When I first heard the words “esophageal cancer,” I didn’t even know what the esophagus was. I just knew it was serious and that my mom had it. 

The esophagus is the tube that connects your throat to your stomach. It’s something most people don’t think about until it stops working right. For my mom, it started with small things: she said food sometimes felt “stuck” or that swallowing hurt. At first, we thought it was just acid reflex or a crooked esophagus. But when she went to the doctors to get it checked out, that’s when we learned it was cancer

Esophageal cancer is not one of the more common cancers, but it’s one of the more aggressive ones. According to the American Cancer Society, around 22,00 people in the U.S. are diagnosed each year. There are two main types: adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma and both can make eating and swallowing, and even talking painful.

Watching my mom go through treatment was hard. She had to do chemo and radiation, and there were times where she could barely eat. Simple things like drinking water or taking medicine became battles. But she kept going. She never gave up, even on the days when her voice was weak or she felt too tired to get out of bed. 

One thing I’ve learned through her experience is that early detection matters. The scary part is that esophageal cancer often doesn’t show symptoms until it’s already advanced. Heartburn that doesn’t go away, difficulty swallowing, or chest pain can all be signs, ones that many people ignore. 

Today every time I see her smile or laugh, I’m reminded that life is fragile but powerful. Esophageal cancer might have tried to silence her voice, but it didn’t. And now I’m using mine to tell her story to remind others to take care of themselves and to never give up hope.