As if being a full-time undergraduate wasn’t enough, a student at N.C. State has taken on the role of being a parent to help at home.
Krista Kenney, a junior in communication, has taken to caring for her 8-year-old brother. Kenney’s mother, Kathy, has three different kinds of cancer.
Kathy Kenney was diagnosed with stomach cancer in October of 2006. Since then, it has grown to include intestinal cancer and breast cancer.
Krista said finding out about the cancer was a shock for which she could never be prepared.
“It was strange because she said she went to the doctor, but she didn’t tell me why,” Krista said. “I talked to a family friend who said I needed to talk to my mother. So I went to her and asked her what was going on, and she said, ‘I have cancer.’ It’s just like, ‘What does that mean?’ There are a billion questions that hit you at once.”
She said she started this semester with the intention of staying a full-time student. But the pressures and responsibilities of caring for her younger brother and her mother have made staying a full-time student a difficult prospect. Kenney said she’ll probably stick to online courses next semester, which will allow her to spend more time at home with her family.
“Everything changes,” she said. “My focus shifted completely from everything else I was doing to my family. Now it’s just about spending time with my family as opposed to school and work.”
Krista said this year was the first year she was living on her own. She had her own place, and she was doing “her own thing.” Then, her mother got sick, and her plans had to take a backseat to more pressing matters.
“I took on the role of being a parent to try to help, and that doesn’t leave any time for myself,” she said. “This has become my priority. Before, I was really independent. I did my own thing.”
“Even though my family lived close by, I was very involved in school and extracurricular activities. Now, it’s all about being involved with my family and having a strong bond there.”
One of the biggest problems for the family, according to Krista, has been the financial situation. She said she’s been searching for a job, but it’s hard to do. Krista has been doing random jobs to make some extra money. One such job is helping raise money for breast cancer research.
“I do a lot of event planning and promotional work — throwing parties,” Krista said. “So I figured I could do a party that will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation, [which is an organization dedicated to researching a cure for breast cancer]. My older brother, King, and his business partner have been working with me for it.”
The party is scheduled for April 14, from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., at the Metro 8 Steakhouse on Ninth Street in Durham.
“We’ll have girls out with pink shirts on, trying to rally people to come to the party,” Krista said. “People will pay to get in and all the proceeds will go to the foundation. I’m not sure what the price will be yet.”
Kenney said it’s important for people not to take cancer lightly.
“The whole concept of cancer, it’s in the news and people just get used to the work, it seems so ordinary. But it’s not. Experiencing cancer is not an ordinary experience. It changes your entire life, and it creates a heavy load on everything else.”
For more information about the breast cancer benefit party, call Krista at (919)633-9455, or e-mail her at kristakenney@hotmail.com.
