Approaching Zero

This morning, Scott and I headed to Emory for the first exam since my surgery.  Although I was a little anxious, it was GREAT to see Dr. O'Regan ...

I had blood drawn and a clinical exam ... all is well!  During our appointment, I had many questions.  And, the most important question of all was asked ...

I said, "You know me, I need percentages.  What is the likelihood that I will experience a recurrence in the future?"  And, Dr. O'Regan responded ... "Approaching zero."

I have no words.  Approaching zero.  I cannot begin to explain the relief I feel.

Thank you God ... thank you ...

Juice, Juice, Juice

Just wanted to share the FUN I have been having with my new juicer!  I absolutely LOVE it!  For a little over a week, I have been enjoying three 8-ounce glasses of juice each day ... and I feel better than ever!  It is truly amazing what a difference it makes!

From beginning to end, it takes about two hours to juice enough for an entire week ...

Before

After

So, I am eating better than ever, drinking my juice each day, exercising as much as possible ... I came out of surgery with absolutely NO sign of cancer ... and I have God working in my life ...

I think I have this cancer thing beat ... FOR GOOD!

Here's to juice, juice, and more juice ...

Old Friends

This afternoon, I had the privilege of having lunch with an old friend ... Jan Ayers.  Many years ago, Jan's daughter, Ally, and I were the best of friends.  We spent almost all of our time together and our families were quite close.  Over the years, we have kept in touch through Christmas cards and, most recently, Facebook.  Throughout my treatment, though, I received some very touching cards from Jan.  She provided words of encouragement, understanding, and hope ...

Jan is a NINE year breast cancer survivor.

After all these years, I finally had the opportunity to see Jan.  We met for lunch at Ruby Tuesday and had a wonderful talk ... mostly about our personal experiences with cancer, although we did catch up on our families, too ...

Me & Jan

I am SO happy to see Jan doing well and am thankful to have her in my life.  She has overcome cancer, moved beyond it, and lives a very happy life ... I plan to do the exact same thing ...

Here's to old friends ... what a blessing they are ...

Proof

He is RISEN!

Today is such a special day ... on this day, almost two-thousand years ago, Jesus conquered the grave and PROVED that He IS the son of God ... and in his resurrection, he brought hope and a promise ...

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

Although I was baptized almost 12 years ago, my relationship with Christ only recently became whole during my fight against breast cancer.  Throughout my journey, I spent many hours talking to God.  Many hours praying for guidance.  Many hours praying for my doctors.  Many hours praying for healing.  God heard every one of my prayers ... and He answered them.  Along the way, He spoke to me in so many ways ... all of which gave me the "proof" I needed ... Jesus is REAL, He LIVES, and my life matters to Him.  There is absolutely NO OTHER explanation for my healing and for the story of my journey.

So, on THIS Easter, I give so much thanks for the hope brought to me through Jesus Christ and the PROOF through His resurrection that He LIVES in each of us ...

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Peter 1:3

HHI

This past week, we had the opportunity to spend several days in Hilton Head Island ... and what a wonderful trip it was ...

We spent most of our time with our dear friends ... Tim, Kathleen, Abby, and Delaney ... and had a little family time, too.  We were also able to catch up with a few of my other "teaching buddies" from Indiana ... what a special treat!  It was GREAT to relax and enjoy our first vacation since the end of my treatment ...

Kathleen & Me

Although it was a short getaway, we made the most of every minute ... and had a BLAST! In just three months, Kathleen and her family will be making a trip to Georgia for a week-long visit ... and we are so excited ... 84 days, but who's counting?

Here's to a wonderful trip to HHI ... and more memories made with our amazing friends ...

Locks & Lashes

As of April 2, 2012, it has been exactly two months since my last chemotherapy treatment. At this point, I am feeling GREAT!  All of the lingering side-effects have subsided ... with one exception ... I still have mild neuropathy in my toes.  Honestly, it really doesn't bother me all that much and it seems to be improving every day.  The BEST improvement thus far ... my locks and lashes are GROWING ...

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Hilton Head and I was able to go "wigless" almost the entire time ... it was such a good feeling.  My eyelashes and eyebrows have almost completely filled in and I look a lot healthier than I did just a couple of months ago. It's amazing what a difference a few short weeks can make ...

Each day, I continue to thank God for healing me and for giving me back my charmed life ...

Here's to HAIR ... EVERYWHERE ...

Money, Money, Money

What an exciting day ...

This morning, Debbie, Tiffanie, and I met for our first team fundraising event.  Every year, Roswell Recreation and Parks Department hosts a HUGE Easter egg hunt ... and my mom is the director of it all!  So, she kindly reserved a booth for us ...

Me, Tiffanie, and Debbie

AND ... Chick-fil-a of Roswell Corners donated 50 FREE chicken sandwiches and DS Waters donated 10 FREE cases of Athena water!  So, needless to say, we were easily able to collect $330!  We are so thankful for the amazing donations from these local business as well as the support from the thoughtful people who visited our booth ... we couldn't do it without you!

Here's to a GREAT start to our team fundraising events ...

Precious Gift

This afternoon, in the middle of an extremely busy day, I was able to stop for a moment to receive a beautiful gift from a wonderful friend ...

Cheryl and I met when her daughter joined my newly formed Girl Scout troop in 2010. Since then, we have had the opportunity to get to know each other quite well and have developed a special friendship.  Cheryl is amazingly creative ... she is a wedding cinematographer and digital scrapbooker ... and one of the most talented artists I know ...

Today, Cheryl and her daughter gave me something I will cherish forever ...

Cheryl "published" my blog ... and it is PERFECT!  She has been working on this book since the day of my first infusion and completed it shortly after I received my pathology results. Each page is filled with my words and her creativity ... and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

Thank you, Cheryl, for this precious gift ...

View from Above

So, as I look down ... I see something different ... I see SOMETHING!  As of this morning, my boobs are officially bigger than they were prior to my mastectomy.  Although, I am convinced that I came out of surgery with larger breasts ...

Today, I had my first expansion with my plastic surgeon ... and it was pretty amazing ...

As I explained in a previous post, each expander is equipped with a magnetic port.  So, first Dr. Woods located the port and then marked each breast.  Then, he inserted a needle, which was attached to a syringe and a bag of saline.  Finally, he pressed the fluid into each breast until the tissues were tight ... 40 cc of additional saline in each side, to be exact. Luckily, my chest is completely numb ... so I felt nothing except pressure ... no pain whatsoever!

Honestly, I would LOVE to post a photo ... because the view from above is VERY exciting. Unfortunately, I am not sure my sweet husband would approve ...

Anyhow, here's to a GREAT day ... and to much more pleasant doctor visits ...

Meals on Wheels

Over the past several months, more than 40 meals have been thoughtfully delivered to our house.  After each of my treatments and for three full weeks after my surgery, my family, friends, and neighbors prepared healthy, delicious meals for us ... allowing me to rest, relax, and heal ...

There are just no words to express my gratitude ... I'm not sure how we would have done it without the help of each of these wonderful people ...

You know who you are and THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart ...