama sleeping a lot. Chemo Cat offers hope and help when it is so vitally needed and opens a dialogue about cancer.
All of my proceeds go to a breast cancer fund. (Living Beyond Breast Cancer), lbbc.org

In the middle of treatment, I must’ve looked pretty bad; my son asked
“Will I get a new mama soon?”

Holding back the tears…I answered,
“I will always be your mama -no matter what life brings”

Cancer is a powerful teacher…
It gave me strong empathy for anyone facing a serious disease or crisis.
Our family went back to the church and discovered something larger than cancer!!

I have a much quieter and simpler life now.
I try not live from a place of fear anymore, and am filled with gratitude and love for my husband Bill and my beautiful boy Luca. They gave me their strength, when I had none.

Please continue to bring light into the darkness of the cancer world and reach out to those in need.

My Loves!