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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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A helpful way to think about grace:

The law says, “do this,” and it is never done. Grace says, “believe in this,” and everything is already done.

– Martin Luther

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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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Neighbors Loving Neighbors

Immigration and the plight of the refugee has been in the news constantly over the past week, thanks to care and confusion over President Trump’s executive order concerning extreme vetting. Admittedly, I have not done my due diligence to understand all of the ins and outs. (And really, we should all do our fact-checking.) I am still on the hunt for even-handed coverage.

But, I know this: Continue reading “Neighbors Loving Neighbors” →

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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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All of the Lights

Exodus 13:21-22: By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. 

I find this image incredibly comforting.  Continue reading “All of the Lights” →

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