A year ago today, I officially became a cancer patient.
Yesterday marked one year since hearing the words "it's breast cancer" from my radiologist friend who confirmed that the images from my mammogram taken the day before showed cancer cells in my left boob. Breast Cancer. BREAST CANCER!
I remember saying the words out loud to myself that night over and over and over again, letting it sink in, getting comfortable with hearing myself say: "I have breast cancer." I thought to myself, the more I say it, out loud, the more comfortable I will become and the less power breast cancer will have over me.
HaHa cancer... I kicked you to the curb!!!
For the past 365 days I've been holding on to the words my friend also said to me that night, my daily mantra: "Just a bump in the road."
And so it was. Just a bump in the road. One of life's huge friggn' life-changing bumps. But just a bump.
Here I am. Even with my being on the other side of the official treatment protocol per se, the aftermath remains:
- daily intake of the drug Tamoxifen for 3 years (31 months to go!)
- dealing with the side effects of the drug especially my debilitating knee pain due to the hormonal changes in my body
- recently discovered that I have mild fibrosis in my muscles and lungs due to damage caused by the radiation treatment
All ok. I'm here, putting one foot in front of the other, focusing on maximizing my health and doing what I need to do. Some days are better than others and this journey along the Pink Road has reminded me time and time again.... I am STRONG AF.
I'm truly thankful for so much - early detection via my routine mammogram, ongoing research and procedures, my Teams at Mount Sinai, Princess Margaret and Women's College, the love and support from all the Love Humans in my life... THANK YOU for helping me become a BREAST CANCER THRIVER!
And for the next 365 days, I'll be celebrating all the one-year milestones from the past year with gratitude and love. As a fellow breast-cancer friend often reminds me, it's a gift wrapped in barbed wire.
So today I'll be honouring myself, my journey, and reminding myself I CAN DO HARD THINGS!!
Love you RO! SO proud of how you have tackled everything and mastered your journey. You are constantly providing us with great messages and uplifting thoughts- so many takeaways from your journey! Thank you for sharing everything for the past 365 days.
Love you RO! SO proud of how you have tackled everything and mastered your journey. You are constantly providing us with great messages and uplifting thoughts- so many takeaways from your journey! Thank you for sharing everything for the past 365 days.