Treatment update August 2019 - Mealtrain

Hey interwebs

I ended up at emergency because my oncology nurse was nervous of my breathing and increased cough. As far as they can tell after six hours of testing and saline solution, I'm physically and mentally exhausted.

I'm not overly surprised. FEC is an aggressive chemo treatment. It's used with a lot of early stage breast cancer because it is aggressive, and now that I'm late stage, my body is already weakened. I was getting spoiled with treatments that gave me a higher quality of life so I did not rest enough, I guess. And, well, I'm having a lot of noncancer related issues that are taking their toll on my mind and body.

One funny thing that happened was just before I was instructed to go to the hospital by my nurse, I had decided to ask for help in creating a new mealtrain account for our family. Mealtrain is great because people near and far can help. It is free but you can apparently pay for more options and fundraise on it as well. I've just opted for the free version that helps with one meal on days that you need it. That's the great thing, you just open the days you can really use the help. Friends can either deliver food, order food for you to pick up or have delivered, or send gift cards to cover the meal. It's one less thing for me to have on my mind and lets me sleep more. As added security/privacy, you cannot just look up the mealtrain for someone, you need to be invited. I like that, you're not going to get strangers messing with the account and you can make sure that only those that want to sign up do. I'm fortunate that I've had friends local and away signing up to help.

I'm hoping my energy boosts up and I can maybe remove a few of the days I have selected, but for now I'm grateful that in a time of need, I have people helping me. Thank you!

PS:
If you are someone that would like to be added to the mealtrain for my family, please contact me. I'm not placing the link on here

Wanted: Worry Free VayKay

I need a vacation. I mean a real one. One where my hubby and I aren't frustrated or arguing with staff of the resort. One where things go smoothly. I would love it to be a location that we could take the kids with us but still have the opportunity to have couple time daily. A place to have drinks on a beach or by a pool. A place to swim and laze in the sun or dance in the rain. A place that is quiet at some places for relaxing and that is bouncing at the places you want to party.

My head is aching thinking about this.

I need a vacation where my only concern is getting the children to listen and go to bed before 9pm. Where our only fear is the kids waking at 6am. Where our only problem is having too many places to choose from to eat at meal time. A vacation where staff don't ignore us, where they are happy to talk with us and make sure we're pleased with everything. I need some place that will make sure we're always happy. I need a place that is willing to bend over backwards to ensure that we have anything and everything we need, no bickering with us on the issues when we present them, just fix the issues. Or better yet, don't let the issues happen.

I need a place that when we get back I won't have to keep repeating the response "The kids loved it" when people ask how it was. For the real response is that the time was heartbreaking and not relaxing. We made the best of it. We tried to put on a happy face for the kids. But that's not the responses the one asking wants. The kids were content and at least we have that, so that is what they are told.

It's also required that the timing work with my treatments... I am getting behind on those enough already with having pneumonia twice in 6 months. So this is getting more difficult to think of a way this could ever work. Money is too tight for now, but we'll try to save. Maybe some miracle will happen and we can go sooner. Some major sale happens, perhaps. Until then, save, save, save. It's better to set aside five dollars and slowly make it than to not put anything aside at all.

But I really need a vacation.

Bell Tolls for Thee?

There's a tradition at most chemotherapy wards, the ringing of the bell when an individual is completed their chemotherapy regiment.  Those in the ward clap and cheer for the ringer of bell, they whom stand shaking the instrument furiously.  They announce that they are finished with this floor, hoping to never sit in one of their chairs or lay in one of their beds again.  Nurses smile as they say goodbye, there are the playful quips of "I hope I never see you again" or "If you come back you had better be lost".  Hugs and happy tears are shared and the person leaves.  Today this happened twice while I was in the chemo ward. I had another person ask me how many treatments I would have until I was finished, indicating the recent bell.  If I ever ring that bell it will not be a celebratory achievement.

If I ever find out that there is no further chemotherapy treatments, if I hear that that was my last one, that means that the cancer has spread too much, gone too far, and that my days will be literally numbered.  Ending treatment when you are living with cancer does not signify returning to the life one had before cancer, it means the end of life.  Ringing the bell at the chemo floor for a terminally diagnosed patient is chilling not thrilling.

Fortunately there have been many advances in treatments, even within just the past year, let alone decades.  I am currently on a trial for my specific type of breast cancer, something that wasn't even thought of ten years ago.  This could prove to be the first targeted treatment for my cancer type ever.  The first!  Before this, it was only "blanket" chemotherapies available for me, ones that were available for most breast cancer types, but no targeted treatments that were specifically used for triple negative breast cancer.  One of the best things I heard when talking with the trial nurse was that I get to keep this trial drug as long as my body can tolerate it and it is working.  I have something I can use until the cancer adapts (if it does, and most cancers do adapt over time).  This could take months, or years, or even longer to become obsolete for me.  There's a chance, no matter how slim, that this could make all the cancer become too small to seen in scans.  A chance that it could put me in remission.  I've lost my hair to this treatment but if it means I get to stay here, I'll take it.

I'd like to note that even if I get the chance to be NED (no evidence of disease), I'll not be ringing the bell after I am told I get a break from chemotherapy.  The bell is for completed treatment, not for breaks until the cancer returns.  I also would like to say that there is genuine happiness to see people able to say they are hoping to never return to the chemo floor. I wish no one had to ever step foot in there to start.  I will still clap for those ringing the bell.  I will smile as they scan the room.  I am happy for them, but hope I never stand in their place holding that instrument.  I do not want the bell to toll for me.

Ode to Today

I am exhausted, I am stressed
My mind is spinning, the house is a mess.
Cleaning is not happening, a guess?
No motivation is currently possessed


I must nurse our canine
Corral the kids, protect the felines
“Don’t hold her like that” is a common line
Ask me how I fare? “Oh, fine”


Chemo to take, and caffeine to think
Want to just slip in bed and sink
Hide in the covers, gone in a blink
Forget, disappear, let my mind sync


Clothes to fold and put them away
Stand looking at the room with only dismay
Appointments, calls, food needs made
Close my eyes and heart to today


I cannot feel outside of the void
Different methods with, I have toyed
The result the same, still annoyed
Throw on a smile, a worthy decoy


Do what I must and continue
Trudge, walk, crawl, roll through
Tomorrow may be different, true
But the darkness still floods deeper in hue

Moments of Thanks and Inspiration

I'm in a bad spot right now.  To help avoid a "downer" blog - which seem to be too often lately - I'm taking a moment to try to think of a lot things I'm grateful for:

• I have my soul mate as my spouse. Mike and I honestly say the same thing at the same time quite often. We can finish sentences, we want to cuddle at the same time, we can be apart or do different activities and not feel left by the other.  I can never be grateful enough for him.
• My talents. I love that I can do a lot of things on my own. I do wish that I could do them more often but that's leading into some of the dark stuff, so let's avoid that part. I love that I can draw to express myself, I love to write, to do woodworking, metalworking, I can build things with my hands with many mediums, and love to sing.
• I have some pretty amazing friends. Friends that will do whatever they can for me, that go out of their way to see me smile, from watching the kids to sending surprises that mean a lot to me in the mail.
• My kids are sometimes exasperating but they are also a source of happiness. I get hugs, kisses, and "I love you"s often.
• I'm able to still do some things, even if I cannot do everything any longer.  I can still feel slightly useful as I am not bedridden.
• My cats and dog love me and give me cuddles. 
• I have a chemo regimen that appears to be working.
• I apparently inspire people to do good.  This one I want to talk more about for a second:

I have had a lot of people tell me ways they were inspired by my actions.  It has been from being their new selves after surgeries or other issues that made them have scars or marks that make them appear different than the average person to stepping up and helping another person.  One person stopped worrying about wearing a prosthetic breast because she saw me freely walking around with one breast (and the remaining breast made it extremely obvious I only had one).  In relation to that IDGAF attitude, others have stopped trying to hide scars or missing hair, etc, and told me it was because I gave them the inspiration to just care about how they saw themselves instead of how others might react.  Some have told me they cannot believe the amount of things I help come to fruition.  I helped save a retreat, I helped make welcome bags more full than they would have been, I organize events with little effort.  To me, it is little effort.  I can plan these things easily.  I know enough about Excel and Word that I can make things very simple.  I have an ancient version of Adobe Photoshop and I can work that thing to my needs extremely easily.  If I am going to be an inspiration, I want you to take away one thing from me.  This is why I do what I do.  This is what makes me want to do things for others, whether they know it is me or not:

If something needs to be done, do what you can.

Change does not happen by shrugging your shoulders.  Help does not come from twiddling thumbs.  You cannot help if you are too worried what others will think of you.  Follow your heart, it is speaking to you, it twinges when you know that you can do something to right a situation.  Be selfless sometimes, think of how happy you can make someone with something as simple as a small, inexpensive gift or by doing a selfless act.  Share your friends' fundraising efforts, share their attempts to go outside their safe zone, share their events, share their triumphs, help where you can.  Can you imagine a world where everyone tried to help when they knew they could?

Death - *some not so delightful language included

It's that taboo thing that most people will zone out the second you start to try to talk about.  It's that dark, looming shadow in the back of your head that comes out when you're at your lowest.  Death is something that we all will come to face but that no one likes to talk about.  I have to think about it.  A lot of my friends do.  We're terminal.  Despite all the other issues we may face, we will either die from our cancer, an accident, or if we're lucky from old age.

No what sucks?  I got cancer in my twenties, I never got life insurance then.  I was waiting for my 5 year mark of no cancer to try for something after having cancer, but at 4.5 years my cancer came back.  Now I'm terminal.  Does that mean I'll die tomorrow?  Hopefully not.  Does it mean I'll die in three years, who knows?  But I'm living with cancer.  I'm living with a ticking time bomb that no one has the defuse code for.  As far as insurance companies care, I'm already dead, they don't want to touch me.

So I have a gofundme going, I thought if I could get our bills down.  If I could take that away from the cancer, I would not feel like such an ass when it comes my time.  Cancer expenses aren't just chemo and the pills to help you cope with it.  Cancer is gas money to the hospital for all appointments and scans.  Cancer is daycare so you don't have kids in tow while the oncologist explains that the cancer is showing an "evolution".  Cancer is eating away all your savings so that your family is left with nothing afterwards.  Cancer is not having the energy to do things normal young adults can do on their own.  Cancer is not being able to make food some days and needing to rely on frozen dinners or take out.  Cancer is asking so many people for help that all pride is gone.  Cancer is bawling in a private place because you're tired of being tired, sore, and feeling like a burden.  So yeah...  I started the gofundme to try to make some of that horrible feeling go away.  Unfortunately it's not doing so great.  It was at first, but it's died down now.  It made one month less horrible, so I'm thankful for that.

Cancer is also sitting on the couch watching a show with the Grim Reaper eating popcorn as they watch the cells in your body trying to take over.

I will die.  Will I go to Heaven?  Maybe the afterlife is a bit different.  I believe Albert Einstein was the one that theorized that energy cannot truly die, it continues, it spreads out into the world and space.  The human brain is energy, all those electrical connections that make up you and your thoughts.  Perhaps that is your soul, the energy that makes up your brain, so when your body is returning to the soil, your energy, your soul, leaves your brain and drifts off.  Do you retain your consciousness?  Who knows.

This post is also inspired by getting too many emails and messages that people have died that I know.  Some from cancer, some chose their day to die and had their assisted deaths, some committed suicide, and some from horrible accidents or other health issues.  Either way, I'm surrounded by death.  It's around me and within me.  This is what I live with every day.  Don't take this as a sign that I'll be looking to make an end, cancer chose the wrong bitch to fuck with.  I like life.  I am married to my soulmate, I have great kids that are also assholes at times but I love them more than I can explain, I like cheesecake and rum too much to give them up forever like that.

I'm not sure how to end this post.  I'm not sure where I'm going from here, but I've put my thoughts out there, into the interwebs.  Farewell words I've typed, perhaps you will do some good out there.

Why Should You Shave for the Brave?

Wondering if you should participate in a Shave for the Brave?  Here's a few reasons to sign up for the razor:

• A shaved head is a great way to cool off in the summer
• Savings: think of all the money you won't be spending on shampoo!
• Less to pack. When traveling you won't need to remember a brush or comb
• No hair to hide your funky and classy earrings
• Saves time getting ready in the morning, no brushing or styling hair
• Shaving for the Brave means that other people are paying for you to get your hair cut
• As your hair grows in you can try funky colours and if you don't like them, you can just shave it off, again.
• Bald is beautiful: Just look at these ladies to name a few. Of course who could deny the beauty of Lupita Nyong'o or Danai Gurira
• Many women see bald men as attractive, just look at Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, and Jason Statham
• You can cosplay a lot more characters
• Wigs look a lot better when you wear them without hair underneath

And one of the biggest and best reasons to Shave for the Brave:

All the young adult Canadians that you'll help connect through Young Adult Cancer Canada's conferences and retreats.  It'll give you the warm fuzzies ;)

Bit More Explaination

I started a GoFundMe after saying "no" to it for a while.  I want to get out why I was saying "no" at first.  For one, a friend tried once before for me when the cancer came back and it was a flop.  This seems to be the norm for any personal campaigns for my family.  It's just the way it works.  Maybe it's because we're used to working for everything.  I was working in elementary school as a newspaper carrier, I had a pet sitting business, I made crafts.  One I could fully work, I had a job.  Then another job, and sometimes more.  I did manual labour, tech work, I did it all because I like earning my money.  I'm limited now.  Very limited.  I've tried to do more but physically cannot.  I need to accept that.

Now that I'm back on chemo, I tire quicker and quicker each dose.  I have three awesome kids that can be tyrants because they're all under 9 years old, they're kids, they act like kids.  The average mother will agree that the most agreeable child can become a tempest of doom in a heart beat.  Kids are growing, they get frustrated, they are learning how to express themselves, it does not always mean they found the proper way to do that yet.

My husband had started his career before we met and long before we married.  We had lots of plans and we could do them all on our own until someone caused a car collision and I was permanently injured.  Now I can't do a lot of the stuff I once could.  Then cancer compounded onto that.  This month alone, I have eleven (11) doctor's appointments and I'll be having a bone scan.  Bone scans take 4-6 hours depending on a plethora of variables.  I need child care for two kids for all of those appointments, I need gas to travel the average of 30km to the appointments (one way), I need to pay for parking (but I do get it half price at least), I have to pay for my prescriptions including chemo, thank heavens my husband's plan covers them.  (Before anyone asks I have to pay for my chemo because it's dispensed at a pharmacy outside of the hospital).

I'm the one that does most of the cooking.  Why?  My dad taught me how to cook and bake and I like doing it.  My husband does try to help when he can, he really loves helping with chocolate chip cookies, but I'm the cook in the family, that's our life.  So I get tired and fall asleep because my body can't take it any longer, what happens then?  If there's leftovers, they're used, if not it's one of two things: something my hubby is comfortable making, or take out.  Three meals a day and snacks can add up on my tired body.  We have been doing our best to make this strain less on me, but it still acts up often - who knew you had to eat every day several times! (HA!)

I have days I can't walk far because of pain.  I have days I can't move without feeling like parts will shatter off my body.  I have stabbing pain from the cancer sometimes.  All this stuff is adding up.  This is life with disabilities and cancer.  Some are REALLY good a hiding the issues they face and, honestly, we generally pride ourselves in appearing "normal".  I guess it's a case of masks.  Today my mask will not show my back pain is already a 6 on the scale of 1 to 10.  Today my mask will not show that my depression is kicking in.  Today my mask will not show the tears I cried because I feel like I'm failing.

This is definitely now a rant...  So this is part of the why I finally said okay to the campaign: It doesn't help my family if I'm prideful.  I cannot do what I used to.  I need help, I need to ask.  I just hope that people will step up like they've offered before, and if nothing else SHARE the campaign.

To find the GoFundMe that I started CLICK HERE

I'm really so tired that I'm not even proof reading this before posting.  My youngest is sick and I got to come back to finish this after I picked him up from daycare, got his fever down, fed him, and got him to have a nap.  I'm tired.  I'm going to have a nap and worry about supper after.  This is my day

I give up, I need help

I have swallowed the last of my pride.  I have started up a GoFundMe for myself.  I am tired of cancer sucking all the life and money out of my family.  If you can donate, awesome, if not, please share.  Thanks

Support Julie Living With Cancer Here

Happy Bday Hubby

This post may seem like a "#humblebrag", but I'm starting to think that it's something that more people need to be aware of.

My hubby is having his bday soon.  He's been by my side through more crap than most couples need to deal with in the first few years of their marriage.  I wanted to put out into the interwebs what kind of man he is.

Before my husband I had heard of people saying they "married their best friend" and I didn't fully know how that felt.  I had been married before and it was not a good situation.  It took me a long time to realize what that relationship was.  This marriage that I'm in now is completely different.  I can say that I married my bestfriend.  A part of our relationship is so similar to what I have with those that I have long called my bestfriends.  We can laugh, cry, complain, be smart-assed, or just hang out doing absolutely nothing, and be content together.  We love to play video games together, we can read books on the couch together and not say a word, we can watch movies together because we have the same tastes for the most part.  No, we're not exactly alike, if one of us wants to do something that other doesn't, we don't force it on the other.  We just do our own thing at that point, it's not a big deal.

Our relationship isn't just a PG life, we are compatible lovers.  It's taboo to say stuff like that in our society but taboos can suck it - we're married, we love each other, we have sex.  That should be painfully evident since we have three kids.  Throughout our entire relationship, we've been able to enjoy our play-time together.  We can both say that we have fun with sex and neither of us ever pressures the other into having sex - something I didn't understand was possible for a long time. 

Hubby is a good father, too.  He takes care of our kids, he's not just a couch potato, even though he's worked all day.  He plays with the kids, helps with discipline, teaches the kids, hugs them, and kisses them.  He is always there when they need him, but he doesn't do everything so they can learn some independence.  I know that no matter what, he is a responsible parent, a gentle hand but firm teacher.

This is our relationship.  We're able to be by ourselves and be happy.  We're able to love each and not feel forced into it.  We're able to be apart and not fear what the other is doing, we miss each other a lot, but we're not able to feel that the other is up to something.  Here's the part many do not understand about us - we don't fight.  We don't.  We've never yelled at each other.  We don't argue.  We've disagreed before but it was a conversation, not an argument.  You may think I'm lying, but I'm not.

I think that there's a lot of compromise in relationships, and that's okay to an extent.  I found I compromised a lot and it lead to bad relationships.  I finally said that I would not change me for someone and found someone that never once asked me to.  I found someone that I didn't need to wear a mask with, someone that doesn't need me to bend to their will to keep them happy.  I've been in bad relationships and learned over a long time that I was dealing with issues because of compromising myself for my partner.  Do I think any of my bad relationships would have lasted after I was permanently injured from the car collision?  No.  Do I think any of my bad relationships would have lasted after my cancer diagnoses?  Hell no.  Not all relationships can take that kind of stress, especially with kids in the mix.  I'm extremely lucky, and I know it.  My hubby loves me no matter how many scars I have, no matter what parts of me get removed or rebuilt to not-the-same reconstruction, no matter if I'm really sick or able to function for the day.

What I'm trying to say, interwebs, is that even though I went through the bad relationships, I now finally understand what a relationship with a lover, partner, spouse is supposed to be.  Our relationship isn't 50/50, we're both very present in it.  I know that if he has a problem, he will talk to me.  He knows that if I have a problem, I will talk to him.  I know that every night that we get to go to bed together we'll fall asleep cuddled, with our last words to each other being, "Love you, goodnight sexy/handsome".  My greatest wish is for everyone to one day know this kind of relationship.

Happy bday, handsome.  Love every moment with you xoxo

33 months

Today is a hard day.  I have come to the conclusion that February 15th and I do not have a healthy relationship.  February 15th is the date for both of my mastectomies, but today is not difficult because of that.  Today is harder than some days because this is 33 months from the time we discovered my cancer had metastasized.  In the US studies, the average life span for stage 4 breast cancer patients is 33 months.  We do not have any proper statistics, that I can find, that are for Canadians.  And even if we look fully at the US studies, they do not include people like me, they are only for people diagnosed stage 4 at the start of their breast cancer diagnosis.

I find today hard because there was a chance I would not make it here.  Statistics said I might not see my son turn 3 years old.  They said that I might not see my daughter off to her first day of school.  I definitely would not see my eldest go to jr high, if this had been true statistics for my situation.  Even though these numbers that we are told after diagnosis are from the past, they still hit me hard.  I know many that have lived passed the 33 month mark, but I know a lot that have not even made 12 months.  Some did not even make 6 months.

There are a lot of emotions at play today.  I am happy to be here, I am tired because of the chemotherapy, I am pissed at all the snake oil salesmen and misinformation pushers that pounce on unsuspecting cancer patients, I am grateful for my chemo that has helped me be here today, I am thankful for my medical team, I am sad for all my friends that are not here, today.

I will have a lot of ups and downs today.  I just need to see the day through, but now I wonder if I am on borrowed time.

Chloe Comic September 2017: Bucket List Kicks the Bucket

Bucket List Kicks the Bucket

YACC Saved a Life Yesterday

When you think of a support group for young adults with cancer, you probably just envision a bunch of people in a circle talking about treatments and life expectancy.  I'll tell you now that that is not how any retreat or conference works, it is so much more than merely that.  It helps create friendships and connections that are so different from your typical ones.  There's something deeper in the relationships that you make while attending a YACC event.  And, yesterday that helped save someone's life.

I'm not going to say anything specific because of several reasons, but I think people need to understand both that it's okay to have dark feelings, and to also know there's a couple ideas that you can do to help friends that are away.

Yesterday hubby and I had taken all the children to grandparents' houses for the night (whooo! We get to sleep in!), and I received a message asking if I was not busy by any chance.  A friend was trying to reach me to let me know our mutual YACC friend had delved into a dark place and refused to look for help as much as they had begged them to call - they wanted to end it all, they didn't see any point in living.  I told my husband I had to go call the friend, he knew who they were, soon I was on the phone with them.  They didn't want to deal with the daily pain anymore, they were dealing with so much and it was weighing down their soul.  I didn't know how to deal with this, I'm not a trained crisis counselor, I'm just their friend, thousands and thousands of kilometers from them.  I had a heartbreaking moment of a thought of finding out that this friend was gone, like so many others that we had lost recently, and I said the only words I could think of.  "I'm selfish, I want to keep you here.  It's okay to have bad thoughts, it's okay to be tired of the pain, but I don't want to lose you.  Please call the crisis line!  Promise me you'll call them when we hang up.  I'm selfish and I want you here."  They agreed and promised they would.

When I spoke to the first friend that had messaged me about the our friend, it didn't consol them at all that they had promised.  They had told them they would call crisis line.  Our next thought was who could get to them so they had someone physically with them.  We think of two people, one that wasn't close enough to physically go there but that they are close to so a phone call would probably go a long way, and another that could probably be there in half an hour, someone that is very loving and that could give support in-person.  We contact the latter to get that ball rolling, the sooner someone is with the "darkened" YACCer, the better.  When contacting the first person mentioned, they are amazingly near the YACCer even though they're not normally within driving distance.  They would first call though, see if that can help in any way.  When they have no response to the call, my heart sunk, and they said they were turning around immediately to go to the YACCer's house.

Still terrified that something would happen before the other two arrived, I texted a connection to the YACC office.  They offered to call and talk with the YACCer.  Right now, keeping them busy and in contact until someone showed up in person was the best we could do.  And, the more people contacting them, the more they knew we loved them.

Things went amazingly well after that.  The friend from the office was on the phone with them until one person arrived, and had found out the YACCer did finally contact the crisis line.  They aren't normally this darkened, but it happened, and they were at risk of spiraling downward to the point of no return.  The second friend showed up and this gave the first arriving on the ability to be able to leave to reach work on time, but not before letting the YACCer know that they would be putting a lot more effort into making it out their way from now on.  That awesome friend that had arrived stayed with them for a long time.  The YACCer finally was able to eat and knew the crisis line was sending a counselor to see them soon.

Many will read this and think, that wasn't YACC, why would you say that YACC saved someone's life?  Well, everyone mentioned, other than the one at the office, was a person that had or has cancer and the only reason we know each other, the only reason we had each other's phone numbers and ability to message each other was because we met through YACC.  If we had not known each other, if we didn't all know that YACCer, they might not have seen today.  The world would be that much darker for losing their light in such a tragic way.  Our friend is alive and knows they are loved.  That is all thanks to the connection YACC has given us.  So, yes, I say, "YACC saved a life, yesterday."

Survivor Guilt

Ever watch a movie or read a book about an immortal or long-lifed creature?  One without a delusional god-complex?  They at some point tell the heartache of being blessed with living and watching those not like them dying around them.  The curse of immortality.  It's not just for the eternal, for those of us that still have an end-date looming over our mortality, it's survivor's guilt.

Survivor's guilt comes at you strongest after someone you cared about, related to, loved, and admired passes away, especially if it is sudden.  Salt in the wound is if you're a ticking time bomb, yourself.  An unfortunate catch to getting to know other people living with cancer is that you are all on borrowed time.  You don't know how much any of you have, of course doctors can speculate, percentages are given, but no one truly knows the amount of seconds you will get to enjoy in this life.

Today's post is brought to you by seeing that another friend has passed.  She was a kind, wonderous woman, a devoted mother, and as many would say, take too soon, that she was too young.  I've seen many, many friends pass over the last years, this last year especially.  We're all terminal.  But, I'm still here.  My scans have been stable for some time now.  The chemotherapy was really effective against my tumours.  Their cancer got to the point where the treatments, no matter which they tried, were now useless.  Some tried alternative options towards the end, some decided to not try delaying it any longer, some opted for even ending things before their body shut itself down.  No matter what they chose, it was their choice.  A choice no one should ever have to make.  I don't know what I'll do when I get to that point.  I hate thinking about it.  I also hate knowing that my friends' children won't have their parent by their side, any longer.  They'll miss the hugs, the kisses, the fights, the getaways, the trips, the advice...  Some will still have some memories.  Some will have things to help them along, cards, letters, videos, books, pictures, but they won't have the person.

So why do I get to be here and watch my friends go?  Some say that I'm so lucky.  How is it luck?  You get to feel the heart break every time you are notified that someone passed.  You feel death's hand a little tighter around your neck.  You watch your children and know that could be them soon, one parent less.

You to take comfort in that you are still here, but the weight on your chest is real.  The darkness in your mind is there.  You feel guilty because you are on this side of the grass and all you can do is try to honour them by living.  Try to live so that you can give reason for being the "lucky one".

Busy waiting

I'm currently trying to type this through tears, so I don't know how well it'll go.

I'm waiting on a call from the vet. One of my cats has a broken femur. It's not the first one for her, either, and that's part of the heart ache. We don't know why she's breaking bones. One thing the vet said, hesitantly, is that she could have osteocarcinoma. If that's not spelt right I don't care right now. I hate cancer. I hate that my cat that has been always ready to curl in my lap or onto my shoulder and purr her head off is suffering.

The call from the vet will say one of two things, the specialty surgeon will meet to discuss possible surgery, or that she is not a candidate and we need to look at putting her down. So either it will be go beyond debt or kill my furkid... My husband and I are in turmoil, we love this cat, she is our furkid, she might die soon. We have to make that choice, shortly.

My heart is breaking. And to top things off, I'm going for a ct scan tomorrow to find out if my cancer is spreading. I'm lost, so lost. I wish I knew what to do.

What is YACC?

So.  What is YACC?  The quick answer is, "Young Adult Cancer Canada" (www.youngadultcancer.ca), but that's not the full answer.  YACC is something much more complicated than that.

YACC is the feeling of not being alone.  It brings together those of us that have cancer, had cancer, live with cancer, love someone with cancer, support someone with cancer, and many more combinations.  We have a starting point to understand what life is with cancer because of them.  We have a way to unite and share because of YACC.  YACC gives us the connection that we thirst for the moment we hear the words "You have cancer."

YACC is the middle finger to the idea of being the typical cancer patient.  It helps us see people enjoying life while their body scans light up like a Christmas tree.  We see life in the defiance of the the shadow of death that lurks in our bodies.  YACC lets us believe that we can have life in this vortex of despair.

YACC is the sorrow of seeing others leave our community.  The grief of being here while others did not make it.  But, through us, they are celebrated.  We honour them by keeping the truth of YACC alive in our hearts.  We miss them as they would have missed us.  We do find solace in the fact that we can grieve together, that we can cherish our times with the fallen as a community and not just wallow in our darkness alone.

YACC is a heart that welcomes us the moment we connect.  The moment we are joined by email, text, online group, or in-person, we are one in the same.  We are loved, we are understood, we are united.  It is the one point of wholeness.  We are unquestionably one.  YACC is devoted to us as individuals and as a group.  YACC is accepting.

What is YACC?  I am YACC.  We are YACC.  YACC is living after hearing the word cancer.  YACC is life.

Might sound a bit creepy, but honestly, until you are a part of YACC it's hard to understand.  I hope you never need to comprehend this feeling, never need to answer the question "What is YACC?", but if you to remember one thing:

"Any cancer, any stage, YACC's got your back."

Happy Valentines Day '16

Happy Heart Day to one and all.  I'm going to take this moment to brag.  Don't want to hear it, stop reading ..... now.

I hit the jackpot with my husband.  He's someone that is responsible and caring.  Examples?  Start with when we met.  He knew that I was dealing with a horrible divorce, but didn't care, he was willing to work with me and help support me through that terrible experience.  How about the fact that after we married I was hit in a car accident and became permanently disabled.  He's never made me feel like less of a person for not being the independent person I once was.  Then there's the parenting side, he gets up with the children when they wake up in the middle of the night.  He plays with them even when he's tired from work.  He can't wait to get home to see us.  We can be together for days on end and not be sick of each other.  We'd actually continue to stay next to each other for days on end without a single thought of annoyance.

Throw cancer into the mix.  He stands by me, supports my decisions, listens to my rants, still tells me he loves me, grabs my butt and tells me I'm beautiful, and never once looked at me differently when I lost my hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, looked like death warmed over, was stuck in bed, or had only one breast.

He still likes to get me treats, surprises me with tea, he steals kisses, gives me hugs.  He loves and plays with his kids, but shares with discipline and responsibilities that come with having a child.

I win. :) <3

Chemo.. For Life

I've started the IV chemotherapy.  Six rounds of that every three weeks, then they're thinking of putting me on chemo pills.  I'm hearing mixed reactions from people that have been on the pills, so far. 

This chemo is supposedly easy to tolerate.  So far I can agree with that.  I'm tired, and at times I don't realize how tired I am, but the nausea has been easily controlled, and I'm just starting to get joint/bone pain.  All the effects are supposed to be temporary but I don't know how to take that when the instructions all say "once you're finished..." to summarize effects.  If I can't tolerate the pill chemo, there's a good chance I'll be switched back to this IV chemo.  For you see, I'm stage IV (four), my cancer metastasized.  I'll never be "cured" we're trying to contain it, keep it from spreading further.  I'll be on treatment for life.

Many don't realize this.  Once you cross from stage III to stage IV you go from trying to cure it to keep it from claiming entire organs.  You hope that you can keep it contained.  You will be living with cancer, some refer to that as a "Lifer".

I have started up a "bucket list", I'll be sharing that at a later date.  I'm starting to look at what I want in life more than just what I need.  Everyone hopes they'll be remembered, it the end.  I'm looking at how I hope to be thought of.

I'm living with cancer, living with chemo, but I'll be living.

Thankful 2014

I'm thankful for naps.
I'm thankful for family, both by blood and by friendship.
I'm thankful for a husband that understands me. He knows I try my best and even though I'm not capable of the things I was when we first married, he loves me no matter what.
I'm thankful for my kids, they drive me nuts sometimes but they also bring a lot of joy.
I'm thankful for a day in age where we can communicate across cities, countries, oceans, with relative ease, and we can communicate with people we admire, remembering they are human, too.
I'm thankful for my artistic abilities.
I'm thankful that I had intelligent doctors that knew the best way to save me from my cancer.
I'm thankful that I have met people that understand both cancer and getting disabilities from an MVA.
I'm thankful for Lolcats, I Can Has Cheezburger has brought me so much joy!
I'm thankful for cats.
I'm thankful that YACC exists and helps me to this day.
I'm thankful for books, written on paper, taking me away whenever possible.
I'm thankful for a house with heat in the winter and cooling in the summer.
I'm thankful for people like R A Salvatore, Tarol Hunt, Lar and Sohmer, and many more filling the world with beautiful stories.

I'm thankful I am here to write this, and that you are here to read it.

Being Thankful

I am thankful:

• For the fact my daughter napped long enough for me to have a bath.
• That my son says "I love you, too" back every time I say it to him.
• Despite money issues, we still have a heated roof over our head and food in the fridge.
• That I have friends that love animals as much as me, and they always try to help them.
• That I have people I could call in the middle of the night and they'd do their best to help me.
• That I live in Canada and the majority of my cancer treatments were covered by our public health care.
• For YACC helping me make friends that understand having cancer and still trying to live a "normal" life.
• That my husband comes home and is happier to be here than at work (even with children wrapped around his ankles).
• That my Dad helps where he can with the house and kids.
• For having my family close by, because there are a lot of people who do not.