life
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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
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The Club Reunion
By mail, this weekend, I received the Autumn 2025 Newsletter from the 50 States Marathon Club—Volume 24, Issue 3. I flipped to page four and found the column announcing Club Marathon Reunions. There it was: the first reunion of 2026, scheduled for February 1st in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Donna Finish Breast Cancer Marathon. I… Continue reading
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2026
I always looked forward to the New Year. It felt like a clean reset, a chance to begin again, to set fresh goals, to believe in infinite possibility.Now it’s 2026, and I can’t say it feels the same. I’m grateful to be here, truly, but the familiar spark is muted. The enthusiasm doesn’t arrive as… Continue reading
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Another Christmas
There are moments when you realize life will never return to what it once was. The moment itself is brief, almost unremarkable, but the awareness stretches far beyond it, settling in and refusing to leave. I don’t pretend to understand life. I move through it the only way I know how, by following the rhythm… Continue reading
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The Art Project
“Would you be interested in an art project today?” The woman approached my recliner just as the infusion bag emptied and the final flush began to drip. Her name tag identified her as a volunteer. She carried a clear tote filled with tiny craft supplies: small cotton balls, glitter, ribbon. She held up the finished… Continue reading
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Red Electrical Outlet
“Do you know what the orange electrical outlet stands for?” “I have no idea…though that looks more red than orange, don’t you think?” I replied to my husband as we sat in the doctor’s office waiting on the results of my latest labs. “There’s a red switch too. Let’s find out,” he said, already pulling… Continue reading
Journaling was Recommended 