I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, Stage 3C with mets on December 28th, 2016. It keeps recurring faster than I’d like, yet the many new tools available have me still enjoying life.
When I heard the word cancer for the first time, my reaction surprised me. I had always had a strong faith and believed I could overcome anything. I took no medication other than vitamins and was active with my husband who took an early retirement, allowing us to train and race our trotters, harness horses. Yet, it was like someone instantly froze all the blood in my veins and I could no longer breathe without consciously thinking about it. I lost my ability to see beyond that feeling.
I had two sisters going through cancer treatment when I was diagnosed. Both passed shortly later. I knew all too well what the dying part of cancer looked like. But, I had no idea how to LIVE with it.
I went to the Coalition for Yoga and Meditation classes to help me get back on track. I actually received quite a bit more. I found answers to the kind of questions medical staff could not answer, tools to help me find my inner peace and joy again, and I gained close relationships.
Closest to my heart are the Common Ground Peeps, a support group for women with metastatic breast AND gynecologic cancers. It’s a safe place where we can talk and even joke about things that we can’t with others. I get raw honesty and a feeling of normalcy that I can take with me into living my best life as a wife, mother, grandmother, bonus mother and friend.
I’m so thankful for the people who are genuinely happy to assist us in finding our joy in life again!
“I was dying yesterday, I’ll be dying tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll be ‘zip lining’ and dancing my ass off.”
