ELINOR BRADLEY BIDDICK
April 26, 1922-August 31, 1973
On this day, 38 years ago, my mother passed from this life into the next. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1972 and died within a year. I was 13. It was the first day of my freshman year in high school.
As a teenager, I had written some of my thoughts and feelings down about the pain of losing a mom. When I was a freshman in college, I pulled out my old journal from 1973 and re-worked the raw words into a creative writing assignment for an English class. The next week, as I came into the classroom, the professor approached me and asked for my permission to read my essay to the class. It was the first time I’d ever heard someone else read my words aloud, to strangers no less. When she finished, it was quiet for a long time. I think I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since.
This morning I was looking for some papers in an old file cabinet in the basement. As I opened up a dusty yellowed file, there it was: “You Win, Cancer, You Win”, English 132 sec. 8, January 25, 1978. I had been looking for that paper for years and had given up hope of ever finding it. I figured it had gotten lost in one of our moves. But today, of all days, it found me. Thanks, mom.
*For anyone interested, I have created a Page entitled “The Paper” where the college essay can be viewed.
