Mama, I think I have cancer!

I was about 10 years old when I found out what caused my mom's hair to fall out. I was taking a bath one night when (for whatever reason) I noticed some of my hair coming out. I began hysterically crying, dried off as fast as I could and went to my mom telling her I had cancer. I'll never forget how she just laughed and took me into her arms. She told me how chemo works (in kid terms, of course) and reassured me that I was fine and didn't have cancer. She said I was probably losing a little hair due to stress.

About a year later in science class, a boy made a joke about cancer and referenced a person who was balding. The whole class laughed except me. In fact, whatever it was that he said really upset me. I yelled at him explaining how cancer really worked. But he didn't seem to care. No one did. We were all so young, so you can't expect anyone to really understand the importance and pain behind it. I think that's the moment I realized I had grown up a little too soon.