After watching TV she checked and she found it in her breast, golf ball sized; she cried. If diligent, she’d have found it sooner. Alone she tells it go away, go away And whispers thank God for TV.
Surgery was a success, the cancer did not spread and Rose's healing journey begins. Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts.
March 1st. Up-date
Doctor has confirmed Rose is 100% cancer free, and no further treatment is required. Yay, Rose!
May11th Up-date
Further tests confirm more than one type of breast cancer, high risk of returning, therefore Rose started Chemo today as a prevention. Keep the prayers coming.
August 28 up-date
Still undergoing chemo therapy, started green juicing!
I am in Montreal, well actually, Dorval. I am staying at a heritage house, which has been converted into executive suites. My entrance is at the rear of the house. The suite is pleasantly appointed, not really my taste, but it’s sufficiently agreeable. This has been my home away from home for the last couple of weeks. I plan on walking around later to take some pictures. As my good fortune would have it, Hubby came to visit over the weekend and made sure I had wireless connection. Yip, no being tethered to the wall for me. yay!
I am enjoying Montreal's French culture . It’s part of Canada but it does have a unique cultural and heritage. I’ve noticed people here although predominately French speaking, are willing to respond in English to us, and with a smile to boot! In fact, I am finding the people here super duper approachable.
I’m here because my son is taking a course to help develop his gross motor skills. He has never been athletic because his core strength has always been an issue. And as a growing teenager his strength deficient continues to make him physically awkward. Simply, how this was explained to me is that because of the undeveloped gross motor skills he was experiencing some difficulty with processing information. Kind of like being out- of- sync with the world around him.
And, this may very likely be the reason he is reluctant to speak in public. He has always been an uncommunicative student. This perplexed and frustrated teachers because although they knew he was a bright student, to access him they required him to be more communicative. Understandably this also impacted on his social skills and with connecting with his peers. However, at home he is a different child, talkative, energetic and sometimes he could be a royal pain in the you-know-what. When his friends come over there is no issue in how he related with them. Obviously, this was a puzzle for us.
I believe we’ve found the key that will unlock this puzzle. In just one week I have noticed significant changes in him. He is speaking more not just to me but also in public. He orders his own food in restaurants, even going so far as ordering his desserts in French. Furthermore, I’ve noticed he has more strength and focus as he runs. This is an enormous leap forward. Yay!
What I will say though, before we embarked on this road I had reservations on how effectively it would work. I am delighted with the results thus far; I guess the actual test will be to see how this translates when he goes back to school. And to think it all began when I discovered “The Brain that Changes itself” by Norman Doidge. M.D.
One thing we know for certain is that we are going to die. But the thing is we don’t know when or how we are going to die. And because of that we are sometimes lulled into a false sense of thinking that we are invincible. Living as though we are immortal beings. But life has a way of reminding us that we are indeed mortal and often in a cruel and insensitive way. In fact, there is no other way, is there?
A week ago, my sister told me she may have breast cancer. She actually found the lump almost a month ago after watching a program on TV about cancer, right before Christmas. Can you imagine the anxiety and turmoil she endured without support because she decided not to tell anyone? Her reason, she didn’t want to spoil anyone’s holidays. That is the type of person she is, always thinking of others.
Since I heard this horrible news we have been in touch, my sister and I. She lives on the other side of the country from me making contact somewhat difficult but texting is an ideal way to keep in touch. As we talk I am amazed at her strength and how well she is taking this news. She went for her biopsy last week and because she lives some distance from a city hospital the results will take almost a week. I can’t imagine in this day of technology why there is this kind of delay. Surely there must be ways to get the test results earlier than having to wait a week.
Meanwhile, she waits. Waiting is difficult for anyone, especially if you are waiting to hear news about your health, and it must seem like time is standing still with plenty of time to think. My brave big sister has decided to be positive. She said that she feels happy to be healthy and alive. It struck me as an odd thing for her to say given her situation. But she quickly said," at this moment I am healthy, not experiencing any pain, and I am alive. I will be grateful for today." Of course, she also said that there are moments, burst of tears, anger, and bewilderment, which is understandable.
Healthy. We take our health for granted. Just imagine what it would feel like if it could all be taken away with one test, what a frightening feeling. Therefore, in this trying time I take comfort in my sister's outlook to be grateful for today. Being positive and grateful does not negate that we are human and prone to severe illness. It important that we take pause to enjoy life one moment at a time and being grateful for those in our lives.
She wants to live. She will live. She has to live. God, I hope she lives for years to come.
After watching TV she checked
