Breast Cancer Moments

Wow, I can't believe it has been almost 5 months since my last blog post!!  I want to apologize to my dear Sweet Metel Moments readers!  In the past few years since I've created this blog, I have had such wonderful supporters write sweet comments and emails to me in regards to my posts.  I'm sorry if I have let you down and have been so absent the past few months!!  I still have lots of ideas and free printables brewing in my mind, and I promise I will be posting those ideas soon!  So much has happened to me this year, and I have been wanting to share with you all, but unfortunately there were times I simply did not have the time or energy to be in front of the computer.

But I feel that now is the perfect time to write you and tell you my story.  I am turning 35 years old today.  And this birthday means more to me than any other birthdays I've ever had.  Around this time last year, on October 11, 2013, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Never in a million years would I have ever believed that at 34-years-old, someone was going to tell me that I had cancer!  It was a surreal moment and I am thankful that my wonderful husband was there with me as we both heard the devastating news together.  Our world quickly turned upside down, and we were in the "Let's get on our knees and pray and trust in God" mode, and "Follow the doctor's orders" mode...

To make a long story short... I had my lumpectomy and sentinel node removal in November 2013. I also had a port installed since originally, my doctors thought I needed chemotherapy.  But after the final pathology report from my lumpectomy, they determined I didn't need chemotherapy after all (I think it was definitely God answering our prayers!) and they removed my port in January. I was also extremely blessed to learn that the cancer had not spread yet to my lymph nodes and the lumpectomy removed all of the cancer.  In January, I had 6 1/2 weeks of radiation, which was 33 daily treatments.  And now, I am on tamoxifen for five years.

Today, my doctors are confident that I have been cured and cancer-free.  There is still so much I want to share of my story and I hope I can share them with you all from time to time.  I will head those posts with "BCM" to represent "Breast Cancer Moments".  I feel like I have learned so much from my experience and appreciate life so much more!  And my relationship with my husband, family, and friends are at a new level.  Most importantly, I feel even closer to God whose mercy and love really saved me through it all!

 I plan on sharing more with you, especially during this month, as it happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  I am also honored to be part of the Florida Hospital Pink Army marketing campaign this year (that is where the photo above is from)!  The Pink Army's mission is to help create greater awareness about the life-saving benefits of annual mammograms and early detection.  Early detection definitely saved my life since I found my own lump during a self-breast exam while taking a shower!  To find out more, please go to their website, and join us in our battle against breast cancer!!  Go to jointhepinkarmy.com.

For now, I want to let you know that I am doing really well. I kiss my babies with a little more appreciation each day as I realize how quickly I can lose them.  My husband has been my rock.  I know how truly blessed I am to have him in my life and how much that man loves me as he took care of me during this crazy journey.  

Here are some photos of me celebrating my birthday with my family at Sea World.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this!  God bless you all!