From the time I was 18 to 36 years old, I had a cat named Duncan. That’s right, this cat lived for 18 years. And he was special. In fact, had he lived another year longer, I would have lived more years with him than without. We had a special bond, one that I won’t try to explain because it won’t do it justice, but if you…
God continues to open doors to share the message He has put on my heart, and this week a new door opens! I had the chance to chat with Tom Bump at Kids Ministry Collective last week and had a blast! I shared the message of purpose and perseverance that God has taught me during my season of battling cancer. Check out the podcast here, I hope it encourages your…
For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’ve been answering your questions about cancer (Ok, I know October is over. But these are great questions so let’s just call this Breast Cancer Awareness Month afterburn.) I received two great questions that a lot of people are curious about, 1) What Causes Cancer? and 2) What Natural Treatments are Available…
One of the scariest seasons of my cancer journey was between the time I learned I needed chemo and when I actually had to do it. The unknown was terrifying and the thought of losing my hair was devastating. Furthermore, I had to attend a “chemo education” which is basically where read you a giant list of all the possible side effects, all the things that can, might, or potentially go wrong, and all the things you are supposed to do to try to keep that from happening. It was overwhelming.
What I really wish someone told me is that all those scary things might also not happen. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to diminish the difficulty of chemo, but I wish someone had told me I was going to make it through and given me some hope rather than fear.
So if you or someone you know is facing chemo, perhaps this will give you some hope and comfort. I made this video during one of my last chemo treatments just to show how not scary it is. I did it, and you can do it too.
I’m a breast cancer survivor…is it weird that Breast Cancer Awareness Month bothers me…
I just realized my last “health update” post was all the way back in February. Which, given the current state of the world, seems like decades ago. On the other hand, I’m pretty excited there hasn’t been anything eventful enough in my life to warrant another “health update” blog post!
Fortunately, this one isn’t super dramatic either, but it’s at least blog-worthy. In my new, post-cancer life that consists of continuing treatments to keep cancer far, far away, the medications I’m on consist of putting me into early menopause so my body makes as little estrogen as possible. I also continue to be on a chemotherapy drug that further lowers any remaining estrogen levels. I suppose it’s not a huge deal to go through menopause…I mean, every woman does it at some point, why not continue my life-long quest to over-achieve and be first in this category as well? However, the accompanying chemo drug hasn’t been very fun and frankly, we haven’t had much success in managing the side effects very well. I won’t bore you with the details, but since we started this treatment at the beginning of the year, I’m now taking at least six additional drugs to try to deal with the side effects and attempt to feel like a normal person, and it’s still just not happening.
It’s a strange place to be, because the longer I can continue this treatment, the lower my chances of recurrence will be. So naturally, why wouldn’t I do everything possible to get that best chance (remember that over-achiever?) But I also yearn for a “normal” life, a life I can enjoy because I fought so hard to get it back. So we had some very honest and helpful conversations with my oncologist and we are switching things up. I started a different medication about two weeks ago and good news…I am already feeling so much better! I’m sleeping again for the first time since I was diagnosed, the all-over chronic bone pain is subsiding and I don’t walk with a limp anymore, and I overall just feel better about myself. There are still several side effects I’d like to see reduced as we continue on this journey, but I’m already down to 4 extra medications instead of 6 so in the last two weeks, which is a pretty huge win! And the recurrence rate on this new medication is only a few percentage points more than the previous one, so the difference is slight and the benefit is great. That being said, this is a treatment that will continue for the next 10 years so when you think of it, I would appreciate your continuing prayers for continued lessened side effects as well as never seeing cancer rear it’s ugly head again!
2 Corinthians 12:9 says “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” My body may not be getting more perfect as I journey through this life, but His power in me is. To be honest, I don’t have what it takes to live this life, not even the easy parts. But He does. He has brought me through this far, and He’s not giving up on me now!
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