December update
I have yet to blog aboutĀ the new book that my friend Linda Serpe shared with our support group. It’s called Radical Remission. I keep telling almost everyone I meet about it. The author ā Kelly Turner, Ph.D. ā spent eight years researching thousands of cases of people who have recovered from their cancer against all odds without the help of conventional medicine, or after conventional medicine had failed. She was so fascinated by this kind of remission that she dedicated one year traveling through ten countries to learn what factors the people experiencing this phenomenon encountered. This book is great! In her research, she learned that all of the cases she studied had nine factors in common. The book is structured with each of those factors as a chapter, so in eachĀ chapter, she explains the factor and then shares a miraculous story about one of the survivors. I still haven’t finished it; I am savoring it for some reason. I really think it’s a great read for everyone, even if you don’t have cancer yet. These nine factors should be helpful for all of us to learn about.
I have been fortunate to be able to do some work from home. Karen, Mark’s sister, has me helping out the company she works for (SMG3 ā Strategic Mobility Group) with some computer work and phone-calling. It’s great to be able to have flexible hours and work around my sporadic doctor appointments. I workedĀ on a marketing campaign directed towards hospitals. In the middle of November, we had a cocktail party inviting the hospitals to check out the latestĀ in durable bedside tablets. Ā I was asked to help out with greeting our guests as they entered the room. What a treat to be up on the 95th floor of The John Hancock building, looking down onto one of my favorite cities! We had a great night.
Dr. Hijjawi, my plastic surgeon, didn’t like the tightness of my skin that was radiated, so he referredĀ me back to physical therapy. I have been going once a week to get a massage of the scar area, along with the region under my armpit where the lymph nodes were removed. Gina, my physical therapist, says that I need to keep up on my daily exercises. I got a little lax in doing them, and my range of motion suffered. I have been working out at the YMCA pretty much Monday through Friday with a whole lot of swimming. This seems to help withĀ maintainingĀ my range of motion as well. Ā I also asked Dr. Hijjawi if I could lose some weight before I have my DIEP flap surgery next year. I put on 20 pounds or so from the time I was diagnosed in August 2013. I really thought that by being on chemo, I would have lost weight. Dr. Hijjawi said I am not alone, that a lot of breast cancer patients end up gaining weight due to the steroids.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving visiting with both our families. Last year, because I was on chemo, we opted out of celebrating with others, due to my low immune system. This year I felt so great that I told Mark we have to be with both families this year. My family is quite large so we meet at the fire station in Paris, Wisconsin. It is great to be able to have all 50 or so of us together in one hall. Then we went to Mark’s mother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a very nice day. We did have some sad news though: Mark’s mother’s cousin Wanda passed away the day before Thanksgiving. Wanda was a wonderful woman who lived 92 years. This woman worked at her job until she was well into her 80’s. She ended up being diagnosed with stomach cancer just weeks before her death. It was really hard for Shirley. Wanda was like an older sister to her. We wentĀ down to Cicero, Illinois for Wanda’s wake the dayĀ after Thanksgiving. While we were down there, Shirley took us on a guided tour of her old neighborhood, reminiscingĀ about theĀ great times she had down there.
I got my hair cut for the second time since chemo. Before my hair starts getting too long, I thought I would try a style that I have loved for quite some time. It’s kind of like a pixie, I used to get them as a kid, and surprisingly I hated them. It’s funny how this is something that I wanted to do on my own. It was a tradition with my grandmother to take us every summer to get our hair cut, and we always ended up with a pixie. Grandma would be proud of me.
I want to thank all of you for keeping up with me and being there for me. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all of you.
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as always you have written such a heart warming blog.looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. I need to go get some rest now,been working to many hours.see you later,love you sis so very much.
Amy , I always like reading your blog. Can’t wait to see your new pixie haircut tomorrow! Glad to hear your working again and making some extra money. Lets hope 2015 is a better year for you and Mark!
Love your sister,
Marianne
Merry Christmas and big hugs to you and Mark. You are one tough, intrepid bundle of love.
So happy to get caught up with you! Wishing you and Mark a fabulous, healthy new year! Stay strong my friend!
Merry Christmas to you and Mark! Love you guys and love reading your updates!
You have such great words to share, it is enjoyable reading your updates. pray everyday for you and our group that we do not get cancer again, and that those who are going thru treatment will be encourged. Happy New Year and new adventures in 2015
Hello Amy,
Love your update and video… you share your feelings so beautifully…it is always an inspiration. So glad we are turning the page on a new year! All my best from Maine… (is that an L.L. Bean shirt I see?). I’ll be in touch again soon! Jen
Wow, so many pretty things in this video, starting with the beautiful beach and waves. And that night view of Chicago… stunning! I’m happy to hear you’re doing so well. How much did you get cut off your hair? Mine is still very short and very grey (and curly) and I really want to speed up the process. I’m currently doing the inversion method and I have a feeling it works. Not a lot, but it makes a difference I think.
I’m sorry to hear you’re depressed. It’s probably because everything is behind you now, and you’re confronted with life after cancer, where everything is supposed to go back to normal. Anyway, should you venture over to my blog, don’t be surprised. I’ve got some stuff to be really depressed about.
It’s good to hear your year is ending in relatively good health Amy. Wishing you and Mark an inspiring, and healthy, new year!
Hi Amy, I follow two children on line…..Kylie and Tripp; one with Neuroblastoma and one with a severe head injury. I found you through their sites on a side notification about people who are fighting Cancer or have recently been through it. I would love to be a new friend of yours. I am 70 years old, married for 47 years, foster parents for 32 years, retired and loving life. LOL, that’s me in a nutshell. I wanted to wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year. I love your blog and your awesome attitude. You are a true inspiration. I, too, am anticipating all good numbers for you in the future!!!
Glenda of course we can be friends, cripes we already are. Thanks for checking out my blog.
Wow 47 years of marriage, what’s the secret? Mark and I have been together for 33 years.
Good for you loving your retirement, you deserve it after 32 years of foster parenting. That takes a special person to do that. I have a couple of wonderful friends who are just starting out with foster parenting. They seem to love it.