Precious Cassie would’ve wanted her valiant mother to celebrate this big achievement
Gloria Nascimento would have given anything for her daughter Cassie to be there when she was named 2014’s Barnardos Mother of the Year.
It was a bittersweet occasion for the humble Wollongong mum and her family when she was awarded the national prize at a heart-rending ceremony in Sydney last week.
The 48-year-old shed many a tear as she spoke of her courageous little girl, who lost her battle to live in November last year.
“At first I was overwhelmed [with the acknowledgment] but then I knew Cassie would be watching,” explains Gloria.
“She was such a go-getter; she’d have said, ‘Go for it, Mum!’” Saying goodbye to a child is heartbreaking and for Gloria, who lost Cassie to cancer mere months ago, the emotions are still so raw.
A brave and fun-loving young woman, Cassie was diagnosed with brain cancer at the tender age of 16. Together with Gloria, her dad Joe, and her siblings Andrea, 26, and Christopher, 27, she fought a battle no teenager should ever have to face.
She never gave up
Cassie was determined to win her fight against cancer, and throughout chemotherapy and blood transfusions, she never lost her hope for survival.
Tragically, her fighting spirit just wasn’t enough. Cassie was 19 years old when she passed away but Gloria takes comfort in the fact that her daughter took every opportunity life presented her.
“I know she lived more than most people will in their lifetime,” Gloria says proudly. “Cassie was a wonderful child and a beautiful teenager.”
As she believes any mother would be, Gloria was beside her daughter each step of the way.
Yet while those around her believe Gloria to be incredibly strong, she says it was fearless Cassie who gave her the much-needed courage.
“She never asked ‘Why me?’ and always had a smile on her face,” Gloria says.
“Her strength gave me strength she had so much will to live.”
Gloria finds a great deal of peace in knowing she and husband Joe did absolutely everything they could to give their daughter a chance to overcome the insurmountable odds.
She gave up her job to provide support, made countless long drives from Wollongong to Sydney for treatment and even made the costly journey with Cassie to doctors in the United States, praying for a miracle.
On the many occasions Cassie would stay overnight in hospital, Gloria refused to let her daughter be alone, often sleeping on the floor next to her bed.
“In our mind, there was always another treatment [to try]. That positivity is what got us through.”
Amazingly, though, Gloria wasn’t just a pillar of support for her own child.
The selfless mother was so touched by all the teenagers she met in hospital, she sought to share her daughter’s positive energy with them and their families.
“I figured if Cassie and I could tell other patients everything would be OK, then that would be something special,” she explains.
A special friendship
One of the many people touched by Gloria’s generosity was 21-year-old Jason Carrasco – the young man who nominated her for the keenly contested Mother of the Year award.
Jason was diagnosed with testicular cancer at 18 and was in the same ward as Cassie, with whom he developed a very precious friendship.
“Sometimes you need a rock or a strong person to say ‘there is light at the end of the tunnel’ and, for me, that was the most inspiring thing about Gloria,” he says.
Jason is now in remission and is thrilled his friend has been recognised for her compassion and selflessness.
As for Gloria, she’s determined to continue her daughter’s legacy and her work with sick kids.
“I feel like I’ve got to keep her memory alive and do the things she wanted to do,” she says. “She really wanted to help other kids.”
Together with Joe and Jason, Gloria is working with the Sony Foundation on a charity called You Can, which seeks to support teens with cancer.
They’ll host a walk in November in honour of Cassie to raise funds for others affected by the disease.
Gloria wants to work with teens in hospitals, too – much like she did when Cassie was undergoing treatment. But for now, she just needs to grieve.
“I need some more time before I go back into a hospital. It’s all so fresh still.”
For now, Gloria is determined to enjoy her precious family. To her delight, Cassie’s older sister Andrea gave birth to a beautiful boy called Jack just last year.
“When he is around we can be crying one minute, and then the next minute we’ll be laughing,” she smiles. “He really brings a lot of joy to our family.”
Gloria wants other mums to know time is precious. Her advice is to spend as much of it with your children as possible.
“Kids don’t need a lot of things,” she explains. “They need love and they need support – through everything.”
