18 year survivor

Here's another one....a VERY inspirational story.


When I was diagnosed 18 years ago it was stage 3-C and TOTALLY a surprise. I went in to have a tubal ligation and SURPRISE – you have OVARIAN CANCER

I was in remission for almost five years and the cancer resurfaced. There are no magic or exact numbers or answers with cancer.

The hope I can offer you is this:

I've done chemotherapy and had SEVERAL surgeries over the past 18 years.

My Daughters were 2 and 9 when I was diagnosed and are now 20 and 27. Since then...
I've seen my 'baby' do all the things kids do in school including... produce her first play in high school, graduate, start her first job, buy her first car, get her second job and first promotion.

I've seen my oldest daughter take baton lessons, graduate from high school, get her first car, her first promotion (and many more), Get Married, give birth and 'catch' my grandson when he entered this world, get her own apartment, help her decorate it and on and on!

Recurrent? yes, life disabling? NO! In all my years of dealing with cancer I've had very little to no pain involved with the actual cancer itself. Nausea? yes, Neulasta pain? yes, but from the actual cancer, no!

The good news is you have the means to get treatments to prolong your life and to make that time more pleasant 1 year? 60 years? None of us know for sure!!!

BUT....

CANCER IS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE!

I am a walking talking miracle! As are all the women on this site! Every day you have on this earth, is a day you get to be with your loved ones and a day closer to a cure!

I, personally, plan to be here the day the 'cure' IS announced and be in the line for treatment. Until that day, we have to plug away with the advances that are out there and know that life is not over just because we are told we have CANCER.

If I would have chosen the latter 18 years ago I wouldn't have been able to:

Raise my daughters

Enjoy their school activities, i.e. concerts, plays, choir, field trips and on and on...

Catch my precious grandson when he entered this world!

See the girls Graduate

My 30 year class reunion

Help my elderly father!

Help my mother pass with dignity

Help my daughter move into her first apartment and decorate!

Watch my morning glories open up every morning
and on and on and on and on!

EVERY DAY that someone from my family calls me was worth DOING it!

Big things! Little things! Other-people-take-them-for-granted

I've been able to experience ALL THESE HINGS because I didn't lay down and give up!

Has it been hard? YES!

Have I been SHOCKED at times that I woke up in the morning? YES!

Did I feel REALLY, REALLY, REALLY CRAPPY? YES!

Have I been cut (surgeries), Poked, Prodded, bruised, exhausted? YES! YES! YES! YES! YES~!

Did it REALLY SUCK? YES!!!

BUT -- I keep plugging away!

Bald headed, baby bird feathers hair, full regular head of hair and all!

I'm STILL HERE!

And every day I see my grandson bound off the bus his first week of school to tell me ALL about what he learned.... was WORTH ANY chemo and side effects for ANY amount of time!

You keep doing it until one day you wake up and you died from old age! THAT'S how long you keep doing it my cyber friends!

DOING IT is what builds your character!

DOING IT is what keeps your stubborn butt on this earth to enjoy all that life has in store for you!

DOING IT means you're still here!