Category: Blog
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Cancer and the Flu
I think I’m ready to fast-forward to 2024 (insert frustrated, crying emoji here)! I was filled with anticipation and excitement for the new year, but here I am. In bed. With an uninvited guest who we shall call Flu. (I tested negative for COVID.) I thought it would be a simple hit and run. The […]
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“Scan Looks Good”
I apologize if I’ve left some of you in suspense. My December 6, 2022 scan was clear. I appreciate that the doctors and nurses at Moffitt don’t do any of the chit chat before sharing the results. They understand what patients need to hear ASAP. Dr. Reed only had one foot in the door before […]
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The Good News Bearer
I am less than a week out from another surveillance scan. The first one since I was “upgraded” to getting one every four months, instead of three. The extended time period has been nice, but the scanxiety seems a little worse this go-around. There was something reassuring about going more frequently. On the other hand, […]
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Chemo (Part III)
I was hoping to post more frequently, but I’ve found my free time has decreased significantly. We’ve been doing a little bit of traveling which I have been thrilled about, but I’m still reconciling that my mind and body just can’t handle as much as it used to. So in my first chemo post, now […]
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Things I’m Still Struggling With
For friends who have seen my social media recently, everything may look pretty good. We had a wonderful weekend in New York City and celebrated a friend’s birthday in Sarasota/Longboat Key. In general, life is going really well on this side of cancer and I’m incredibly thankful. But there are a few things that I […]
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Chemo (Part II)
In my first chemo specific post I gave an overview of the drugs and the timeline. The next couple of posts I’m going to dig into the process and little intricacies. I will follow up with the side effects and long-term implications as well. The Port If a patient will be receiving chemo drugs intravenously […]
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Who’s Ready to Move onto Four Month CT Scans?? THIS Girl!
I received great news last Friday (Aug 5, 2022)! There continues to be no evidence of disease and that was my last 3 month scan! My next scan won’t be until December. Amazing! God is so good. We stayed the weekend in Tampa to make the city a little friendlier to me. I had spent […]
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I’m Fine. Everything’s Fine.
I think I shook myself up after the chemo post (and that wasn’t even the half of it – ug). Since that post I haven’t felt completely fine. A bit of stress has been hitting from all angles and I have another 3 month scan coming up this Friday (August 5, 2022). When I do […]
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Books for Summer 2022
Since I wasn’t able or in the mindset to read books last year, I’ve decided to dive right back into them now that my brain is back. Here’s a quick list of what I’ve been reading recently! Find these at your local bookstore, or I’ve included the Amazon links below. What I’ve Read Mystery/SuspenseThe Kind […]
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Chemo (Part I)
Overview of Chemo Treatmentfor Ewing’s Sarcoma The worst part of my cancer treatment was chemo. Looking back on it, I can’t wrap my head around how I got through it. And I didn’t even complete the planned course. I was told over the phone how my chemo regimen would go about 5 days before receiving […]
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Nothing Short of a Living Hell
I started a post about my chemo treatment. I want to share the ins and outs and ups and downs of it, and I want to provide more detail and emotion than what I may have written on Caringbridge. So I started writing the post and going back and researching the names of the drugs […]
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PTSD Awareness
I don’t believe notifications were sent out about my last post (it has a few more details about our recent trip to Utah and Grand Canyon). But you can view it here! Today (June 27, 2022) is PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) Awareness Day. There’s a day for everything now. Donuts, llamas, sunglasses, flipping a coin […]
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The Trip of a New Lifetime: Utah and the Grand Canyon
It’s going to be fairly difficult for me to put my one year Whippleversary trip into words. But I’ll give it a go and try to keep it organized. As I shared in my last post, after chemo treatment, a Whipple surgery, and more chemo, I finally began to feel like I was sort of […]
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Celebrating My One Year Whippleversary
My one year what-a-what?? My Whippleversary! The surgery I had to remove my cancer is called a Whipple (we’ll get more into those deets another time). And thus, those who have been “Whipped” celebrate their Whippleversaries. My surgery took place on June 1, 2021. I was under the knife for almost 8 hours. I was […]
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Things You Should Say to a Cancer Patient
I previously wrote a short list of things you probably shouldn’t say to someone diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, there’s a flip-side of things that cancer patients want to hear – need to hear. The following list contains words that I could never get enough of during treatment. “I’m praying for you.” I believe that no […]