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Healing
I am now two weeks post-op. Recovery is going well, albeit slower than I had anticipated. I continue to experience fatigue, lymphedema, and intermittent pain, but I am making progress, one day at a time. On the brighter side, all my scans have finally come back clear! And in an unexpected, almost unbelievable turn of… Continue reading
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One Year
Has it really been a year already? A year ago, I wrote about navigating doctors and referrals. The process had begun leading me toward a journey I never imagined I would have to take. Today, I find myself in good spirits, mainly because I have been able to run again. I just finished a 30-minute… Continue reading
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Routine
I return to the normal routine tomorrow. The two-hour commute and work. The routine I knew before all of this. This time I’m committing myself to working only eight hour days. Why? Because I don’t want to spend most of my time at work anymore. There’s a burning desire inside of me now to accomplish… Continue reading
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At Your Bedside
I’m sitting at your bedside, watching you breathe what may be your final breaths. You lie there looking so frail, your body reduced to a skeletal frame. It is a terribly sad sight. You sleep now. Your eyes haven’t opened for more than a week. Dad is out for a little respite, taking a drive… Continue reading
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Strong Day
Enjoying my last strong day before beginning a new treatment tomorrow. I spent the day doing something simple…reading and relaxing. I finished The Wilder Way by Eva Zu Beck, a memoir about a woman who chooses to live life on her own terms, traveling the world and building an unconventional life as a travel journalist.… Continue reading
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Let’s Talk About Altruism
Altruism is defined as the unselfish concern for the well-being and happiness of others, often resulting in behaviors that benefit someone else at a personal cost. The word is derived from the French autrui, meaning “other people.” Altruism is characterized by actions such as volunteering, donating, or making sacrifices to help those in need. Behavioral… Continue reading
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Detour
In another version of this world, I’m probably preparing to head to Mongolia to take on the Gobi Desert March. Instead, I’m here preparing for a root canal that is delaying a second surgery while I wait for the final phase of treatment…. radiation. I’ve been away from running, and I’ll admit something that’s harder… Continue reading
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MRI
The second MRI was completed this afternoon—the one that will tell us whether the chemotherapy worked. What am I hoping for? A pathological complete response, or pCR: the absence of all invasive cancer cells in my tissue samples after neoadjuvant treatment. Achieving pCR indicates a strong response and is a key marker of improved long‑term… Continue reading
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Rebuild
The first phase of cancer treatment is complete: chemotherapy—fifteen weeks of it. Oncologists chose the neoadjuvant route, and now we wait for the scans to show how the cancer responded. Those results will determine the type of surgery and what comes next. I didn’t have much motivation to write during treatment. It felt like I… Continue reading
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Cardiotoxic
“Are you ready for me to give you your shot?” Kyle, my infusion nurse for the week, stood in the doorway of the cramped infusion room where I sat reclined, staring somewhere between the ceiling tiles and my own uncertain future. “Let’s do it,” I said, pushing my reclined chair upright. “I think this one… Continue reading
