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Cancer

19 Styles and Counting: Hair Regrowth After Chemo

A year-and-a-half ago I started chemotherapy, and one of the first things people think about when they hear the word “chemo” is hair loss. When I learned I would be losing my hair, I Googled like a madwoman to figure out how to cope. I didn’t want to look sick–mostly because I’m vain, and I didn’t want people to feel bad for me.

During my crazy late-night research I learned about wigs, cold cap therapy, scarves, and hats. Below is a photographic journey of my style ups and downs throughout cancer treatment. I hope this helps someone out there on the Internet. Continue reading “19 Styles and Counting: Hair Regrowth After Chemo” →

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2017: A Year In Pictures

The year 2017 was crazy, am I right? Political drama was everywhere. I had three surgeries and was declared cancer-free. We started a garden. We pulled out all the potty-training stops. My sister had ACL surgery. The boys joined our church community preschool. I started a new job. I finally saw Kirk Franklin perform.

I was so busy riding the rollercoaster that I forgot to work on Christmas cards. (Honestly, I forgot to do a lot of things.) But, it brought me a lot of joy over the holidays to sit and reflect on the year.

Here’s a visual retelling of notable highlights and lowlights. Continue reading “2017: A Year In Pictures” →

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I’ll Raise a Glass to That

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I’ve heard the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, “Drinksgiving,” is the biggest bar night of the year. Which is funny because I’m at home on the sofa in sweatpants, crocheted blanket over my lap, toying with the idea of turning on a Hallmark movie and calling it a day. It’s 8:20 p.m., y’all. Lincoln and Hyatt are playing in their room, still going strong, and I am D-O-N-E.

Continue reading “I’ll Raise a Glass to That” →

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Who’s Afraid of A Double Mastectomy?

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Virginia Woolf famously wrote, “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”

If she is to recover from a double mastectomy and reconstruction, the list gets a bit longer. Money (or insurance or a really good payment plan), a room of her own, a recliner, blackout curtains, painkillers, a crocheted blanket, a Bible, a noise machine, a lap dog, squishy pillows, dry shampoo, hand sanitizer, child care, bone broth, an escape hatch…

I mean, just based on my experience.  Continue reading “Who’s Afraid of A Double Mastectomy?” →

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Teach Me to Number My Days (and Ditch the Impulse Buy)

Guys. Post-surgery rest, the Internet, and a tendency to brood are a bad combo. I was warned about this, but unwisely, voluntarily, boarded the Breast Cancer Worry Roller Coaster last week. Face-palm. Face-palm. Face-palm.

Here’s the good news: I’ve exited to the right of the ride, the surgery on January 31* was successful, and I think I’ve learned (or re-learned) a few things. I pray that if you read this, you will be encouraged rather than discouraged. Continue reading “Teach Me to Number My Days (and Ditch the Impulse Buy)” →

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A Prayer for Lightheartedness

Lord willing, the surgery part of my cancer treatment begins tomorrow. Sometimes plans change, but surgery is what we are packing (and stress-eating) for. Continue reading “A Prayer for Lightheartedness” →

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These Boots Were Made for Fighting

Back in June when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, one of the decisions I had to make was, “Should I do surgery first, or should I do chemotherapy first?” Doctors’ opinions and research led us to believe either approach would work well in my case. I preferred neoadjuvant chemotherapy (chemo before surgery), so we went with that. I wanted to see the chemotherapy shrink the tumor. I wanted to hurry up and start a fight with any microscopic cancer cells hanging around. And, at the time, chemotherapy sounded worse, so I also wanted to just get it over with.  Continue reading “These Boots Were Made for Fighting” →

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Surprise Celebrations

On Thursday before I left the house for my infusion appointment, I checked my email. My inbox was glorious. It contained a birth announcement, sent in the wee hours of the morning, from a friend who received her breast cancer diagnosis the same week I did. Yep–you got that right–she’s been pregnant and going through treatment. She had a little boy. I couldn’t have been more thrilled. There were more celebrations ahead. Spoiler: no more chemo.  Continue reading “Surprise Celebrations” →

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Christmas in the Year of the Octopus

Well people, Christmas + chemotherapy is a lot. A lot of joy, a lot of togetherness, a lot of planning, a lot of interest in napping. But we did it!

I have so many things I want to write about related to Christmas this year. However, I really have been so durn tired. Too tired to write the things I want to write. So, I am going to capture the highlights in pictures, lest I forget some of these funny, special moments. Here they are. Continue reading “Christmas in the Year of the Octopus” →

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