Four days before her
12th birthday, Natasha Anderson was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – a
bone cancer – in her right leg.
“It was hard, watching all my friends doing their hair and
their eyebrows, and I didn’t have any eyebrows OR hair, and it was sad and
embarrassing, and I felt ugly at times. But you just stay strong and do the
little things that make you feel good. You’ve just got to keep moving forward,
and stay positive, and try to be surrounded by positive, supportive, motivating
people.
“Family House made my cancer experience (which was horrible
and sad and depressing) that much better. How can something like Family House
make this better? It was really cool to
have a place like Family House to come to. When you come here, you’re not
judged. And being a part of Family House, it’s like a family. We’re not related,
and everyone’s different, but everybody has a good heart. It’s great to come
here, and feel comfortable, and know that you’ll be alright. If you need some help,
there’s somebody here who will help you.
“We basically had to live in San Francisco for a year and a
half while I was going through chemo. My mom had to quit her job and stay with
me in the hospital every single day. We couldn’t have done it without Family
House.
“And now, 13 years later, I’m thankful that I’ve made it
through cancer, I beat it, and I was able to have 2 kids of my own. I’m
thankful to have my life, and thankful to have Family House a part of it.”
Learn about how you can help fighters like Natasha at familyhouseinc.org
