Three daughters. Farm duties. Active 4-H mom. School activities. How does a mother fit it all in?
That’s the question most of us ask when we see the busy parents scrambling from one activity to the next, while still working and taking care of daily chores. But for one local mom, she’s been tackling all of this – and cancer, for the past five years.
Canyon Kidd, a Howard High School 8th grader, was 8 years old when her mom, Amie Kidd, was first diagnosed with colon cancer. Being younger at the time and not having a good grasp on what cancer was, she didn’t think it was a big deal. However, five years later, Canyon has a much different opinion on cancer and the battle her mother has been fighting.
Amie was diagnosed with colon cancer, but after a surgery to remove part of her colon, it was discovered she also had liver cancer. She had a chemo port for three days (Tuesday – Thursday) each month. Canyon recalls her having a negative reaction to the chemo; rashes all over her scalp, bumps and rashes on her body.
“She couldn’t go to any of our events or do much and my dad had to work most of the time, because my mom couldn’t,” said Canyon. “It was sad to not have my parents at our games.”
Amie has had three surgeries over the past five years to remove the cancer and prevent it from spreading. In February 2016, cancerous spots were found on her abdomen and they continue to find cancerous spots on other places on her stomach, as recently as May 2018. She continues to take chemo pills today.
“I’ve gotten a lot more scared as I’ve gotten older,” said Canyon. “The third surgery was the scariest now that I’m older and understand more. My friends have been scared too.”
In small-town style, family and friends have come out of the woodwork to show their support for the Kidd family. “We would stay with my grandmas’ a lot while my parents would have to go to appointments and when my mom had surgeries,” said Canyon. “There was lots of food when she had her first major surgery.”
When a benefit was held a few years ago for Amie, Canyon couldn’t believe the support and the number of people there. “I didn’t even know half of the people. I walked in and all what I saw was green, because everyone was wearing their green t-shirts for my mom. It was a lot of fun.” Another memory of the support shown to her was with Sarah Feldhaus, the HHS Librarian. “I was crying one morning and no one knew why, but Sarah did. She went out of her way to make me feel better and she found a funny picture to show me that she knew would make me laugh.”
“My mom always tells me tomorrow’s a new day,” said Canyon. “She’s young, loving, and strong. I love her.”
As the Howard High School students join together for the second year to raise money and awareness through “Tigers Step Up 2 Cancer”, Canyon is just one of the many students who has experienced the wrath of cancer first hand and understands the importance of coming together as a community to support those fighting this disease. “It feels good to help others,” said Canyon.