Two Years Cancer Free!

 

 Two years ago yesterday I had the cancer surgically removed from my body.  A few weeks after that I went through radiation treatment just to make sure it was gone.  It feels like such an accomplishment to be cancer free now for two years.  Thank you Jesus for granting me another year!

I had my 5th mammogram since the surgery last week.  With proper follow ups, I plan to stay on top of this cancer.  If it were to return, I will catch it early and fight it again. 

You can read my cancer story in this blog post. 

You can read my "one year" post here. 

 

An Open Letter to those that Vilify Formula Feeding

  This is a post for all those breast feeding "advocates" that turn anything and everything thing they see on Facebook into a pro-breast feeding rant.  Just remember this before you shout "breast is best" from the roof tops:   1. There is this thing called genetics.  Your baby may be happy and healthy just because it has good genes.   2. *Gasp* There are Olympic athletes that were formula fed.    3.   Chunkier baby does not always mean breast fed baby.
4.  Just because a baby is formula fed it doesn't mean they are doomed to a life full of ear infections.  You better sit down for this one, My formula fed daughter has NEVER had an ear infection.  She is 8 years old.
5.  There are no special diplomas at high school graduation for the kids that drank mother's milk.
6. When your kid gets to college, there will not be a separate dorm for the breast fed kids.  They will (take a deep breath) be mixed in the dorm with the formula fed kids.
7. I am going to guarantee that when your child goes on a job interview, the boss is not going to ask your child if he or she was breast fed.   8. Formula fed babies can bond with their mothers too.  It is this new thing called LOVE.   9. My mother breast fed me exclusively for the first year.  I still got cancer.  Breast milk is not a miracle cure!   10.  The mom who formula feeds her child is not evil.  She is FEEDING her child.   Just to be crystal clear... I am not saying that there is anything wrong with choosing to breast feed.   I am saying that it is wrong to vilify the mother's who formula feed their babies.   Just remember that feeding a baby is just that- feeding a baby.  
Let's just try and feed our children and not try and convert anyone else to our "team."   Try and remember that moms have feelings too.  So the next time you post your pro-breastfeeding Facebook status or blog post, try and think about whether or not it is helpful or hurtful.   Disclaimer:  I formula fed all three of my children.   

One Year Cancer Free!

  I know that there is much debate in the medical community about when a person is considered "cancer free."  Many doctors won't say cancer free until the five year mark.  Some doctors won't ever say it, they will just say "No Evidence of Disease."     One year ago today, I had all of my cancer surgically removed from my body. I followed up with radiation just to make sure that it was all removed.   So I consider myself to be one year cancer free!  It has been an emotional day for me.  I didn't realize how many emotions I had right under the surface.  I am so grateful to be here with my family.  I am especially thankful today that the Lord has blessed me with good health this past year.   I know that if the cancer returns, it is most likely to happen in the next 4 years.  I am vigilant when it comes to getting my check ups and mammograms.  If it does return again, I am prepared for the fight!
"For we do not know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." James 4:14

Using Facebook to Gain Perspective

 

I have written before about the dangers of Facebook.    There are many ways that Facebook can be used negatively.   Facebook can also be used positively.  I like to use Facebook to post pictures of the kids so that my mother in law can keep up with her grand kids with the click of a mouse.

Today I used Facebook to gain perspective.  I looked back at this date,  May 29th, on my Facebook timeline.  First I looked at 2012.   On this day in 2012 I was in a much different place than I am today.  

With my son Lucas the day before my surgery

One year ago today, I was heading into surgery.  I was diagnosed with breast cancer and was having a lumpectomy to remove the cancer.  I was also having a second surgery to remove my ovaries since my cancer was fed by estrogen.  If that wasn't enough, I was also having surgery to remove and repair other parts that were damaged during childbirth.  

My daughter was just 11 weeks old when I went into surgery

On this day last year, I did not know what my prognosis would be.  I wasn't prepared to be in the hospital for 5 days away from my three children. I wasn't prepared for the weeks of radiation treatment that I would need in the weeks to come.  

Looking back at what was going on during this day last year has helped me to gain perspective.  Today I got really frustrated when an expensive product I ordered was defective and I had to send it back to the manufacturer.  Reminding myself of where I was a year ago helped me to understand that today's problem was a small problem.  I don't need to get stressed out over the small things.  I need to ask myself, "Will this problem matter a year from now?"  

I survived breast cancer.  I can surely manage during these minor inconveniences in my life.  

What were you doing a year ago?  Did you complain about something on Facebook last year?  Does it matter today?    

Think before you post!

Philippians 2:14

Do everything without grumbling or complaining.

Not a Fan of Birthdays

 

I am usually not a fan of my birthday.  I am one of those people who would prefer that no one even knew it was my birthday.  It is not that I am afraid of turning older, I just don't need people to make a fuss.  So in the past, I would try to completely avoid my birthday.

This year I am excited to be another year older!

Why is this year different?  This year, I am blessed to be another year older.  At this time last year, I did not know for sure that I would make it to another birthday.

On my 37th birthday last year, I was at the point with my cancer diagnosis where I knew I had breast cancer but did not know how serious it was.  I woke up the morning of my birthday wondering if it was my last.  

A few days after my birthday, I had surgery and the malignant tumor was removed and I knew that my prognosis was excellent.   I received radiation treatment and my prognosis was even better.

Today, on my 38th birthday, I am grateful to be alive.   I know that the Lord is not finished with me yet.  I have purpose here on this earth.  I am doing my best to use the time that I have been given to honor the Lord.  

So this year I will celebrate and praise the Lord for giving me another year!

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

James 1:17

Admiration for Angelina

 

I have never been a big fan of Angelina Jolie.  I don't really like her movies or her acting.  I also don't always agree with her lifestyle choices, but they are hers to make.  That being said, I admire her.   I have always admired her work with refugees around the world and her heart for orphaned children.  Yesterday I heard the news that made me respect her even more.

If you haven't heard, Angelina had a preventative double mastectomy.  She chose to remove her breast tissue to reduce her chances of getting fatal breast and ovarian cancer.  She has the "breast cancer" gene which means she has an 87% chance of getting cancer.  

Not everyone with this gene will die from cancer but Angelina's mother did.  Her mother died at the young age of 56 from ovarian cancer. Angelina did not want to leave her children motherless.  She knows what it is like to lose her mother way too soon.

So why do I bring this up?  I am frustrated with the people in the "natural" community that are critical of her decision to have a preventative mastectomy.  They feel that there are plenty of other preventative measures out there such as changing her diet, eating a vegan diet, trying herbal remedies and waiting to see what happens.

I am going to go out on a limb and guess that none of these people have the "cancer gene" themselves and are probably not cancer survivors either.   They can claim that they would take a natural approach if they had the gene but it is easy to say that when you aren't facing death's door.

I respect Angelina's decision.  I can say that I would make the same choice in her shoes.  I know that because I had breast cancer.  I was diagnosed in May 2012.

 When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I chose to be tested for the BRCA gene too.  I am so thankful that my results came back negative.  I do not have the gene.  While waiting for my results I had to decide what I would do if the results came back positive.   I knew that I would have the preventative mastectomy so that I had the best chance of survival.  I am a mother too.  I thought about my children.  I understand how extremely difficult that decision must have been for Angelina. 

The people that prefer the "natural" approach also criticize those of us that choose chemo and radiation treatments over a diet change and herbal remedies.  Don't you think that with all of the money that Angelina has that she didn't thoroughly research every single option available?   Don't you think that she had dozens of doctors and researchers looking for her best case scenario.

After hearing all of her options she chose to physically alter her body and remove her breast tissue.  I give her credit for making the decision that she thought gave her the best chance of surviving this and being there for her children. 

I think that no matter what "community" you side with, the natural or the medical, that you should show Angelina some compassion and not judge her choice.   I think that she is brave and serves as a positive role model for other women that may face this choice. 

One Year Ago...

Exactly one year ago today at 11:13 in the morning, I gave birth to my sweet miracle, Ella Grace.  I know people always say that the first year goes by fast, but it really did.  So much has happened in this last year that time just flew by. 

I am having trouble seeing the computer screen through my tears as I write this.   If it were not for Ella, I may not be alive today.  The Lord sent her to me to save my life.  She was a miraculous gift from God.

You can read the miraculous story in this blog post.   It is worth reading if you haven't read it yet.  It will bring tears to your eyes and remind you to trust in the Lord always.

Facebook Is Dangerous

Every article a friend posts on Facebook is true, isn't it?   Facebook can be so dangerous.  People post their points of view and opinions and state them as if they are fact.   

Sometimes these people link their viewpoints to an article to help it seem more credible.  You have to realize that these sources are often not based in actual research and are opinion pieces or hoaxes rather than factual articles.

Why do I care?  I am a breast cancer survivor.  Everyday I see one person or another post about cancer cures on their Facebook pages.  These people are often not cancer survivors themselves.  They post about certain foods and a change in diet being a way to cure cancer.  This drives me crazy!  As a cancer survivor I am offended by these kinds of posts.  Anyone that has lost a loved one from cancer understands why this offends me.

By posting these articles about various foods being the cure for cancer they are implying that if they were to receive a cancer diagnosis that they would treat it naturally by changing their diets and eating these "life saving" foods.  They are doing society a disservice by posting this.  Why would they want to stop someone from seeking life saving chemo or radiation treatments?  If a food was really a cure for cancer, you don't think that the medical community would jump on that?   

When I received my cancer diagnosis, I wanted that cancer out of my body.  I wanted to follow the protocol for the best possible results.  I do not have a medical degree so I do not act like I have one.  I did research the treatments that I was receiving and tried to be as knowledgeable as I could. I trusted the doctors that they wanted me to be cancer free too.  There was no way that I was going to try to eat a food and hope that it would cure me.

I have even seen posts where people try to convince others that mammograms are dangerous.  Really?  If a doctor suspected that they had cancer in their body, do they really want us to think that they would avoid a mammogram and "hope for the best?"

When people post these "cures," be careful!  Talk to an actual licensed physician and talk to people who have survived a cancer diagnosis.  Find out what they think of these so called "magic" foods.   Do your own research by checking these articles out on websites like snopes.com.   There is a current hoax going around that states the articles came from Johns Hopkins, a very reputable hospital.  John's Hopkins posted this rebuttal letter in response to the hoax.

 I encourage all patients to ask questions.  Don't blindly follow the internet or your doctor.  Get the facts and take the time to discuss your treatment with knowledgeable people who have survived cancer.

Baby It's Cold...Inside

Maybe it is a little too cold in our house.  Lucas has sought refuge under the playroom carpet from the icy temps.  

As most of you already know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2012.  Part of my treatment was to have my ovaries out since it was Estrogen receptor positive cancer.  For those of you, like me, without the M.D. behind your name, that means that estrogen is the fuel to my cancer's fire.  Hence, the removal of my estrogen pumping ovaries.

That all sounds well and good until you realize what estrogen does to help you.  One of the functions of estrogen is that it  keeps your body temperature normal.  So basically without it you end up with hot flashes so bad that they may be the cause of global warming.  So if there is no snow this winter, you can thank me!

As a result of feeling like I am walking around in a sauna, I keep the thermostat low.  I am thinking it may be too low since Lucas is hiding under rugs, Ella has frost on her nose and Aaron sleeps with a hat, scarf and gloves!  

2012: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

For our family, 2012 was the year of the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good:  Our Bonus Baby, Ella Grace

She was the best thing that happened to us this year.  She was a true miracle. You can read the story of Ella's birth in this blog post.



The Bad:  Aaron's Job

Aaron lost his job at the end of 2012, two weeks before Christmas.  It was something we were not expecting.  You can read about our adventure into unemployment in this blog post.



The Ugly:  Breast Cancer


Breast cancer affected a countless number of families in 2012.   Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis less than 2 months after giving birth was a shock.  It was one of the most difficult times in my life.  I am proud to say that I am now cancer free.  I get checked about every 3 months just to make sure they got it all and that it hasn't returned.

If you are going to take one thing away from this blog post, let it be "early detection."  Make sure that you take the time each year for your annual OBGYN visit to get a breast exam.  No one enjoys going to the doctor but early detection of breast cancer is a life saver!   If you are eligible, get a mammogram, even if there is no breast cancer in your family.  There wasn't any in mine.  You are not "too young" or "too busy" to get checked.

That is a strange blog title

My sweet Ella Grace is the reason why I gave my blog the title, "Some of the Best Things in Life are Mistakes."  Getting pregnant with Ella was a mistake.  I know some of you cringed when you read that, but it is true.  She wasn't planned and was a complete and total surprise, a shocker!!   She was the best mistake I ever made!!

Some people have "ooops" pregnancies or unplanned pregnancies but my pregnancy with Ella was nothing short of a miracle.  After having my son Lucas, I had a tube tying procedure as a permanent form of birth control.  It was advertised as being 99.9% effective.  Well, we were the .1%.  The procedure failed.

I had difficult pregnancies.  No, difficult isn't a strong enough word- atrocious, terrible, horrendous.  I had a condition called Hyperemesis Graviderum.  It is very rare and most people haven't heard of it until recently when Princess Kate was diagnosed with it.  It is a severe form of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.  I lost 20% of my body weight and fought dehydration the entire time.  I was in and out of the hospital dozens of times during my pregnancies.  So after having Lucas we decided that I would have my tubes tied.  My body could not go through that again.

God had other plans.  Needless to say, I was in shock when I discovered that I was pregnant 7 months after having my tubes tied.  My son Lucas was just 9 months old.  I was depressed as well as shocked.  I cried for days.  I could not imagine being pregnant again so soon after having my son.  How would I take care of a baby while vomiting all day.  In my misery, I prayed for a miscarriage.  I didn't know what to do.  

God was in control!  I trusted Him and the pregnancy continued.  My husband Aaron was so supportive and knew that this baby was a blessing. It was more difficult than the other two pregnancies.  I lost so much weight that my baby stopped gaining weight.  The doctors decided to induce her at 36 weeks so that she would have a chance to grow.

Ella Grace was such a sweet little baby.  She was a peanut leaving the hospital at just 5 pounds.  I looked at her and knew that every bit of the suffering was worth it.   The mistake was a blessing. 

 Little did I know holding that little baby that she would save my life.  In that picture above, I did not know that I had breast cancer.  I was 37 years old and had no breast cancer in my family history but I had breast cancer.  At this young age, I would not have had a mammogram for many years and I would not have had another breast exam for at least a year.  Six weeks after having Ella I went to my OBGYN for my postpartum checkup and the lump was discovered.  It was discovered that early because of Ella!

The cancer was removed, a full hysterectomy performed and radiation administered.  I am cancer free.  The Lord knew back in the Summer of 2011 when I got pregnant that this baby would save my life.  I spent that summer wondering why the Lord would allow me to be pregnant and it took a year but the Lord answered me loud and clear.

I learned that I need to trust God in all situations no matter how difficult they may be.  Ella is a constant reminder that God loves us and that He is in control.

Ella Grace and me on her 3rd Birthday (March 2015)