684 MONTHS OLD

“When one has a grateful heart, life is so beautiful.”

- Roy T. Bennett -

Sunday, March 26, 2023

57 trips around the sun now complete as of March 24. That's 684 months!

Every year since being able to appreciate the significance of birthdays, I would start the birthday countdown on March 1, my Dad’s birthday.

This year, no countdown. Completely unintentional. I had other checklists to get through first.

Poof! Just like that, I’m another year older.

Celebrations started on the afternoon of March 23 at my oncology appointment. The wonderful news that chemo would NOT be part of the treatment was exactly the kind of present that this Pink Road Warrior wished for. No surprises. I got my birthday wish.

Friday, my actual birthday, was spent in quiet celebration, connecting with friends and family. I swung by Ave/Dav to pick up some birthday pussy willows (a little tradition I have been doing for the last 2 decades) and ended up coming out with a bunch of beautiful flowers and a heady perfumed gardenia plant.

Spent my birthday evening at a playoff hockey game. A win for my nephew’s hockey team and Xavi scored a goal!!! WOOHOOO! The day ended with a sweet treat at La Diperie. SO YUM!!!

Midday Saturday was spent having Afternoon Tea with a friend (we’ve been friends since grade 7) and she is a breast cancer survivor! (Happy Birthday MC!! ❤️) When we were younger, we always celebrated our birthdays on the 25th – the day in between our birthdays and returning to that tradition yesterday was extra special and really lovely!

Saturday night was my family celebration. We gathered at my parents and with my wanting to made sure everyone had a break from the kitchen, we ordered in – a mix of churrasco, sushi and thai cause that’s how we roll. And we ended it all with my fav almond torte baked by my Mom. And the candles on the cake? A "6", an "8" and a "4"! Because I am 684 months old. Hahahaha… we're just quirky like that. Truthfully, in our "candle basket" we were missing a 7 🤷🏻‍♀️... so my brother, being the math whiz, came up with 684 months. Yup, we've got those.

Tears of joy and heartfelt gratitude! The start of 2023 was so uncertain and scary, but now with the end in sight, this birthday has meant just that much more. And hearing the words “this is just a bump in the road” from my oncologist – the exact words I have been saying to myself on the daily. The words I heard from my radiologist friend on the night she let me know that my mammogram indicated breast cancer.

JUST A BUMP IN THE ROAD. Hearing those words being said back to me – it was a sign! Yes! Yes, this is just a bump in the road and I’m almost done!

I am fortunate. I am so grateful. OH MY GOSH… I AM SOOOOO GRATEFUL!!!

It is not lost on me that my outcome will not be the same for so many women battling breast cancer. As I stood by the doorway of my examination room on Thursday, I could see other women coming in for their appointments and many will not have the good news that I received. Oh my heart. This isn’t easy. No matter what the outcome, it’s definitely one F@@kn’ roller coaster ride. Oh how my heart aches. I often find myself overcome with emotion, sadness and hope, when I think about the women, my fellow Warriors, on this Pink Road. So much love. So much love. May their ride be as smooth as possible.

What's Next:

March 31: Start of 16 weeks of rehab, weekly

April 5: Meeting with my Radiologist - Dr. K. Han

Week of April 10 (guesstimate): Radiation Therapy begins?

Tuesdays: Breast Cancer Support Group Zoom

Hormone Therapy to start soonish