Siouxland mom turns hardships into hopefulness & purpose

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - Rachelle Rawson continues to battle breast cancer. She was first diagnosed while expecting her seventh child. During that time, she underwent surgery before delivering her baby and her battle isn’t over. For a more than a year she has made the trip to Rochester, MN, about every three weeks, for treatment at the Mayo Clinic. Through the pain, chemo and radiation she continues be the best mother she can for her kids.

Rachelle Rawson said, “There are so many life lessons, but one of my favorites is, you can do hard things. I frequently tell my kids when they are struggling and they say, ‘I can’t.’ I tell them ‘Yes, you can do hard things.’ Literally, make your own happy. Parenting is hard, life is hard, but you can still find the bright spot.”

While she pushed through persevering, she entered a “Super Mom” contest put on by Children’s Miracle Network. It takes community support and votes to win the nationwide contest. Donations can be made for some of those votes. That money goes to help families enduring the unknown as their children battle cancer. Rawson, who is 10th place right now, talked about why she loves being a mom, and shared pictures of priceless memories during her cancer battle.

Rawson said, “I wanted them to look back and think, we had a lot of great memories! So, I decided to have one adventure a day regardless of how I felt. So, whether it was taking food coloring and shaving cream and painting on our table or making bags for homeless people and volunteering. We’ve literally lived every day like it could be our last. I’ve probably thanked God at least a million times for all of this time I’ve had with my kids.”

Rawson spoke to KTIV, Tuesday, from Rochester. After more than a year she will have her last infusion at the Mayo Clinic, Wednesday. She has three more surgeries, ahead. As she fights her fight, Rawson said she is so thankful for her community who has loved and supported she and her family.

The Children’s Miracle Network “Super Mom” contest ends Thursday. The winner will receive $20,000, be featured in Woman’s World magazine and a trip to Palm Springs. Rawson, who lives in Sergeant Bluff said if she won, she would be able to use the money to help with medical bills. Click here to vote.

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