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.
can you remember what you did that day? Four years ago today I heard the words that forever changed me. Without so much as a glance my way, a surgeon opened a file and began to tell me the results of my biopsy. “You have cancer.” ” Excuse me, I have what?????!!!!” That scene, even…
…or everyday when you’ve been diagnosed. April 30, 2018 was the day my life changed forever. It’s the day that my world was turned upside down. It’s the day I heard the words “YOU HAVE CANCER”. I was thrust into a new world that would forever be changed. Everything from that point on was categorized…
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
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…
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.…
Its been three days since my last fluid injection into my ever growing tissue expanders. I have had three injections now of 120cc’s of fluid on both sides plus the 390cc’s that were put in at the time of my surgery. My “mounds” as I like to call them are starting to take shape. The…
Since my diagnosis April 30 I haven’t stopped reading every article, blog, book and tweet I can find about breast cancer. I never knew there were so many types of breast cancer, seven I believe. And although I am certainly no expert, I joke with my family and friends that I could go on Jeopardy…
I have now joined a club I never wanted to be a member. No one does. But I will pay my dues, do my time and then drop out as quickly as possible. Actually that’s not true. Yes, I want to resign the post “I have cancer” and replace it with “I survived cancer”, but…
A week later I was meeting with the reconstructive/plastic surgeon assigned to my team. Just so we are clear, breast reconstruction is not a boob job. Reconstruction of your breasts after mastectomy is a long process. In fact, the plastic surgeon said it will take another nine months after my mastectomy scars heal. So this…
Waiting to meet my new surgeon was a completely different experience. There was none of the angst of waiting for a diagnosis. I knew what that was…I have breast cancer…so tell me what’s next, PLEASE. The door of the examining room opened and in came one of the most energetic, confident and enthusiastic people I’ve…
A week after being diagnosed with breast cancer, I had, thanks to my family doctor, an appointment at the Juravinski Cancer Centre. I had googled the hospital to find out as much as I could before my appointment. The facility, the programs and services and even the look of the place was impressive. I read…
I got the call on Friday to say the surgeon wants to see me. She had my biopsy report. I knew that things probably weren’t great. I was expecting to hear that I had an infection or maybe a cyst. It was now Monday. I had spent the weekend trying not to think about the…
Sorry, I Don't Have Time For Cancer 