Faces of Blue: Alison Damon

Our cancer story begins at the end of 2012 when my grandma, Sonja Damon, was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. During her months of treatment, she experienced the painful effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and hair loss. As Sonja continued her treatment, the cancer inside her began to shrink. With remission in sight, my family was feeling hopeful. Then the story changed, Sonja had conquered her cancer. Although, cancer wasn’t finished with my family yet.

This was just the beginning, my grandma was in the middle of her last round of chemotherapy when my mother started to feel unbearable pain in her lower abdomen. Frequent visits to the doctor uncovered a mass on her colon and a cyst on her ovaries. A surgery quickly followed, along with scans, blood samples and tests to uncover that the mass inside my mother was malignant; cancerous. My mother, Kristin Damon was diagnosed with terminal stage IV colon cancer. As my mother endured many months of painful and intense chemotherapy, I began to see changes in her. Her hair began to thin, her memory started to slip away, her joints became weak, and her hands—my favorite feature of hers— frail. Her first round of chemotherapy proved effective as a PET scan showed Kristin cancer free!

During Kristin’s time away from treatment, she spent her “chemo-cation” doing the things she loved. When my mom wasn’t traveling or spending time with her family, she was baking, crafting, singing, dancing, scrap booking and most importantly writing. My mother was an incredible author and wrote 22 novels and created a children’s book series.

In 2015, a follow up PET scan revealed our worst fears. Kristin’s cancer had returned, only worse. Frantic, my dad found hope through the Huntsman Cancer Institute where my mother was to receive her new round of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The cancer that was killing Kristin’s body may have impacted her physically, but it never took away her loving, humorous, and strong character. My mother fought hard, enduring multiple days of infusion, every other week. She never let on to how bad the pain was. She never complained about the effects the chemotherapy had on her. She laughed. She loved. She lived.

The deadly effects chemotherapy brought upon my mother lasted for 2½ years before her doctors at HCI stopped all treatment. On February 10, 2016, at the age of 43, Kristin passed away, surrounded by heartbroken loved ones that would always feel the void of the warm, witty, and wonderful Kristin.
I never thought I would see anything more horrific than watching my mother go through cancer, but her death proved worse. You never expect to lose a parent when you’re young; the phrase “you never know what you have until it’s gone” describes the loss of a parent perfectly. My mother was and will continue to be my hero. She raised me to be the person I am today and I am forever grateful for the time I had with her, even if it was short.
My family and I have created The Kristin Damon Project as a means of keeping her legacy alive. By sharing her novels and donating to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation for research in Kristin’s name we hope to help eradicate cancer while sharing her talent with the world.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story and thank you for the support you offer to cancer patients and their loved ones. As my mother would say Carry on, Alison Damon.

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