Welcome!

Welcome to everyone visiting for the first time from the Ultimate Blog Party.



Please, pull up and chair and get comfy! I usually spend my day talking to my children, so when I get other adults to talk to? I turn into quite a chatty Cathy!

This is my little corner of the world. I love my blog. I originally started a long time ago (like 100 years in blog years) to share the things I was making with the world. But about a year ago this blog changed. A lot. I didn't mean to change it, in fact I didn't want to change it at all. I'd rather talk about knitting and sewing and occasional share stories about my three kids and my husband. But a year ago? (Almost to the day) I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Yep. You can imagine how shocking that was. I was 31. My kids were 11, 8, and 5. But you see, my mom also had breast cancer when she was 30. She caught hers early (thankfully). I don't remember too much about it. I was 10 then. My mom was fortunate enough to only need surgery. Anyway, because of my mom's history my gynecologist suggested I get a baseline last year. I was in for yearly appointment. Everything went fine. She said I looked good. There was no concerns on her part, but go get that baseline.

Yep. We're very grateful she sent me for a baseline. Because my cancer was stage III. It had already spread to my lymph nodes. I, unlike some people, didn't have to decide whether to have a lumpectomy or a mastectomy because we were to the point were a mastectomy was absolutely needed. So on May 18, just two days after turning 32, I had a double mastectomy. We gave my body about a month to heal before hitting it with 3 different chemotherapy medicines. And then, after that? 33 radiation treatments. (Why yes, I am still exhausted from all of that. But grateful to it all at the same time. I said back then and still feel it today: my treatment was my frenemy).

Today I am still getting herceptin. In my port. (I point this out because I HATE my port. I mean really really hate it.) And I'm taking a daily pill - Fereston. You may be more familiar with tamoxifen, but that pill was just me enemy and I could not stay on it.

But I'm here today. And so grateful to be so! I have a lot of living left to do frankly.

A lot of people say that I'm strong. Or that I'm a fighter. Or I'm inspirational. The truth is? I don't feel any of those things. I got through this one minute at a time. I cried. I wanted to quit. I was in pain. And I was lucky. The medicines and treatment options they gave me worked. Not all women are this lucky. Some pretty incredibly strong, kick-ass women fought just as hard. But cancer still took them. Not because those women lost. No. Because science lost. Because while we have treatments, there is still so much about breast cancer we just don't know - we don't know how to cure it. We don't know why some people's cancer spread, even when it's found early!

So, while you are busy partying, I'd like to ask one favor of you. Just a tiny favor. It won't cost you money. It will take a few moments. But please, please sign up at the Army of Women.

You don't need to have breast cancer to do this. They won't bombard you with e-mail. They won't even ask you for money. But they might e-mail you because somewhere, someone is doing a study that you may be able to participate in and help us learn more. And again, this is not only women who have had breast cancer! It's for all women. They want to build an army one million strong. I know we can do this.

I know, I know, I don't want to be the downer at the party. Trust me. I like parties and to have fun. And dancing. I really like parties with dancing (even though I can't dance). So go, please, sign-up. And then continue on with the partying.

And later, come on back and chat with me some more. Oh, and bring your dancing shoes! =)