Ta Ta Cancer follows my Breast Cancer journey from diagnosis thru surgery, recovery and reconstruction. It is a candid account of my journey and I'd love to have you along for the ride.
This month the world is celebrating breast cancer awareness. Maybe “celebrating” isn’t the right word…as I can honestly tell you there is NOTHING about having breast cancer to celebrate! This month the world has focused on this horrific disease and bringing as much awareness and information as possible to women everywhere. One in seven women…
Cancer has no face until it is yours or someone you know. One in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and one in three people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. Those are very scary odds…and they are very real. Cancer doesn’t care if you are young or old; rich or…
Read more October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month…check your boobs, mine tried to kill me
Summertime, and the living is easy…unless you’re me. I was fortunate enough to get away to the cottage for some R and R. I needed it…we all do. We’ve all been in lockdown for so long that even the idea of getting away on holiday is exciting. Unfortunately, I was hit with an acute stomach…
Read more Looking to get away this summer? I don’t recommend a hospital holiday!
Three days ago I lost a family member, My Aunt Gayle. She actually was my father’s first cousin, but I’ve always thought of her as my Aunt. She was a firecracker of a woman. She was as wide as she was tall, loud and full of joy. She was warm, compassionate and always ready and…
…actually I’ll take any shot thank you! Yes, I’ve had my second dose; woohoo. My first vaccine was Astrazenica and my second was Moderna. I had a reaction to both vaccines; fever, aches, pains and extreme fatigue, but it only lasted a few days and the symptoms disappeared as quickly as they came on. I…
It was three years today that I underwent my bilateral mastectomy. Three years now served of my life sentence with cancer. Since beginning this journey, I have tried to maintain a positive attitude, always trying to remain hopeful and happy that I am “cancer free”. This however could change. I have met and know of…
Three years ago today I was told I had breast cancer. Three years…1095 days and a different life ago. Once you’ve been told you have cancer, your life really does change. All of a sudden everything you took for granted is no longer reliable. You are immediately faced with your own mortality…your future…and how long…
Today I received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. I’ve never been so excited to get a needle in my whole life. I know that sounds a bit dramatic but given the state of the world….well need I say more?! It was this week 3 years ago that I was diagnosed with breast cancer.…
Sharing is caring. I know that may sound cliche and a bit naive but that has been my mission since being diagnosed with cancer. When I was told I had breast cancer and would have to undergo a mastectomy I was shocked. I remember feeling numb…until that wore off and fear set in. I started…
Today is Friday…the end of the week and a spring board into the weekend; a chance to relax and recharge before Monday and the next week begins. At least that is what we all hope for…and what we all need. For me, the weekend offers a bit of a reprieve from the struggle I face…
Today is International Women’s Day and a day that I have come to really embrace. Last week, I had the privilege of attending an event for, about and created by women; wonderful, accomplished, strong and supportive women. I have to admit, that through my life I haven’t spent enough time nurturing my relationships with other…
… or is it a train coming at me!?!?! Sometimes I wonder! Today, after over a year of waiting, I saw a doctor that deals with chronic pain. I met with her to be interviewed and assessed to see if I meet the criteria to start having intravenous IV treatments of a drug called Ketamine.…
So, one of my recent M.R.I’s revealek that the discs in my next are herniated and pinching a nerve that runs down my shoulder and left arm. This causes pain, numbness and decreased mobility. Unfortunately my left arm is already compromised due to my mastectomy and the removal of several lymph nodes. So everything combined…
Frustrated, exhausted, anxious and yes, scared. Until my doctor’s can figure out what’s causing all my nerve pain and can give me a solution, my life is like a bad carnival ride. I feel like I am spinning around and around with no end in sight. I am now on another “experimental” drug as none…
What the, and I can’t stress this enough, the FU#K!?! I can’t believe what I am seeing and hearing on the news. Insurrection, violence, a pandemic, deaths spiraling out of control…someone please wake me up from this nightmare. I have had to limit how much media I watch as I can’t afford to expend any…
Last night I had an M.R.I. It’s not my first, far be it…and it certainly won’t be my last. In fact I need to have another one in order to determine why I am experiencing so much nerve pain. Last night’s scan was of my neck and upper chest. The next one is a thoracic…
Recently, I have speaking a lot about my journey with breast cancer. I was interviewed on a live show last week and I have been writing for some other breast cancer sites. But I realized after being interviewed, that I haven’t really blogged about when I was first diagnosed and how it affected me. I…
Read more You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it
On FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/MFSB LIVE OR if you can’t join me live, there will be a recording on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y3PIhJYpMdY #breastcancer #survivor #motivationalspeaker #positivity #mentalhealth #Covid19 #cancer #anxiety #selfcare
Read more Join me as I share my journey with breast cancer…LIVE
For many people, today is Thanksgiving. A day when family and friends gather to celebrate, reconnect and give thanks. Well, that’s what usually happens on Thanksgiving…but given COVID-19 and the ever rising numbers of infections and death, Thanksgiving will or at least SHOULD play out differently. I know only too well how isolation can affect…
It’s that time of year when the clocks go back an hour. It’s darker in the mornings and darker earlier at night. And for me it feels darker all the time. When I was a kid; and having just had a birthday this week, I can assure you I am no longer a kid; I…
“How are you doing?” It’s a question we ask and get asked constantly. “I’m fine.” is a typical answer, at least for me. Saying I’m “fine” is just so much easier than actually divulging how I’m really feeling. “I’m fine,” makes it easier to move on with the conversation and really, it’s such a standard…
This week I had a “catch up” call with my family doctor. I haven’t seen her in months as she isn’t seeing patients in person due to Covid-19. I had to bring her up to speed on how I am feeling. She had scheduled the call for ten minutes. Let’s just say it went a…
Read more I’m not chronically ill… I’m medically interesting!
…The Doors hit from 1967 was blaring in the operating room as I lay down to have epidural steroid injections in my back. It was a good thing that the music was loud so it would drown out the sound of my heart beating against my chest. It’s been seven months since my last procedure.…
Last week I was sitting around a campfire with my daughter and others. It was a beautiful starry night and all felt good in the world. I don’t get that feeling much anymore with everything that is going on in the world, but that I night as I looked up at the Milky Way and…
Sorry, I Don't Have Time For Cancer 