I remember a year ago proclaiming that 2014 was going to be MY year. There were great opportunities in store for me. Four months later, I was told that I had cancer and that I would need aggressive treatment.
It's been two months since my last chemotherapy cycle and one month since the mastectomy. I have a little bit of stubble on my head, some loose fingernails due to peel off any day now, eczema, an 8-inch scar across my chest, and the assurance of my plastic surgeon and his staff that the reconstructed breast will NEVER look like my natural breast. Ha ha ha!!
I honestly believed that after the surgery I would put all these cancer shenanigans behind me - that the treatment I underwent would fade into a distant memory. However, I still go to the infusion center every three weeks to continue one of the targeted drugs, which will continue through the month of July '15. I still have to get an echo cardiogram every three months because one of the main side effects of the targeted drugs is heart failure. Every week for at least 4 more weeks, the temporary implant will get filled with more saline. I will inevitably have another surgery to replace the temporary implant with a permanent one. I will also take a Tamoxifen pill every day ... for the next 5 years.
Do I view any of these things as burdens? No... they're just part of my routine.
I am thankful to God to be alive. I am thankful for the personal growth I have experienced. I am thankful for the support and generosity and friendships, both rekindled and new.
I am looking forward to great opportunities in this new year!
Deidre
