Can you BELIEVE IT?

I just thought these two photos of me on the same page would add a little lightheartedness to the day.  To be honest, I didn't think this day would ever arrive, and I certainly didn't think my life would be so good again.  Not so lighthearted.  I'm very very grateful.  Very...  

5 years ago today I was sitting on the bathroom floor talking on the phone with my dermatologist who told me that my CTscan came back and that I would need to go in for a needle biopsy. The huge spots in my chest were in the pattern of lymphoma.  They needed to find out what kind and then start treatment.  It was chaos for the next few weeks as I had a biopsy done inside my chest between my lungs down next to my heart.  Not long after, I began chemo once every two weeks - for SIX long months and then 5 weeks of radiation.

Well since then I have done a lot of recovering, physically and emotionally.  I still battle fatigue.  I had to have some organs removed because they were falling out of my body - that chemo is a doozy! And I had to have some tacked back up in place.  Now I recover slowly.  I get sick often.  I space things out.  I am no longer the go-getter I used to be.  My thyroid is dying but the recent meds have made life so much better. And I'm here! I have learned to sew.  I finally got published by Creating Keepsakes magazine.  I hug my kids every day as many times as they'll let me.  I kiss my husband as often as he'll let me :) We travelled the Oregon coast.  We've had big birthday parties for my children. I could go on and on. 

But to be honest, sometimes I get a little upset when I hear someone has just found out they have cancer and surgery worked to remove it.  But I know on the other hand there are wonderful people who pass away at a young age from cancer.  I guess I got to be in the middle of the bell curve.  

The doctors aren't through with me yet.  I have to stick with visits until mid-December when I reach the 5 year mark for completing cancer treatment. So here we are - I made it!