Skip to main content

My 2-year Cancerversary



Yes, indeed, this past June was two years since my diagnosis, and if you wanted to be transported back to that beginning, you can do so here.

But such a post cannot begin without the word gratitude. Gratitude for being able to make wonderful memories with my family and friends over the past two years.  But this post cannot be complete without remembering some of those who have shared this journey with me and are not here anymore.

My friend Amy:
Amy was diagnosed with stage 2 triple negative back in November of 2011 and she recently passed away in August. I had last seen Amy in July, and while wan and frail, she was so optimistic and hopeful, the way we all are. I feel very sad to have lost her and to know her family and her young son are without her now. Hugs to you Amy, in the beautiful place you are now.

My friend Karen:
I first met Karen when I had started my chemo treatments. She sat next to me in the infusion chair, and I was very interested in her quilt, since we were always cold during chemo. The ladies in her church had made her a lovely quilt and had put their names on the pieces so she would have them with her during chemo. I was inspired, and short of getting her church ladies to make a quilt for me, I got one that cheered me up. It's the one in the picture above.
Karen was a 10-year survivor who had brain metastasis and passed away in December of last year. I still remember her for her joy. When we talked about her cancer recurring, she said she was ok, she was happy, she had had a blessed 10 years. Sweet Karen, smiling with the angels now.

And me. For the last two years, here is a snapshot of what I've been doing, making memories with my family, going to weddings, visiting home:


Mental health break
Mental Health Break
Playing around and trying new things

Having fun at home

Family vacation

Pumpkin patch fun with boys!

Fishing fun

Comments

Savi said…
Hi Sally,

Those are great photos! My love to Gunnar and the kids - hope I can meet them sometime. I wish you many, many more cancerversaries in great health!

Love,
Savi
Austin Trini said…
Hi Savi - just realized I didn't reply. I would love to meet you and visit you and your family! I am keeping it on my list of things :)

We are taking it one day at a time !
Austin Trini said…
Goodbye Patricia - I hope you are smiling and dancing where you are. Warm in the embrace of eternal love.

Popular posts from this blog

Weeks 15, 16; Cycles 6 & 7

Another two-in-one post. I think this may be considered my "challenge" post.  The good news is that I have now completed 7 of 12 cycles, so I am looking at the end of chemotherapy. As I look back on my initial post , I realise that I had neglected a key piece of information about the kind of cancer I have.  Some women have cancers that are responsive to hormones, (quite simply, it appears that hormones make the cancer grow) and some women don't. I fall into the latter category - I am what is called triple negative. This is not a good thing. On my most recent visit with my oncologist we talked through "the numbers" that is, the survival rates and we assessed again how well my tumour is responding to chemotherapy (not as well as we'd hoped).  So these last two weeks have been quite a challenge mentally. It doesn't help that one of the side effects of all of this is a decline in disciplinary standards at our house.  Over the course of the summer I w...

Food as Medicine & Vitiligo Update

Before I talk about food, a quick: Vitiligo Update It still pisses me off that the hyperactive immune system that attacks my own pigment cells just let cancer sail right on through. Enough rant. Since my cancer diagnosis, my vitiligo has just exploded. It's spread from knees and elbows to legs, face and neck. It bothers me more now. Picture from 2009 Hands now  2016           The growing spread of vitiligo Treatments Topical steroids weren't working and while Latisse (the eyelash drug) worked on one spot above one eye, it does not seem to be helping with the other spot above the other eye. There is a pulsed light treatment I have yet to try, but before I go that route, I want to try the food route. Food as Medicine I've blogged previously as viewing Food as Fuel , the next step is to view food as medicine with the potential to heal some ailments. I've read a couple of books, It Starts with Food and The Paleo Appr...

Talking with Lucas on climate change

This is my post for Blog Action Day . This is an annual event where bloggers everywhere in the world post about the same issue on the same day to spark discussion around an issue of global importance. This is part of a conversation I had with my 8-year old. Mama : Do you know what climate change means? Lucas : I think it means when it is like 90F and it is hot.   And the change? It's when in the daytime it might be 90F and sunny and hot, and then you go inside for dinner and then right after dinner and it might have dropped to 70F Well, yes it is that in a way.  That describes what is happening in your area, but when people use the term "climate change" they really mean something more global, like affecting climate around the world Have you heard of the team "global warming"? What global warming is that it is made up of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and when they burn stuff the smoke releases CO2 and it's like a blanket covering the earth and if it k...