It's Tuesday and usually my worst day on treatment and I feel fabulous!! I am so excited to write this blog this morning to let you all know that I had my thyroid biopsy yesterday and it went amazingly well! I was very nervous both about the procedure itself and the results. But seeing other people going in to the room and coming out with a bandaid on their neck and a smile on their face was very reasuring. My sister came with me and was actually allowed into the room with me during the procedure. The doctor doing it was great! She answered all of our questions and was very forthcoming with any information that we needed. She started with an ultrasound to check things out. There was more discussion and then we went ahead with the biopsy. Now, I am not going to lie and say this was a piece of cake. It really was painful. They did freeze the area first but you can imagine how tender the area of your neck is and what it feels like to have a needle in it. Ouch! I could feel myself sort of breathing slow and felt like I sort of went into myself. (if that makes any sense) I have learned that pain like this doesn't last forever and knowing this I can get through it. Once it was frozen the biopsies were a breeze.
This is what we found out from the biopsy. It is definitely not melanoma! Huge relief! I know the chances were very slim that it would have been but sometimes I find myself in the small majority of people and so know that this is possible. It is very doubtful that this is cancer of any kind since it shows no charecteristics of this. Obviously, we have to wait for the pathology report to come back to be certain but it looks like just a benign nodule! I can't even tell you how relieved this makes us! The thought of dealing with another type of cancer right now was very overwhelming and unimaginable. Now, like a friend of mine said yesterday, we can focus on kicking some melanoma ass!
Some more exciting news - I was interviewed by Girltalk with Marlo the other day and this show will air online Jan. 19th @ 8:30pm CT. Hopefully this will bring some awareness to Melanoma and young adults dealing with cancer. Marlo is starting a show with the topics focused on woman's issues. Definitely worth checking out! You can stream the interview live @ http://girltalkwithmarlo.com.
I can't thank you enough for all the prayers, good thoughts, positive energy... sent the last couple of days. It has been a rough couple of weeks with alot of ups and downs but knowing that I have so much love and support has gotten me through this. Thank you!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
1 down and 1 to go!
Just a quick update to share my results of the scan. Last week I went in for a chest, abdomen and pelvic scan to see how things are looking, especially in the lungs. Everything looks good. No signs of disease! No cancer! Wow! What a relief. I was pretty nervous about getting these results back because they were checking things so closely. Now I can focus on getting this biopsy of my thyroid done. I got the report back from the thyroid ultrasound and this shows about 6 nodules (lumps). They are ranging in size from 6-30 mm. Hard to believe these are all in my neck and I'm not having any symptoms. Just shows me once again how amazing our bodies are. We are really hoping that these are all benign (not cancer) and can be removed easily if necessary. We should get these results in the next couple of weeks.
Being on the Interferon has been giving me some trouble these days. I was having alot of nausea and some vomiting so am now on a drug to hopefully prevent this. So far it is working really well and I am feeling much better. The only downside is that this drug causes other side effects which I am dealing with. My skin has been very irritated and itching like crazy. (I actually scratched a mole off my back because of it) Oops! Apparently, this is because of the Interferon and hopefully we can get it under control. My face is all blotchy and so I've been trying all kinds of creams and lotions with no luck. My sister brought me over a new one last night so hopefully this one is it! Over half way done now!!!
Meanwhile, hocky....hockey....and more hockey. Sounds like we'll be at the rink pretty much all weekend. It will be good to get my mind off of things and watch the kids play. It is so worth it to push myself out of the house to watch a few games. Makes me feel somewhat normal. Go Stonewall Go!!!!
Being on the Interferon has been giving me some trouble these days. I was having alot of nausea and some vomiting so am now on a drug to hopefully prevent this. So far it is working really well and I am feeling much better. The only downside is that this drug causes other side effects which I am dealing with. My skin has been very irritated and itching like crazy. (I actually scratched a mole off my back because of it) Oops! Apparently, this is because of the Interferon and hopefully we can get it under control. My face is all blotchy and so I've been trying all kinds of creams and lotions with no luck. My sister brought me over a new one last night so hopefully this one is it! Over half way done now!!!
Meanwhile, hocky....hockey....and more hockey. Sounds like we'll be at the rink pretty much all weekend. It will be good to get my mind off of things and watch the kids play. It is so worth it to push myself out of the house to watch a few games. Makes me feel somewhat normal. Go Stonewall Go!!!!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year to you all!
I hope everyone truly enjoyed the holidays and spending time with your loved ones. We had a very nice Christmas and yes I did find my Christmas Spirit in time. Part of this Christmas spirit comes with spending time with the ones we love. I realized over Christmas that this is what makes Christmas so special. We get to see our family and friends who we only spend time with on very special occasions. The kids were so excited and overjoyed Christmas morning. Everything was just what they always wanted - it didn't matter what it was!
A new year - a fresh start! I feel in ways like this new year marks a new beginning of this journey. We can scrap everything that we didn't like about last year and make new wishes for this one. The thought of this has re-energized me and I have done alot of thinking about how I want to handle what's coming up in this next year. Oh and by the way for the first time since I can remember this does not involve weight loss. My New Years resolution for years has always involved my weight. If I just lost those 10 or 15 pounds life would be everything that I always dreamed it would be - perfect. Why do we do this to ourselves? This past year has finally made me see that this idea is BS and so there is no weight loss resolution for me this year. I just want to be healthy and happy. Not too much to ask right?
The biggest thing I would love to happen this year is some sort of acceptance of things as they are. It is starting to sink in that this is now my life. Cancer will now forever be a part of it. I wish that I could say that once I'm finished the Interferon life can go back to normal but this is not realistic. I am forever changed. My life is now forever changed. They will always be looking, scanning, checking. I will always be waiting.... I will always believe that every result will be a good one but try to be ready in case it isn't. I've now come to the understanding that it is impossible to prepare yourself to hear that you have cancer....again. It never gets any easier, in fact, I think it just gets harder each time. When I reflect over this past year I see the healing that has already taken place in my life. Not just the physical healing (though that has been amazing to watch) but emotionally too. I can only hope that this continues through this next year.
So for now of course life is full of waiting. I have a scan scheduled for tomorrow (chest, abdomen and pelvis). I have my biopsy of the thyroid coming up on the 17th and we'll worry about the rest later. One step at a time... I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow (I know weird hey?) Jeff and I will have many hours to just be together while we wait for the dye to do its job and show that there are no tumours and I am disease free. This is how I am able to get through all these tests and scans is enjoying this time that I get with my family. I am so fortunate to never be alone and to have all the support. I NEVER take this for granted.
I hope everyone truly enjoyed the holidays and spending time with your loved ones. We had a very nice Christmas and yes I did find my Christmas Spirit in time. Part of this Christmas spirit comes with spending time with the ones we love. I realized over Christmas that this is what makes Christmas so special. We get to see our family and friends who we only spend time with on very special occasions. The kids were so excited and overjoyed Christmas morning. Everything was just what they always wanted - it didn't matter what it was!
A new year - a fresh start! I feel in ways like this new year marks a new beginning of this journey. We can scrap everything that we didn't like about last year and make new wishes for this one. The thought of this has re-energized me and I have done alot of thinking about how I want to handle what's coming up in this next year. Oh and by the way for the first time since I can remember this does not involve weight loss. My New Years resolution for years has always involved my weight. If I just lost those 10 or 15 pounds life would be everything that I always dreamed it would be - perfect. Why do we do this to ourselves? This past year has finally made me see that this idea is BS and so there is no weight loss resolution for me this year. I just want to be healthy and happy. Not too much to ask right?
The biggest thing I would love to happen this year is some sort of acceptance of things as they are. It is starting to sink in that this is now my life. Cancer will now forever be a part of it. I wish that I could say that once I'm finished the Interferon life can go back to normal but this is not realistic. I am forever changed. My life is now forever changed. They will always be looking, scanning, checking. I will always be waiting.... I will always believe that every result will be a good one but try to be ready in case it isn't. I've now come to the understanding that it is impossible to prepare yourself to hear that you have cancer....again. It never gets any easier, in fact, I think it just gets harder each time. When I reflect over this past year I see the healing that has already taken place in my life. Not just the physical healing (though that has been amazing to watch) but emotionally too. I can only hope that this continues through this next year.
So for now of course life is full of waiting. I have a scan scheduled for tomorrow (chest, abdomen and pelvis). I have my biopsy of the thyroid coming up on the 17th and we'll worry about the rest later. One step at a time... I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow (I know weird hey?) Jeff and I will have many hours to just be together while we wait for the dye to do its job and show that there are no tumours and I am disease free. This is how I am able to get through all these tests and scans is enjoying this time that I get with my family. I am so fortunate to never be alone and to have all the support. I NEVER take this for granted.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Merry Christmas!
I hope that everyone is ready for Christmas and can now kick back, put your feet up and enjoy the holidays! It sounds like it from some of your statuses on facebook. Then there are those of us who wait until these last few days to finish shopping, baking and wrapping. I will be making my way into the city tonight to finish up. It has been a very busy couple of days. I got a call on Friday from the ultrasound department to come in for the ultrasound on my thyroid that I have been waiting for. They got me in on Monday night which also happened to be the night that my Melanoma Support Group were getting together for our Christmas potluck. So after a quick stop at the hospital for this we headed to the party. The scan went very well and of course it was nice having both my sisters and my mom there. The ultrasound tech was very nice but I couldn't get anything out of her. And believe me I tried! For some reason I left feeling reassured even though she didn't really say anything.
It was so nice to see everyone at the Melanoma Group. We had a really nice visit and some homemade treats. Loved the apple crisp!! These people have really become good friends to us and very supportive. It was an awesome night! Next we were on our way to Chapters to do some last minute shopping. The line ups were crazy but we went through surpisingly quickly.
The next morning (yesterday) I got a call from the ultrasound department. They had reviewed my scans already and have scheduled me in for a biopsy in the new year. Actually on Jan. 17th I will be having this done. It honestly put me in a bit of a panic wondering if they saw something suspicious. After a couple of phone calls to both of my nurses I really didn't have much more information but felt better about things. There is some confusion as to what exactly they are biopsying. The "goiter"? A nodule by the "goiter"? I will be getting all of my questions answered before we go ahead with things. So really what it boils down to is that nothing has changed. I have something on my thyroid that they are not sure about so we need to find out what it is. I am very happy that things are moving as quickly as they are since initially I was told that it could be up to a six month wait for this biopsy. There are only two doctors in Manitoba that do this type of procedure. When I spoke to my nurse he made it very clear that they do NOT think that this is melanoma. So for now, there is nothing to do but wait. But I'm not very good at waiting so we carry on and have a fabulous Christmas!
I was reminded yesterday of a time in Benito at Christmas when the boys and I heard some bells ringing outside. As we looked out the front window we saw a horse drawn sleigh full of carolers (staff from the school) pull up. Out they all piled and sang for us. After the fantastic performance they all piled back in the sleigh and off they went down our street. Now that does not happen everyday! It was beautiful and I will never forget it!
I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas and takes time to feel the joy around us. I will be thanking God for another precious Christmas with my loved ones.
Merry Christmas!!!
It was so nice to see everyone at the Melanoma Group. We had a really nice visit and some homemade treats. Loved the apple crisp!! These people have really become good friends to us and very supportive. It was an awesome night! Next we were on our way to Chapters to do some last minute shopping. The line ups were crazy but we went through surpisingly quickly.
The next morning (yesterday) I got a call from the ultrasound department. They had reviewed my scans already and have scheduled me in for a biopsy in the new year. Actually on Jan. 17th I will be having this done. It honestly put me in a bit of a panic wondering if they saw something suspicious. After a couple of phone calls to both of my nurses I really didn't have much more information but felt better about things. There is some confusion as to what exactly they are biopsying. The "goiter"? A nodule by the "goiter"? I will be getting all of my questions answered before we go ahead with things. So really what it boils down to is that nothing has changed. I have something on my thyroid that they are not sure about so we need to find out what it is. I am very happy that things are moving as quickly as they are since initially I was told that it could be up to a six month wait for this biopsy. There are only two doctors in Manitoba that do this type of procedure. When I spoke to my nurse he made it very clear that they do NOT think that this is melanoma. So for now, there is nothing to do but wait. But I'm not very good at waiting so we carry on and have a fabulous Christmas!
I was reminded yesterday of a time in Benito at Christmas when the boys and I heard some bells ringing outside. As we looked out the front window we saw a horse drawn sleigh full of carolers (staff from the school) pull up. Out they all piled and sang for us. After the fantastic performance they all piled back in the sleigh and off they went down our street. Now that does not happen everyday! It was beautiful and I will never forget it!
I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas and takes time to feel the joy around us. I will be thanking God for another precious Christmas with my loved ones.
Merry Christmas!!!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Holiday Spirit!
I hope that everyone is getting into the holiday spirit! I find myself really trying this year to feel the joy of the holidays. For some reason it is not coming easily for me this year. On Monday I took the two younger boys to see the Air Command Band play at the Legion and they were fantastic! Feeling a little more in the mood after that. Last year during the holidays I was feeling so much. Grateful for life, family, friends, love. I really felt like something magical was happening around me. This year I am struggling with this. Is it because of the drug I am on? Is it that the shock of my diagnosis over the past year has been finally sinking in? I did get the results of my brain MRI last week which were great! No changes on my scan which is what we always hope for. This is fabulous news right? I should feel relief, happy.... I think I would feel all of these things if on the very same day as I was receiving this great news over the phone I wasn't literally waiting in another specialists office. As I hung up my phone with the Gamma Knife nurse, the oncologist specializing in head and neck cancers came in to see me. I was there for a follow up appointment for the goiter that I have on my thryoid. Apparently, there is a nodule on my thyroid apart from the goiter that he wants to biopsy.
What could this nodule be I ask him. Well, it could be melanoma though very unlikely. Melanoma usually does not spread to the thyroid, although it does happen. It could be a benign lesion (meaning no big deal). Let's hope for that! Or it could be another cancer - thyroid cancer. Another totally different type of cancer which is treated with surgery and radiation. He reassures me that even if it is a primary thryoid cancer it is very treatable. No worries - nothing to lose sleep over. He tells me I have enough going on right now and we'll do the biopsy to find out what this is but my focus right now should be on finishing the Interferon. Really? You are telling me that I may have another type of cancer and may need a whole other treatment regime but I shouldn't worry about it?
So now we wait.... Again. I keep reminding myself that chances are it is nothing. But being told already 3 times that I have cancer I do know that the possibility is there. I just hope that they get me in for this biopsy soon so I can really relax and make room in my heart for that magical feeling of Christmas.
I hope that one day it will happen when I can get wonderful news and just leave it at that. No buts, no ands, no maybes... For now I will focus on all the wonderful things happening in my life starting with having no evidence of disease. My three boys who are waiting in excited anticipation for Santa to come to our house. My husband who is riding this crazy rollar coaster ride with me and holding my hand the whole time. My family who no matter how difficult things get are always there and are full of love and hope. My friends, new and old who are always there to make me smile and take my mind off of all things cancer related. I really could go on and on.... This is making me feel better already! Why live in a world of what-if's? If I do that then I miss out on all the wonderful things that are acually happening in my world at that very moment. May we all find that peace and joy that the holidays can bring us.
What could this nodule be I ask him. Well, it could be melanoma though very unlikely. Melanoma usually does not spread to the thyroid, although it does happen. It could be a benign lesion (meaning no big deal). Let's hope for that! Or it could be another cancer - thyroid cancer. Another totally different type of cancer which is treated with surgery and radiation. He reassures me that even if it is a primary thryoid cancer it is very treatable. No worries - nothing to lose sleep over. He tells me I have enough going on right now and we'll do the biopsy to find out what this is but my focus right now should be on finishing the Interferon. Really? You are telling me that I may have another type of cancer and may need a whole other treatment regime but I shouldn't worry about it?
So now we wait.... Again. I keep reminding myself that chances are it is nothing. But being told already 3 times that I have cancer I do know that the possibility is there. I just hope that they get me in for this biopsy soon so I can really relax and make room in my heart for that magical feeling of Christmas.
I hope that one day it will happen when I can get wonderful news and just leave it at that. No buts, no ands, no maybes... For now I will focus on all the wonderful things happening in my life starting with having no evidence of disease. My three boys who are waiting in excited anticipation for Santa to come to our house. My husband who is riding this crazy rollar coaster ride with me and holding my hand the whole time. My family who no matter how difficult things get are always there and are full of love and hope. My friends, new and old who are always there to make me smile and take my mind off of all things cancer related. I really could go on and on.... This is making me feel better already! Why live in a world of what-if's? If I do that then I miss out on all the wonderful things that are acually happening in my world at that very moment. May we all find that peace and joy that the holidays can bring us.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thank you to YACC for an amazing conference!
What an amazing time we had at the conference! This was a trip of a lifetime for Jeff and I. I fell in love with the ocean and all of the people in Newfoundland. I loved the fact that they all address eachother with enduring names like love, dear, hon..... Very sweet people. We spent our first day out and about walking around town seeing some sights. The views were fantastic - not at all the surroundings that we are used to. When we got back to the hotel mostly everyone had arrived so we visited and mingled with everyone. It was so nice to get together with those there from the past retreats we had been to and of course we met a whole bunch more amazing people! The facilitators and organizers were awesome and made this experience the best conference ever! It's hard to describe everything that I got out of this weekend but I'll try anyway.
We learned alot about health, nutrition, and fitness from the speakers. Dr. Rob got us all meditating and learning how to deal with our stressors. He talked about whole body and mind healing. He shared with us a very inspirational portion of the book he wrote about Jeff(the amazing guy who started YACC)'s cancer journey. I was almost brought to tears by this. What a story!! Another speaker who I learned a lot from was Chef Jay. He had us eating healthy and blending up a storm. I got a kick out of how addicted to his blender he was. Then when I got home the blender I had ordered was waiting for me. Now I am a blenderholic!! lol It was perfect timing! We learned a lot about using food as medicine. Eat your veggies people!!! Bonnie was our fitness coach and got us all up and moving. I didn't participate too much with the fitness stuff because honestly I just didn't have the energy. Bonnie and I had a great chat though and she inspired me to just do what I can so I will be getting my butt out that door and at least getting a walk in every other day. The walk up Signal Hill showed me how out of shape I am - my chest was burning and I was so out of breathe. We also had a great group chat about sharing our story with others. Mikey explained how important our stories are and that we should be proud of them. Wow! I have always had no problem sharing my story through my blog but have a harder time face to face. I was very touched by all of the stories shared with me over these few days and am amazed again by all of the bravery, courage, love and hope in one room.
The walk up Signal Hill was absolutely beautiful! For some of us reaching the top was a huge accomplishment. It takes alot of strength and determination to push yourself up that hill, especially those who are not well. Wow! I'm getting emotional just thinking about it. We did it!! At the top of the hill we got to take in the gorgeous scenery and then we participated in a small ceremony to say goodbye to our fellow cancer warriors. We each took a handful of sand from a jar, said our goodbyes and watched the sand fly through the air. It was a very peaceful, emotional experience. YACC has had a very tough year full of loss so this was a very important part of the weekend. I dedicated my climb to my cousin Christine who we lost to cancer last year. She showed me how to never lose hope, not to take anything for granted, and she fought the whole time with a beautiful smile on her face. I think of you everyday, Christine.
After this we all needed a beer so off to the pub we went. Some of us got screeched in as honerary Newfoundlanders. That was so much fun to watch. Lots of laughs and I tried some really good beer. Of course just a few sips for me! We went back to the hotel for supper and to watch the best movie that I have ever seen - Wrong Way to Hope. I had seen the movie at the Retreat in Vancouver and when I watched it again it was like seeing it for the first time. Of course I can really relate to the survivors in the movie and found myself many times thinking -Wow, me too! It is a great balance of real emotion and humour. Whether you have cancer or not it is a very inspirational movie. I actually loved it so much that I will be holding a night here in Stonewall where I will be showing it. More details on that to follow!
That brings us to the night before it was time to get back on that plane and fly home. Just when I thought the weekend couldn't get any better we had a great dinner at a pizzaria. After a yummy dinner we headed across to a small theatre to watch a show called Cancer Can't Dance Like This. Dan is one of the most hilarious guys I have ever met. He actually is a cancer survivor and his show is all based on his experiences. I havn't laughed that hard for a very long time! Cancer makes us Gangsta!!!
Well, that is only a bit about our trip - believe it or not. I am very thankful that I was able to experience this and meet so many amazing people! Sharing it with Jeff and my sister was awesome! My heartfelt thank you goes to Karine for being you and all the staff at YACC, Jeff Eaton for using his experience to connect other young adults all over Canada, and all the facilitators for caring enough to get involved. Mikey and Bonnie - you really do Huck it Huge!!! I come away from this conference re-energized, full of hope and heart.
It was really nice to get back to the boys. Jeff and I missed them so much. And they actually missed us too. They were so happy to have us home even though they had a good time with Grandma and Grandpa. We are so very fortunate to have mom and dad so close by and willing to flip their lives upside down for us. Love you guys!
This week I really feel blessed when I look around me. Even though my life is not what I thought it would be right now I wouldn't change a thing. I have learned so many lessons in the past year which have made my life better. One of them being "Dreamings not Enough" - Kaleena Hudon Don't just dream about it, do it!
We learned alot about health, nutrition, and fitness from the speakers. Dr. Rob got us all meditating and learning how to deal with our stressors. He talked about whole body and mind healing. He shared with us a very inspirational portion of the book he wrote about Jeff(the amazing guy who started YACC)'s cancer journey. I was almost brought to tears by this. What a story!! Another speaker who I learned a lot from was Chef Jay. He had us eating healthy and blending up a storm. I got a kick out of how addicted to his blender he was. Then when I got home the blender I had ordered was waiting for me. Now I am a blenderholic!! lol It was perfect timing! We learned a lot about using food as medicine. Eat your veggies people!!! Bonnie was our fitness coach and got us all up and moving. I didn't participate too much with the fitness stuff because honestly I just didn't have the energy. Bonnie and I had a great chat though and she inspired me to just do what I can so I will be getting my butt out that door and at least getting a walk in every other day. The walk up Signal Hill showed me how out of shape I am - my chest was burning and I was so out of breathe. We also had a great group chat about sharing our story with others. Mikey explained how important our stories are and that we should be proud of them. Wow! I have always had no problem sharing my story through my blog but have a harder time face to face. I was very touched by all of the stories shared with me over these few days and am amazed again by all of the bravery, courage, love and hope in one room.
The walk up Signal Hill was absolutely beautiful! For some of us reaching the top was a huge accomplishment. It takes alot of strength and determination to push yourself up that hill, especially those who are not well. Wow! I'm getting emotional just thinking about it. We did it!! At the top of the hill we got to take in the gorgeous scenery and then we participated in a small ceremony to say goodbye to our fellow cancer warriors. We each took a handful of sand from a jar, said our goodbyes and watched the sand fly through the air. It was a very peaceful, emotional experience. YACC has had a very tough year full of loss so this was a very important part of the weekend. I dedicated my climb to my cousin Christine who we lost to cancer last year. She showed me how to never lose hope, not to take anything for granted, and she fought the whole time with a beautiful smile on her face. I think of you everyday, Christine.
After this we all needed a beer so off to the pub we went. Some of us got screeched in as honerary Newfoundlanders. That was so much fun to watch. Lots of laughs and I tried some really good beer. Of course just a few sips for me! We went back to the hotel for supper and to watch the best movie that I have ever seen - Wrong Way to Hope. I had seen the movie at the Retreat in Vancouver and when I watched it again it was like seeing it for the first time. Of course I can really relate to the survivors in the movie and found myself many times thinking -Wow, me too! It is a great balance of real emotion and humour. Whether you have cancer or not it is a very inspirational movie. I actually loved it so much that I will be holding a night here in Stonewall where I will be showing it. More details on that to follow!
That brings us to the night before it was time to get back on that plane and fly home. Just when I thought the weekend couldn't get any better we had a great dinner at a pizzaria. After a yummy dinner we headed across to a small theatre to watch a show called Cancer Can't Dance Like This. Dan is one of the most hilarious guys I have ever met. He actually is a cancer survivor and his show is all based on his experiences. I havn't laughed that hard for a very long time! Cancer makes us Gangsta!!!
Well, that is only a bit about our trip - believe it or not. I am very thankful that I was able to experience this and meet so many amazing people! Sharing it with Jeff and my sister was awesome! My heartfelt thank you goes to Karine for being you and all the staff at YACC, Jeff Eaton for using his experience to connect other young adults all over Canada, and all the facilitators for caring enough to get involved. Mikey and Bonnie - you really do Huck it Huge!!! I come away from this conference re-energized, full of hope and heart.
It was really nice to get back to the boys. Jeff and I missed them so much. And they actually missed us too. They were so happy to have us home even though they had a good time with Grandma and Grandpa. We are so very fortunate to have mom and dad so close by and willing to flip their lives upside down for us. Love you guys!
This week I really feel blessed when I look around me. Even though my life is not what I thought it would be right now I wouldn't change a thing. I have learned so many lessons in the past year which have made my life better. One of them being "Dreamings not Enough" - Kaleena Hudon Don't just dream about it, do it!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Happy Halloween!!
Happy Halloween Everyone!
This is a very exciting time around our house! My boys love halloween and getting all dressed up to go trick-or-treating. Plus on top of that it was Kaden's birthday on Wednesday so he is very excited to be turning 6. We are celebrating this year by having his very first "friends party". Usually we celebrate with just the family but this year Kaden wanted to have his friends to his party. So today after school we will be taking 10 little boys to play laser tag. I am looking forward to seeing them all dressed up in their costumes running around playing. Kaden dressed up this year as Ron Weasley (the little red head from Harry Potter). We figured it really wasn't much of a stretch, he looks so much like him. Should be a fun night! Of course, Tyler and Gavin found the scariest costumes they could and they even give me the creeps all dressed up.
I had a really good appointment with my doctor on Wednesday. I found out that all of the tests and scans I've had done in the last month all came back clear. Right now I have no evidence of disease and am cancer-free. This is a really good feeling. It has almost been 1 year since my brain surgery and I'm feeling very grateful to be here. My doctor was explaining to me that now because of gamma knife surgery people in my shoes are living a lot longer and are surviving this terrible disease. Yayyyyyy Gamma knife!! He has a lot of hope and so this reenergized my hope that I will beat this. I am at the halfway point of the Interferon treatment and because I have had no new disease (the lung tumour was already there before I started this treatment) we can assume that this treatment is working.
I have been having some trouble with my blood counts being very low but hopefully I can hang in there for another six months. I apparently will have to wear a mask during my upcoming flight to St. John's which I'm not too happy about but I guess it's better than picking up an infection during the flight. Whenever I see someone wearing a mask at the hospital I automatically assume that it is for everyone else's protection. Meanwhile, it's usually for the protection of the person wearing it. Hopefully I don't get too many strange looks. I thought of maybe getting my glue gun out and attaching some pretty jewels to it - a little bit of bling. We'll see about that! Nothing like being able to blend in with everyone else and feel normal. lol
I am really looking forward to reconnecting with the YACC community. I am excited to get more involved with this when I get back and start getting some energy back. It still amazes me how many young adults are being diagnosed with cancer. This has turned into an epidemic and we need to do something about it - Live healthy!! If you know a young adult with cancer pass along this website www.youngadultcancer.ca. It is a very supportive, caring community that gets it!!
Have a very fun, safe halloween everyone!!!
This is a very exciting time around our house! My boys love halloween and getting all dressed up to go trick-or-treating. Plus on top of that it was Kaden's birthday on Wednesday so he is very excited to be turning 6. We are celebrating this year by having his very first "friends party". Usually we celebrate with just the family but this year Kaden wanted to have his friends to his party. So today after school we will be taking 10 little boys to play laser tag. I am looking forward to seeing them all dressed up in their costumes running around playing. Kaden dressed up this year as Ron Weasley (the little red head from Harry Potter). We figured it really wasn't much of a stretch, he looks so much like him. Should be a fun night! Of course, Tyler and Gavin found the scariest costumes they could and they even give me the creeps all dressed up.
I had a really good appointment with my doctor on Wednesday. I found out that all of the tests and scans I've had done in the last month all came back clear. Right now I have no evidence of disease and am cancer-free. This is a really good feeling. It has almost been 1 year since my brain surgery and I'm feeling very grateful to be here. My doctor was explaining to me that now because of gamma knife surgery people in my shoes are living a lot longer and are surviving this terrible disease. Yayyyyyy Gamma knife!! He has a lot of hope and so this reenergized my hope that I will beat this. I am at the halfway point of the Interferon treatment and because I have had no new disease (the lung tumour was already there before I started this treatment) we can assume that this treatment is working.
I have been having some trouble with my blood counts being very low but hopefully I can hang in there for another six months. I apparently will have to wear a mask during my upcoming flight to St. John's which I'm not too happy about but I guess it's better than picking up an infection during the flight. Whenever I see someone wearing a mask at the hospital I automatically assume that it is for everyone else's protection. Meanwhile, it's usually for the protection of the person wearing it. Hopefully I don't get too many strange looks. I thought of maybe getting my glue gun out and attaching some pretty jewels to it - a little bit of bling. We'll see about that! Nothing like being able to blend in with everyone else and feel normal. lol
I am really looking forward to reconnecting with the YACC community. I am excited to get more involved with this when I get back and start getting some energy back. It still amazes me how many young adults are being diagnosed with cancer. This has turned into an epidemic and we need to do something about it - Live healthy!! If you know a young adult with cancer pass along this website www.youngadultcancer.ca. It is a very supportive, caring community that gets it!!
Have a very fun, safe halloween everyone!!!
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