Ten months have passed since I wrote my last blog.
February 13,2013 seems so long ago. It is a long time ago.
In this time away from blogging, I wondered if the
blog’s only purpose was a cathartic one as a way of journaling my experience of
living with cancer and sharing the story with friends and family who joined me
in this journey. With cancer treatments and rehab behind me, I thought that
perhaps no one would be interested in continuing to read a cancer survivor’s
blog. Apparently I was wrong.
It is with encouragement from family and friends that
I return to writing this blog. They have told me that they periodically visit
the blog and haven’t seen any updates. They are wondering what my life is now
like post treatment, so I will resume writing this blog and will share with you
how my life continues to evolve as a cancer survivor.
Many things have happened since February. Some good.
Some bad. Only now in looking back, do I realize how much has happened since my
cancer diagnosis of March 2010.
It has been nearly three stormy years since that
life-changing diagnosis day. I can now
say, that I have recently started to live my life with profound peace. Interestingly
enough, this peace coincides with the Advent season.
My Christmas gift this year is the return of peace in
my life and being able to live
joyfully each day.
It has been a long time coming.
The experience of diagnosis, treatment, and surviving
feels like a bad dream, but the scars on my body, my radiation tattoos, and
taking of a potent daily drug (for five years) to keep cancer from reproducing
are reminders that it was, and is, real.
My last post talked about post-surgery jaundice and
an unknown cause. After tests and scans and a few visits with a nephrologist,
no definitive diagnosis was ever found.
An unusual and unexplained occurrence I’m told, that still requires
yearly monitoring of some small lesions because of my cancer history with the
liver being one area where breast cancer can metastasize. I am still far away
from the five-year mark of living without evidence of cancer, so these
precautions are warranted.
Our son Josh and his wife Jill eloped in Honolulu in
July and called to tell us later that evening. We happily celebrated after
their return, by hosting a backyard luau reception in their honour. The weather
cooperated as family and friends brought well wishes and their celebratory
presence. It was so much fun meeting their friends and spending time with them
as they honoured the newlyweds.
In July, one of my dear friends of almost 30 years
died of brain cancer. I was with her during the last few days and saw her only
hours before she passed. I relived being a cancer patient all over again with
the gamut of emotions that comes with it. As she was only a handful of years
older than me, I could clearly visualize that it could have been me that was
dying. I miss her and always will remember what a gift she was in my life.
In October 2011, I was appointed as an Executive
Sponsor to the Manitoba Cancer Partnership Steering Committee by CancerCare
Manitoba and Manitoba Health, as a patient advisor. I work with a Co-Executive
Sponsor, another cancer survivor on the steering committee. In addition to
this, we co-chair a six-member cancer patient advisory committee.
I have never worked with such a group of dedicated
and determined people who want to make a difference for other cancer patients
in Manitoba. It is rewarding volunteer work in advocating for other cancer
patients to improve their journey through the healthcare system. Our voices are
being heard and we will continue to push for positive changes for cancer
patients.
We recently completed our first year of a five-year
term on the steering committee and are starting to see some positive changes to
make the cancer treatment journey better for patients and their families. I
will write more about this in future blogs.
Returning to work as a cancer survivor has been
difficult. It was far more difficult than I could have imagined. Fighting cancer and surviving has changed me
as a person. It has changed how I want to spend my valuable time because each
day is a gift. It has also taught me what is important in life, and what I
value each day.
This past fall, after working for 11 years with my
former employer, I left my position. I
needed to follow my heart in a job where my spirits could soar. I wanted to
return to the not-for-profit sector.
I found a new job quickly. I had applied for three positions in early
fall, had three interviews, and two job offers. The job I really wanted was
offered to me, and is one where I joyfully go to work each day and follow my
heart.
My new employer is a non-government organization that
I was acquainted with in the past as a corporate funder. It is so satisfying to
work each day in a job that serves the poor. At the end of next month, my new
job will take me into the field as I visit projects we are involved with in
Ethiopia. It is a trip of a lifetime as Africa is a place I have wanted to
visit since I was a child.
Life is good! Cancer taught me to live one day at a
time and I still do so. I don’t look too far into the future and live more in
the moment. I greet each day with a new sense of purpose, and I do so with
Strength, Courage, and Determination.