Breast Cancer Surviving/Thriving - Magic Happens!

I just had my four month post chemo appointment with my oncologist and everything is looking just ducky.  All of my blood counts were in the normal range and physical examination went well.  No worries and no concerns.  Great feeling!

Recently, I decided to step outside of my comfort level and venture off on my own to another state to attend a breast cancer survivors retreat.  I had not attended any support groups during my treatments and thought it would be interesting to get together with other women who have gone through breast cancer treatment and see how they were handling things on the other side.  There are so many questions when you are going through treatments, and just as many when you have completed.

I attended the retreat last weekend.  It was put on by the Image Reborn Foundation.  They sponsored a weekend getaway in Park City, Utah for eight women to get together and spend a weekend bonding and being completely pampered.   I remember prior to the trip feeling a little bit apprehensive about the whole thing.  What would it be like?  Would it be fun or awkward?  It ended up being simply magical and just what I needed.  My husband dropped me off at the airport Friday morning and off I went to Utah.  Transportation was provided for me from SLC airport to the retreat site.  Everything was perfectly organized.  I was whisked to the top of the mountain, a ski resort in Park City to the most beautiful home I have ever seen.  It was massive (about 20,000 sq. ft, 21 bathrooms, not sure how many bedrooms and every amenity you can imagine).  I was the first of the eight women to arrive.  I received a tour of the home and was shown to my private bedroom/bathroom and was surprised by an array of gifts left on my bed.

A short while later, the other women began to arrive.  Everyone was shown the house and their rooms and we began to congregate in the great room area of the house.  It was amazing, but all eight of us instantly bonded and it seemed as though we had been good friends for a very long time.  I was surprised at how comfortable and relaxed it all was.  There is something about this disease that bonds those of us who were destined to go through it.  Although we all were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, everyone's story was very different.  We spent the weekend talking, laughing, eating gourmet meals, doing yoga, getting facials and massages, relaxing in the hot tub and of course, drinking wine in front of the huge fireplace.  It was an experience I won't soon forget.

I met some fabulous women.  I came away with some new friends that I hope to keep in touch with for many years to come, and one special person in particular that I really connected with and already have plans to attend a thriver's cruise early next year with.  The women at the Image Reborn Foundation were the warmest people who made every part of the weekend amazing.  No detail was overlooked.  And last but not least, I cannot get over the generosity of the lovely family that donated their home to all of us to come and stay for the weekend.  The kindness and generosity of people like these never ceases to amaze me.

I came away from the weekend feeling stronger for going out of my comfort zone and doing something different.  I feel enriched by the connections that I made and it did me a world of good to get together with others that knew exactly what I had been through and the challenges that we all faced and continue to face together.  It was an amazing experience and I am grateful to have been able to be a part of it.  Life does go on after cancer and it is a good life indeed.

4 months post chemo and feeling good!

Today marks four months post chemo.  I am feeling pretty darned good and the hair is growing back slowly but surely.  It's truly amazing how the body can repair itself and recover from something so hard and toxic.  As I find myself getting further away from fighting the beast they call cancer, the more I feel for those having to go through what I just experienced.  I have been very brave and did not cry much for myself and my hardships while I was going through it- but today when I was putting together a small care package for a friend who is going through treatments I began to sob.  I picked out my favorite scarf that I would wear when I wanted to dress up and put it in the package for her.  When Guy asked me why I was crying I told him that I thought that I had gone through this battle so that others did not have to.  I so wish that was true.  It hurts my heart to think of others having to lose months out of their lives to fight, well...for their lives.  I hope and pray that we see a cure for cancer in our lifetimes.

Surviving...and other things.

It's been a while since I've posted.  I have returned to work.  'Nuf said!
Life gets busy when you are able to get off the couch and out of the bed.

What's new?

- My hair is growing back - slowly but surely.

- I had the BRCA test done and have received my results.  I tested negative for the BRCA 1 gene and the BRCA 2 gene was not negative or positive, it showed a circumstantial abnormality.  This is a grey area that is inconclusive and the medical experts are frankly not sure what it really means.  In other words, there is a slight abnormality along the gene line for BRCA 2 but there is no evidence that this abnormality caused me to get breast cancer nor do they know if it is a precurser to another type of cancer.  Myself, my husband and daughter have an appointment to talked to an expert genetic counselor at Stanford in August.  We will be able to dive more deeply into the meaning of the results of the test.  More to follow...

- I had a follow up appointment with my oncologist a couple of weeks ago and she was amazed at how well I was doing so shortly after chemo.  My energy level is up and more importantly, my attitude and fears about cancer are well in check.  I HAD cancer, I went through the treatments to ensure that we killed it, and I can now go forward with life without living in daily fear of the dreaded beast.  The only worry is that my white blood cell count was low and we will be monitoring it closely.  It is most likely due to my body recoverying from chemo.

Coincidence, or fate?

I was attending an event an hour from home with my daughter a couple of weeks ago.  I arrived early and decided to go shopping.   While in the store, a women with two small children approached me and whipped off her hat and said, "Look, another person with my same hairstyle!"  We stood there among the racks of clothing and exchanged our recent breast cancer journies.  It turns out that she was diagnosed and ended treatment at exactly the same times as I did.  It is like we are members of a club of sorts - there is recognition and certain connection when you run into fellow cancer victims and survivors that is undeniable.  It always ends in hugs and comforting words.

Once I left the store and arrived at the event with my daughter, I ran into a very dear friend of mine's (who has since passed from pancreatic cancer) daughter.  My friend's daughter confided in me that she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and was about to begin her journey through this disease.  It tore at my heart to think that after losing both her mother and father to other types of cancer that she now had to fight a battle of her own.  I have every confidence that she will fight and beat this nasty beast and she has a very positive attitude that will undeniably help her through this.  It was just such an oddity to run into her at this random event and to be able to share with her my story and for her to see me on the other side of this, looking and feeling good.  I am proud to be an inspiration to others and to be an example to show that one can go through the treatments and come out the other side to thrive and survive.  My friend's daughter and I both agree that it was not just coincidence that we met that day.  It was meant to be.

I am honored and privileged to help anyone I can get through the hard times and assist where I can.  If my experience can help or change just one life then I say it was well worth going through it.