I have never blogged before and so not sure what I am doing yet but I would like to share my battle of Ovarian Cancer as I fight it for the 3rd time in four years. My hope is as I share my journey that somewhere or somehow someone can find strength and hope in their trials. This is my journey and I have owned it, I know this will be a part of life and I have accepted that and truth is although NOBODY would ever choose cancer as a trial I have learned that there are worse. I have learned that living your best life with whatever bumps or dips that come along the way can make you appreciate the smooth and the highs even more.
As I share the now I will probably reflect on the yesterdays too as those experiences will help me deal with the unknowns coming with this new battle. If you are reading this you will be inside my website. This website tells you about the non-profit that was born the first time I reached remission in 2016. I hope at some point you will take time and look around. It is a work in progress and I just took over the reigns from the programmer so I can update and put more information here. I will be updating the new treatments that are available, the “cancer sucks shake” recipe I make and drink everyday that has helped me have a pretty great last 2 years as I have enjoyed some success with remission for 25 months. I want to educate and advocate for ladies everywhere. The other part of my mission with this non profit is making and delivering chemo bags to those ladies that are just starting out in their cancer journeys. I want to share the why of the chemo bags. When I was first diagnosed and was told chemotherapy was the only chance I had to beat this my heart sank. I had heard all of the horror stories, I had seen pictures of bald ladies with skin that seemed to hang off of their bones (good thing I had lots of fat to get through before it became skin on bone) so the fear was real. Then a few days before chemo started I had to attend a one on one with the Nurse called a “chemo teach”. Basically, this is where you are told that you will be receiving poison to kill the poison that is poisoning your body. Followed by how horrible you are going to feel, when you will lose your hair and how many times you will be poked with a needle every week. Then you sign your name on papers that pretty much tell you they hope it works but there is no guarantees. I left that meeting not only in a fog but with such a heavy heart for what my body was going to be facing. My very first chemo I was given a bag that was put together with love from family, it had a water bottle, a warm and needed blanket, a neck pillow, some warm socks, nausea drops, magazines and of course lots of love. This is where the idea was born, I wanted to give this love to others who were beginning this journey. These bags are given to the chemo nurse to give to the women after the chemo teach.
Friday the 4th of October I will start chemo all over. No matter the size of the cancer the drugs used are the same. It was found early with just 2 small spots, one on liver the other on the lung. No matter that the organs the cancer started on are gone it had metastasized making it stage 4 so whenever and wherever it reappears it is the same cancer cells that I had from the first Diagnosis. My treatment will consist of chemotherapy every 3 weeks for 6 rounds (treatments) I will get the same 3 drugs I was given on my first recurrence with one the drugs called Avastin being used as part of my maintenance therapy. I was on maintenance therapy with Avastin for the last 25 months and it did the job of keeping me in remission longer than the normal. This is an aggressive cancer and it grows like wild fire. I am blessed we found it before it had bounced around too much in my body.
For those that would like a blow by blow of this battle keep checking my story on this website. I will put a note on Facebook when I do an update. Also, once I figure out how to do it, I will be adding a place here on my website where if you would like to donate to my chemo bags by buying a blanket for yourself another blanket will be donated for a chemo bag. I have found an amazing lady who is making these blankets and will be getting more made up and I will share the pictures and information shortly. I also have a donate button on this website and the money is used to buy bags and water bottles and beanies, etc. that we put in the bag. Pictures will come when I can figure out how. If anyone out there has some tips on helping me I am open to suggestions.
Ok first blog down many more to come, stay tuned.