I belong to an exclusive club...

The kind that noone wants to sign up for, get selected for or belong to

The kind where the membership is for life

The kind where the entry requirements are demanding

The kind where the initiation rituals are brutal and impact you for the rest of your life

The kind where you have our own language like NED and DCIS

The kind where you can ask any question and get an answer, no matter how gross or intimate

The kind that is so exclusive that non-members may not really understand what the fuss is about

The kind where birthdays and anniversaries have extra special meaning

The kind that has embraced the green smoothie like you wouldn't believe

The kind that stands together

Comments

pincushion polly said…

Isn't it a great club? We are just so lucky...yippee!

14 May 2012 at 22:06

I wish...

This post is my one rant to looking back (I've been told by my doctors not to), but I've justified it to myself by deciding if it makes one person make a different choice, then that's fine with me. So now that I know what I know, what do I wish? I wish I understood that when a mammogram comes back negative, it does not necessarily mean that they examined all the tissue and they were able to see clearly that nothing was there (a true negative). It could also mean, they've looked and they cannot distinguish normal from tumour tissue (inconclusive). So ladies, when the radiologist tells you "Ma'am you've got dense breasts", know that it means they can't see a darned thing. If you think something is going wrong, press for an alternative diagnostic tool or monitor yourself more closely in the coming months knowing that the mammogram you just had that said negative, really said, "We don't know". Oh..and enlist the aid of a specialist ...

Fitness Photo Shoot

Fitness after stage III breast cancer Plank on ball in silhouette Why a fitness shoot? I am not a fitness model, nor am I ripped like one, but I wanted to do a fitness shoot for a few different reasons: 1. As a reminder of how far I have come At the 5-year anniversary of my diagnosis of stage III breast cancer, it seemed a good time to remind myself how far I have come since I went through the trauma of diagnosis and treatment. That no matter how low I felt at the time, I came through it. Not all my sisters made it and many are still struggling today (shout out to my IV-leagers - those living with stage IV, EVERY DAY). 2. As a reminder of how much the body can do It is a moment for me to acknowledge that while there are things I still cannot do, there are things I could not do when I first started lifting weights, that I can do now and THAT is amazing to me. When I first started weight lifting maybe I could do shoulder presses with 7.5 lbs, now I can do more t...

Job Search2: Networking etiquette..

On which I have a few ideas. As my husband keeps telling me, I won't get a job by spending hours in front of the computer submitting applications to online job postings. The best use of any job-seeker's time is spent talking to friends and acquaintances and letting them know that you are looking for a job and what your skills and interests are. So here is what I found tricky about networking: How hard to push? Working parents are busy, so if I asked a friend, who is a working parent, about a position I had seen at their company, do I ask a second time? How soon after? And what if there is another position - do I talk about that too? If that friend is very enthusiastic about getting more information for me on a post then I hear nothing, what then? Is it realistic to think they'll get back to me? I find it difficult to broach the topic again. I might ask a second time but for me there is no third time. What do I trade in return? In the net...

Cancer Survivor, writing about Health and Fitness as you age

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