It’s been a long time coming….

June 19th, 2014
2014 Rosemary Beach Trip

2014 Rosemary Beach Trip

Well it’s been over two years since i’ve updated the blog. I thought my story was over, and there was nothing more to tell. But at least once a month, I hear from a friend of a friend of a cousin of a friend that one of their friend’s or cousin’s has breast cancer, and inevitably, this person i’m six degrees separated from has stumbled upon my blog. They all want to know – did she come out alright? Is she cancer free? I felt like I owed it to those that come across this to let you know that there is a beautiful upside to all of the pain and worries you will go through during your own stories.

I don’t know quite how to sum up two years in a single blog post since I obviously dedicated this entire blog to a single year from April of 2011 – April 2012 but i’ll just hit the high points.

Let’s see….oh yes.

I’m cancer free for 2. 5 years! Still on Tamoxifen for another 2.5 years or so but there are absolutely no side effects for me. Not sure how it affects others. I’ve heard there are weight gain issues. I did gain about 15 pounds last year but i’ve lost them all now. I think that was more due to eating too much delicious food at great restaurants in Athens than tamoxifen. I had to reign that in after getting on the scale about 6 months ago.

My husband of 10 years (been together for 17 years) and I ended up divorcing. Did cancer cause this? Not really, but it didn’t help. We are both infinitely happier now…but speaking for myself, I definitely took on some bumps and bruises along the way.

Got baptized. I’ve always been one to question religion and creationism. I just quit asking the questions. Honestly, it required more energy and thought to constantly fight the feeling that there is something greater at work in our lives than pure chance and circumstance. So I  just quit. And strangely I have a peace that I didn’t have before. I don’t actively go to church right now, but I know I’m welcome back whenever i do.

Closed down my business of 15 years. And to be honest, having cancer did play a big part in this decision. I honestly believe the stresses I was under in running that business contributed to my health conditions. I had very little balance in my life, which resulted in less than favorable eating habits, exercise habits, and sleeping habits. The fact that it took 15 years for my health to catch up with me was the surprise. Closing that business has cut my stress level to almost nothing, comparatively. There are challenges with going from “no schedule or boss” to “tight schedule and many bosses”, but they are fairly negligible. Summer has been difficult because I’ve always been able to be creative with kids summer activities and the daily schedule. Luckily I have a really great ex who works around my schedule for the kids summer plans. So what’s my job? I’m an IT Senior Manager with Franklin College at The University of Georgia. I do exactly the same thing I did before – manage a team of web developers and build web sites for clients. Only I don’t have to worry about billing, collecting, payroll or taxes,  which, in all honesty, is the bane of every business owner. Being able to ignore those four big challenges, has allowed me to focus on personal improvement areas, new skill development, and I have to admit I’m really finding out what makes me tick.

Am I happy? I think the photo says it all. I have my bad days, irrespective of my run in with cancer, but I’m genuinely at peace and happy with my place in life.