5 year cancerversary

 "Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." — John Quincy Adams

Five years ago, this moment seemed desperately far away. Every lab appointment, oncology check-up, surgical follow-up, physical therapy session, and scan had a day or two ahead of it with me anxious and irritable, obsessing over worst case scenarios, all the while wishing, hoping, and praying for clean results. 

October 2018

The last family photo taken before I was diagnosed (right), I had a hunch the two lumps I'd found were cancer but was trying to stay positive. I was young, healthy, and didn't have the fatigue or other symptoms people describe for breast cancer. My symptoms were altogether different from the classic WebMD signs. Somehow, though, I just knew. The morning before the photo I broke down in the shower, sobbing so hard I couldn't breathe. I remember getting ready for the picture, worried about how my hair would look in the pictures, hoping the wind wouldn't be too bad, and trying to give the boys a pep talk about smiling and behaving at the park while John was taking our pictures. The weather was great, for the most part everyone cooperated. We ended up with a great photo for our Christmas cards, but a week later our lives were turned upside down.

July 2023

This year I took our family photos myself. One of things I promised myself when I came out the other side of this ugly journey, as I have mentioned in previous blogs, is to get back into the things I love. A big one of those things has been photography. The vibe is a little different in this years' photos since we have awkward 14 and 6 year olds, but the love remains the same.

October 31st, 2023 marked the 5-year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis, and means a significant drop in my recurrence changes. That is something to celebrate, if I've ever heard it. Despite this date feeling so far away back then, the years have flown by! Evelyn is now busy six year old who can't sit still. She loves legos, video games, and playing with Barbies. Desmond is an excellent student who focuses on his grades and future college plans in between rounds of Roblox and Mario video games. Shamus is still creative in everything he does, from art to legos. He's non-stop and keeps us on our toes to say the least. Their resilience over the years has helped me keep going, even on those difficult days when it's hard to imagine reaching that 5-year goal line.

Today is a good day. A friend at work's daughter made me beautiful bracelets to celebrate this milestone day, and I ordered cupcakes not only for our Halloween party at work but also for tonight where I've invited everyone who wants to pop over for a treat. I baked cookies last night, too. Sweet treats for a sweet day! 

Handmade Bracelets

This day will always be scary... there are no two ways about it, but just like being an ABCD mentor, the only thing I can do is turn this terrible day into something positive! So eat the cup cakes, share a drink with me, celebrate that I made it out the other side of this stupid things, and party on a TUESDAY NIGHT!

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Cheers and Happy Halloween!

"It is strange that the years teach us patience; that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting." — Elizabeth Taylor