Boobies Blog

 This is me sporting the very first FYB tshirt -- still bald -- this was probably sometime in August 2004.

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Over the weekend I celebrated my 3 year anniversary as a survivor -- April 7, 2004.  That was my diagnosis day which seems like an odd day to celebrate -- even my parents and boyfriend said -- "Don't you think the end of treatment is a better day to celebrate?"  Well, they may have a point -- but for me, it's not about remembering my day of diagnosis as a day of gloom.  It's more about recognizing what the power of time combined with a cancer diagnosis can do.  My life is remarkably different than it was 3 years ago -- starting Feel Your Boobies is part of that, but my life has changed in so many other ways as well -- all for the positive. 

That's not to say there haven't been rocky times.  For me, the cancer treatment itself was less difficult than the adjustment back into my "normal" life afterwards.  I felt anything but normal, even though on the outside I looked like my old self.  On the inside, I was finally digesting this crazy news.  It took time, therapy, anti-depressants and extreme self-compassion to repair myself -- but I did.  I'm attaching a story I wrote back in 2004 after I found out I had to do chemo -- I hope the story will help others who face this same news.  Click here to read it.  Download file

In the past three weeks leading up to my "anniversary date", I found out that two of my young survivor friends who I've met through FYB learned that their cancer has metastisized -- each of them are less than 3 years from their initial diagnosis.  So as I celebrate my 3 years of being cancer-free, I hope to be cancer-free forever -- but the fact is, I realize I may not be.  But for every day that I am, it's a better day than before - and for that I'm thankful.  My cancer diagnosis has brought so many positive things into my life -- people, life lessons, patience, love.