How I came to this blog

For as long as I can remember I had been so excited about my 30th birthday. It was going to be a big year for me, I could feel it. I had no idea a breast cancer diagnosis would turn out to be the reason. I was actually told I had "early breast cancer" at 29, about three weeks before my 30th birthday. What I had is called Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), which is also considered "stage 0 breast cancer." While it was caught at the earliest possible stage, and my life was never in immediate danger, I still had to undergo mastectomy, including lymph node removal, and reconstruction. My birthday came and went a couple weeks before my mastectomy. More than once I looked down at the "F 30" on my hospital bracelet and wondered, "where did my 30th birthday go?" This will definitely be an interesting year.















Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Time to hit the books...and get some "Crazy Sexy" inspiration!

Two weeks ago I did my best to sneek into a classroom and be the best "guest" I could be, sitting out of the way and being as quiet as possible.

This week, however, was my first week really back in the swing of things, as I returned to both of the classes that I had taken incompletes in last fall. I spent Monday running back and forth between work and school in order to fit 2 classes into my day. Once again, I sat in a corner and didn't participate. I felt like I was crashing a party. This wasn't really my class, so I should remain as invisible as possible. Then I realized, "I'm doing it again. I need to stop apologizing for my cancer!" I have just as much right as anyone to raise my hand and speak up, plus it will probably help my grades. So, with the 3-1/2 weeks I have left of this make-up semester, I plan to fully participate as much as possible.

On another note, I got a great reminder today about a cancer survivor who's story and website I absolutely love. Kris Carr was diagnosed with a rare and incurable cancer in her early 30s. Her reaction was to set off on a hunt for alternative therapies, filming the whole thing along the way. I saw Kris Carr's documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer, when it premiered on TLC in 2007, and immediately fell in love. I remember thinking Ms. Carr was so likable and truly admirable. But I completely forgot about this wonderful resource as I was going through my own journey, until a friend reminded me about her today. Just this morning I was thinking I wanted to get a new book for our upcoming vacation. I think I'll get Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor. Cancer or no, I strongly recommend you check out Kris' websites (also listed under "Breast Cancer Resources" in the right frame):

Crazy Sexy Cancer

Crazy Sexy Life
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