LUCKY SEVEN

I had my six month check-up at the Cancer Center yesterday…met my new oncologist….my third since this journey began. She’s good. She’s nice. I like her. She’s no Dr. Doddabele, but then no one is.

And, the good news is…everything looks great. My labs were good. My general health is excellent. There is no sign of cancer.

This was particularly great news because TODAY is my seven-year Cancerversary. SEVEN years ago today I started on a journey that changed my life forever. I am not going to make this a long. drawn-out post about all that has happened over these past seven years. I realize that, to the rest of the world, this is just another day. But Ken and I celebrate this day, October 22, every single year now. It represents another year of life that I have been given. It reminds me of just how far I have come and how much I have to  be thankful for.

I walked into the Cancer Center yesterday and was blown away by the number of people who greeted me with smiles and told me how great it was to see me again. As crazy as it sounds, it is like coming home once every six months. I spent so many, many hours there in the beginning and met so many kind, caring and talented people while on this journey. I could not have made it this far without them and without my friends and family. They were all so instrumental in supporting me and lifting me up so that I could reach this milestone today…seven years.

And, because it is so important to me and to Ken, I just wanted to take a few moments to share the excitement with the rest of you.

Now…just one more thing. My cancer diagnosis was totally unexpected. I had no idea when I showed up at Mercy Medical Center back on October 22, 2009, that there might be a problem. My doctor had no idea either. My cancer was found unexpectedly on a routine mammogram. This is breast cancer awareness month. If you, or someone you care about, is due for a mammogram, please get it done. Do that for me. Do it for yourself and everyone you care about. It could save your life. Take it from one who knows.

Later.