Tuesday, October 18, 2011

What is Unsaid

What would you do differently if you knew your time with a loved one was limited?

It could be a mom, dad, child, spouse, or friend...anyone you care about. Would you be different to them if you knew your time was very short? Maybe you would turn off the TV and just talk for hours. Maybe hike to the top of a mountain and feel like the kings of the world. Or would you just sit and hold hands and talk of the great times that you have shared.....

Would your whole life be different if you always lived with that intention. The great song "Live like you were Dying" isn't that far off is it!? It hurts my heart to see the people left here on earth wishing they could have or would have done something. Here is your chance they are still here today so please go do it or say it! Memories are made with people and they stay with you long after that person is gone.

My point is simple today..... You may not be around tomorrow and neither may they, so don't put off what can be said today!

have a great day :)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Ta-ta tastic!

The month of October I have teamed up with my favorite organization (besides my own), Save the TaTas. They are one of my favorites because they have brought smiles into a world that lacks them. Cancer is hard and it is not fun, but our outlook on things really has a lot more to do with our health than we think. The mission is simple, Fight Cancer Your Way and Fight Cancer together. This really hits home for me because the whole reason my Friends of the Bald Woman non-profit even exists is because of the humor of my now 7 year old son and because I fought my way. I made jokes to the world on this blog when many didn't believe I should be joking. I laughed when many thought I should be crying. What I quickly found was that my attitude not only made a difference in my physical health, but those around me reading and laughing became a part of my adventure which gave them some small piece of comfort.

This October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month I decided to give you a little reminder of why I am here.......

On December 22,2009 I received my Christmas present a few days early. I got the brand new snowboard that I had been dreaming of, but with that, a big fat breast cancer diagnosis. All I really remember of the day is that I was waking up from surgery, hearing the 3 words that nobody wants to hear, and then asking for Dr. Jonas to take care of that Sammy Brady for switching my test results (Ahhhh, any Days of our Lives fans out there would have got that). Apparently, she didn't and I was left to deal with this diagnosis.

Time in the cancer world seems to stand still way too often. Lets back up to Thanksgiving Day 2009. I was 30 years old with a husband, 2 children, and a dog. I was living the life I dreamed. By a complete and utter accident I picked up a bra strap that had fell on my shoulder and as my finger slid to pull it up it hit a mountain. I felt again and again and again.....it was like there was a golf ball under my skin moving around in my boob. I went in after the longest weekend of my entire life and all signs really did point to no. My magic 8 ball even said no!! I had no history in my family, I breastfed my kids, I did all the things I was supposed to, and I WAS 30! Things like this don't happen to young people like me....or so I thought.

I finished 5 1/2 months of chemotherapy treatments, 6 1/2 weeks of daily radiation treatments, and now I am currently on 5 years of the fabulous mood altering  medication that has similarities to menopause. I am a lucky lady... I know. I get to blame my excessive sweating, mood swings, and forgetfulness on my meds for the next 5 years! I just pull that "cancer card" whenever I need to get out of things, when I forget things, and when I need something really bad.....see, having cancer has to have some perks too!

Think Pink, The Diary of the Bald Woman started during my treatments as way to keep my family informed of my treatments and how I was feeling. Who am I kidding, it was just a way to get more sleep after treatment and not field so many phone calls. :) Then it quickly turned into much more. It became cheaper than going to therapy sessions. I decided to cut my insurance company a break!It has now evolved into a passion I never knew existed. Who says cancer can't bring good things???  I know I never said that. I had free house cleaning every week, meals brought to me everyday for 5 months, massages, and even a free facial every week if I wanted it. Yeah, I realize every busy mother out there is now jealous! :)

So like I mentioned earlier I have teamed up with Save the Ta-tas not only to blog but to give away something as well. I have picked my favorite TaTa T....Green saves trees, Pink saves these! I know I know,  right up my alley. I LOVE this org and what they stand for. They have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to breast cancer. Here is the link fyi.....http://www.savethetatas.org/why-we-are-special/
Anyone that signs up to be subscriber to this blog and leaves a comment below will be automatically entered to win. You could win an awesome T and read my ultra funny postings....I look at that as WIN WIN!! The really funny stuff btw is located in 2010 around February/March I believe. That is when I was smack dab in the middle of the cocktail lounge. (see the post and find out what the cocktail lounge is) :)

I have to credit the win of my fight to the fabulous family and friends that I have. It was a bit like running a marathon. You have to do it alone and it can be very difficult. You have your ups and your downs and few people even attempt to do it, BUT the entire race you have people cheering you on and motivating you to keep going. Step by step and even inch by inch you finish the race. After looking back at what you have done you realize that you may have ran by yourself but you were never really alone!


 
Have a TaTa Tastic day everyone and remember to support Save the TaTas fight against this ugly beast named Cancer! If you would like to be entered in the drawing for the FREE shirt subscribe to this crazy ex-bald ladies blog  and see my journey from Blonde to Bald and Back!!!!!


To win the shirt....
1. Join my blog following AND
2. post a comment below
Thats it and you are automatically entered to win the free shirt!!! (include your email)

Going or growing?

Don't go through life, grow through life.

Eric Butterworth

There is a song that says, "I'm in a hurry to get things done, rushing, rushing till life's no fun....." I love this song because of the reminder it gives me to stop and slow down. I find my self more now post-cancer "looking" at things. I notice the colors in sky. I notice people interacting with each other. I notice little things everyday that are amazing.
There are times I wonder if life has this greater meaning or am I trying so hard to find a greater meaning because of what has happened to me.  There are times when I get upset that I have had cancer. I mean I get mad! Not just the times when my kids ask me about it or everyday when I look at this body full of scars. I get mad when I think about how simple my life was before and how I didn't even realize it. I can't go back to the person I was before even if I wanted to. I am not her anymore. That girl left the day I laid on a surgery table making the OR techs laugh. I wouldn't have told you then that my life was easy but now I realize, much as a child does when they move out of their home for the first time, that my life WAS not as difficult as I thought. I don't think my life is bad now so don't confuse this post with one that is complaining. I just now see that before I just lived my life. I did things and just lived life. Now, I search for meaning in everything I do. I think about how I can bring this to others and now most importantly I do in fact "grow". I take every up and every down and analyze it to death and grow into a different person than I was the day before.
I am thankful for every single scar. I am thankful for every beautiful color I see outside. I am thankful for the wonderful family and friends I am blessed to have. I am thankful that I am not the person I was before. I am thankful that I grow each day into the person I am meant to be.

Are you going or growing today? you alone get to make your choice each day! Have a great day!




Saturday, October 8, 2011