Surviving Cancer

I have been neglecting to write a blog and here is why. Last week after chemo we almost instantly left home to head back to MN for a benefit that was being held for me. An unbelievable event that I will touch more on in just a little bit. Chemo last week was a go, and I was able to talk my doctor into being cool with just getting two injections instead of four and having them on Monday and Tuesday, instead of over the weekend, so I could attend, said event.

The weekend was a blur. This benefit was hosted at local pub in my hometown. I was a little skeptical about sitting up at the bar all day, but this event, did not disappoint. It was family friendly, and at one point we were packed together like sardines in there. I seriously, hardly have words for the people that hosted this event and the amazing people that showed up to it. It was a pool tournament, live auction, silent auction, and food. My hometown community came together for a common cause, and that common cause was not me. The common cause was cancer.

The majority of the people who came out to support me had never met me or my family. They didn’t come to support a friend or acquaintance. They came to support a family dealing with cancer. Which is something a lot of people can relate to, whether it be themselves, a friend, or a family member. I am still in awe at the way my hometown community came together to support me. While chemo has just recently (today) ended, my fight with cancer is not over. It will be life long, and these people, and The Cancer Sucks Benefit will forever be something I remember. I can continue my fight a little more stress free because of all the generous people out there.

So, today was my last chemo treatment! Numbers were beyond what they needed to be due to the injections I had on Monday and Tuesday. My wonderful husband was there to watch me ring the bell, signifying that I was done; I had made it. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, though. I think it’ll take a week or two to realize that, I hopefully feel more energetic and I don’t have constant appointments to go to, five out of the seven days of the week.

I’ve had a lot of people ask, “what’s next?” Well, here is what I know, and it’s really not much. I will be starting hormone therapy at some point, but I currently don’t know when. I am hoping to find out that answer in two weeks when I have an appointment. I will be having my ovaries removed, hopefully in the next several months, to reduce my chance of getting another, common hormone related cancer in my ovaries. I will hopefully, be finding out when that will happen in two weeks, as well. I will have a second reconstructive surgery mid-may to get the “ladies” all settled and in tit-top shape, I mean tip-top shape.

While I am very happy to be done with chemo, I still have so much underlying fear and anxiety of it coming back. Google is not friendly, but I feel it’s necessary to be educated on my risks of recurrence, as it pertains to my specific gene mutation. I use reputable sources, but the numbers are not favorable. I will be meeting with a mental health therapist in late March as a way to help me cope with this fear and anxiety. I have bad days, where I can’t overcome the bad thoughts that flood my mind, but I have more good days than bad. Days where I enjoy my kids to the fullest, and live my life like it should be lived.

This part is over
Chemo is done
The cancer in my breast?
Well, I won.

16 chemo treatments
And countless injections
My body is tired
There is no question

To fight this fight
With Josh by my side
I never would have made it
Without God as my guide

Cancer is with me
Now and forever
A weight I must carry
A bond I cannot sever

I will cherish every moment
And watch my kids grow
This life is a gift
This I now know

To everyone out there
My supporters, family, and friends
I will keep fighting
To the very end

I will fight, until my very last breath, because I am, UNSTOPPABLE.