It's been over 3 years now since I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I still run into women who've just been diagnosed and remember that when I used to work for the radio station, V100, I openly talked about my journey with "bc." Today, I met yet another woman who was diagnosed just a few days ago. It took me back to that time when I couldn't even say the word "cancer" out loud. That's where my soon-to-be new friend is right now. I remember once again that time when I was full of fear and could hardly contain my tears to get through the day. The year of 2006 was a journey of a different kind for me... I found the words, "4:00 Chemo" on my calendar and couldn't believe it wasn't something more like "4:00 Haircut" or "4:00 Meet Sandy for Coffee." My calendar looks normal now, but for still far too many women, their calendars are changing for the next year or so. I kept a journal on our radio station website during 2006 - both to keep my V100 listeners informed and as a therapeutic exercise. If you, or someone you know, needs to know they're not alone... you may want to read a bit of my journal. My entries during that time were just daily or weekly writings of my experience. It's not always pretty, and it's not always ugly - in fact, it's sometimes funny. Most of the people who read my journal at that time were not even dealing with cancer. I guess we all have things in common... enough to relate in even ordinary daily living. But if you are dealing with cancer yourself or in your family, check out this blog... and at the very least, you'll know you're not alone in your fears, questions, and wondering about your ability survive. Too many women die from breast cancer, but I'm proof that it is also a survivable disease. (Start reading from the first entry, 3/8/06.)
