This time last year I was preoccupied with my new baby. Things were as normal as the can be expected with an infant in the house. The snuggles were absolutely worth it.
Less than a month later the entire world shut down. But it was cool. I had masks on hand from all the wildfires. And I naively thought it wouldn’t last too long... 🤨
Three months later I would be diagnosed with stage 2 and 3 bilateral breast cancer.
Cancer does a lot of weird things. It sucks the life out of you, literally and figuratively. Cancer teaches you what fight or flight really means, and sometimes you have to do both at the same time.
It also throws your world into sharp perspective. You get to find out who and what truly matters to you. Like my girls, and my husband. My family who love me, and my dearest friends who are family.
Let’s be clear, cancer sucks. Fuck cancer. It hurts, I cry all the time. I have years ahead of me in this fight. Treatments are only half way through. Medication and doctors will be my new normal for the next decade. I have days where I don’t want to do this anymore.
But then one of you sends me a funny meme. Someone brings me their favorite meal and we don’t have to make dinner. Someone else offers to clean my kitchen and bathrooms (yes for real) because I have t-Rex range of motion did 6 weeks. One of you reminds me how strong I am.
Then I remember: I. Can. Do. This.
I’m going to watch my baby girl have her first day in kindergarten. I’m going to be there for my first daughter’s graduation day. And I’m going to participate in all the moments in between.
If you have read this far I want you to know that early detection is why I’m still here. I have an aggressive cancer and I found it early enough to do something. Check yourself. Cop a feel. Listen to your body and don’t dismiss the weird stuff. You owe it to yourself and you owe it to the people who love you.
As always, thank you for being absolutely amazing and loving on me. You give me hope and strength.
