Two years ago, my then-78-year-old Egyptian teita (grandmother) was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. Today, she is not only a survivor, but an inspiration to every person in our family and beyond. To my teita, your resilience has empowered me to persevere in the face of adversity, your faith in God is ever awe-inspiring, and your dark-humor has instilled in us laughs when worry was a default. My family and I learned about teita’s diagnosis in October 2021 — ironically enough during Breast Cancer Awareness month. I still remember that day incredibly vividly and still can’t find answers to the questions I pondered. Yet, while everyone was overwhelmed, anxious, and unsettled; my teita was hopeful, faithful, and brave — at least to our faces she was. There are many ways I can describe teita: but fearless and faithful exceed any other adjectives. Perhaps this is why she went, all alone, to do the mammogram when she felt something was off in her breasts. She had a dream that she was doing an operation, and booked an appointment to do a check-up, without telling a single soul. This is how…
An Open Letter to My Egyptian Grandmother Who Beat Cancer at 80 Years Old
October 26, 2023
