A Mother’s Strength
Written by Kandace Saberhagen
When cancer comes crashing into your life, it rearranges everything—your plans, your priorities, your sense of control. But what it never touches, if you’re lucky, is love.
Jessica Wheeler knows this truth all too well. A mother of two, a wife, a daughter, and a woman facing her second cancer diagnosis—Jessica has spent the last decade building a life around resilience, faith, and family. But through every scan, surgery, and setback, what she holds onto most is the strength of the people she loves—and that love has never let her go.
Jessica’s journey with cancer began in 2013, when her children were just 5 and 7. Her diagnosis came like a thief in the night—shaking the foundation of her young family. But through the chaos and chemo, one person remained steady: her mom, Margaret George.
“She’s been my rock from the beginning,” Jessica says. “She’s taken care of me, my kids, our life—everything. She made sure things stayed normal for them, even when everything was far from it.”
When Jessica’s second diagnosis came in 2022—this time inflammatory breast cancer—it meant travel to MD Anderson in Houston, long treatments, and even longer recoveries. Margaret was there for all of it.
And then, just as Jessica was finishing that battle, life threw a curveball. Margaret was diagnosed with uterine cancer.
“The roles reversed. I became her caregiver,” Jessica shares. “But she told me—‘I watched you do it. I knew I could, too.’”
In those moments, mother and daughter became something more: mirrors of strength, witnesses to each other’s courage, and proof that love can hold space for both fear and hope.
While Jessica’s mother helped her fight, Jessica was quietly shaping her children into deeply empathetic, capable young adults.
Her daughter—who once helped choose meal kits online—grew into a teenager who meal-planned, grocery shopped, and now cooks for her college roommates.
“It started small, but it taught her independence. It gave her something to contribute. And now she’s taken that with her,” Jessica says.
Her son, always the tender one, is the quiet presence who checks in daily. When Jessica needed dry ice for her chemo cold caps, he picked it up the day before a root canal.
“He’s the one who asks how I slept. Who jokes with me on my worst days. Who still brings friends over on ‘troll days’ when I feel like I’ve been run over.”
Jessica still keeps the handmade necklaces they gave her in grade school, a special photo of their complete family the night her son was born, and all the finger-painted cards that remind her—this is what love builds.
Jessica doesn’t sugarcoat the cancer journey. “Some days are couch days. Some days it’s a bean and cheese burrito for dinner—and that’s okay.”
To mothers newly diagnosed, her words are simple:
“Be gentle with yourself. Don’t get ahead of today. Take it one day at a time, and let your people in.”
She credits the Cancer Support Community of the Central Coast for helping her through the hardest moments. Now a board member, she helps guide other families through the doors that once held her tears and healing.
“It’s where I found other moms who got it. We still text each other today. That support saved me more than once.”
Mother’s Day used to be about floating in the pool or getting a pedicure. Now it’s simpler.
“Hearing from both kids. A clean house without having to nag. Food I didn’t cook. That’s heaven,” Jessica laughs.
But the heart of it isn’t in the things—it’s in the presence.
“It’s just about being here,” she says. “It’s about waking up, hugging my kids, and knowing we made it to another day.”
This Mother's Day, Jessica Wheeler reminds us all that being a mother isn't just about what you give—it's also about what you carry. And sometimes, what carries you.
To Jessica, to Margaret, and to every mom enduring a diagnosis, fighting quietly, showing up anyway—you are not alone. You are seen and you are fiercely loved.
Cancer doesn’t cease fire on Mother’s Day. Cancer doesn’t take holidays off at all. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day–may it be filled with the love that binds us all.