Thursday, February 18, 2010

And it just keeps getting better!

Well -- Good news and lots of it!!!  I went to Dana Farber last Wednesday during the snow storm that wasn't for a full "spa" day.  I had a MUGA scan, which is something I have been doing every three months - due to the treatment I am on potentially causing heart damage.  I once again passed with flying colors!!  Wahoo!  Next I went to see my oncologist who Congratulated me.... and I didn't understand why.  It was my LAST treatment!!!  I didn't even know.  I thought I had one more coming up in March.  It was a strange feeling.  Bittersweet.  Excited that I'm at the end of treatment, but scared that I'm not actively doing what felt like my safety net all year.  It just made me feel safe and now I feel a bit vulnerable.  I am now taking Tamoxifen for the next 5 years and that's it.  Next Chapter!!!  I'm moving on!!

So our team "The Tough Warrior Princesses" met this week.  We are now a team of 10!!  I got to meet 2 new team members, Gretchen and Theresa.  I am grateful they are on the team and they were awesome!!  The best news for me is that my other Sister-in-law, Sue has now joined our team!!!  Well, I know I have voiced how awed I am that SIL, Cheryl would be walking beside me - now to have Sue as well just makes it so incredible.  These two women have become my sisters.  (which is good because I always wanted a sister - no offense 2 my brothers)  The three of us can walk side by side in honor of my mom, Beverly, which we have so often talked of doing in the past.  Sue will also be walking for the future of her girls - if you don't know Sue - here is what makes her journey special.  She has a two year old daughter and also has 3 1/2 month old twin girls.  She is busy and training commitments will be tough, but she can do it!   

The team is amazing!  We have now planned a dance/silent auction for May 8th and we are also working on planning a clambake and a Flatbread Pizza fundraiser.   Oh, and did I mention we are now the TOP #1 team in the country for fundraising total so far?  Now, we know we won't stay there for long.  There are many teams that have lot's of women and raise huge totals every year, but we are trying our best and we are very proud of ourselves!  To find a cure for breast cancer / cancer would just be amazing and I want to contribute as much as possible to the goal. 

We are heading off skiing this weekend!  Looking forward to it.  Last year, I didn't get to ski and this year I'm grateful to be able to ski and feel good doing it!!!

Blessings to you all - Thank you so much for all the love and support.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Cancer Free and Loving it!!!

I can now officially say that I am ONE YEAR cancer free as of Feb. 9th!!!! What a great milestone!!! It's an anniversary that I hope to be celebrating for a long, long time!!! No more dreading birthdays and getting older -- I embrace it!! A wrinkle here, fat roll there, gray hairs.... it's all okay. I am healthy and feeling fantastic. Age really does come with wisdom, compassion, insight and a new openness.

I am finally at the tail end of my treatments!!!! Diagnosed in November of 2008 -- it has been a long road. 3 surgeries and chemo/herceptin treatments which all started January 2009. At first treatments were weekly and then eventually progressed to every three weeks. I am happy to say I have my second to last treatment this week and am looking forward to my last treatment at the beginning of March!!! It will be great to have this final phase behind me.

A lot has happened to team Tough Warrior Princesses since my last post -- Most importantly, our team has added three additional members!! We are now 7 strong and hopefully will add more! Welcome to Tina (a fellow breast cancer survivor) Gretchen and Theresa. Our team now consists of 3 young survivors. We had our first team meeting and have some fundraising ideas to help us all reach our committed goals. We are a fun-loving group and I expect we will have a lot of fun while raising awareness and cash for our cause.

Last week Cheryl and I attended a Komen Getting Started meeting. Sherri was there too, as a meeting facilitator. So, I guess you could say this was the meeting that was informing us exactly what we had gotten ourselves into.... We have to raise WHAT? And walk how FAR?? And sleep in a tiny TENT? It's all good. The meeting was informational and uplifting. Yes, Cheryl cried... but if you know Cheryl, you knew that. (She cries at commercials!) Kidding aside, it was amazing. There was a young girl (in her twenties) at the meeting who had recently lost her mother to breast cancer, and I so felt her pain and saw myself in her. Yet here she was already, determined to make a difference. There were about 10 women there and we all had our own personal reasons for being there - and I don't think anyone didn't shed a tear or two. We walked out of there determined to not only raise our minimum $2,300 each, but more.

We have scheduled an evening at the Polish Club on May 8th. There will be music, fun, friends and even silent auctions. More details to follow.

We are looking to add team members, so if you think you could be interested in getting in shape and having some fun and raising $$$, inquire within!!!  It is a big commitment, but it's for your mothers, sister's, daughters, wives (yes, men welcome) aunts and grandmothers.  This disease hits 1 in 8.  You don't think it can happen to you...... until it does.


Blessings!
Patty