Bras Across the Bridge!

As you all know October is full of many Breast Cancer awareness events, walks, donations, and support. I wanted to share with you some great pictures of one of our many bridges.


(Photo by Ed Rieker for Aerie by American Eagle)

Yes those are bras and they are hanging from the Hot Metal Bridge...4000 bras to be exact, in all shapes and sizes and colors.

Our very own Pittsburgh-based American Eagle Outfitters came up with this idea to help spread awareness. They provided the bras and hung them from the bridge.


(WTAE)

The bras hung around for about 3 weeks and I am happy to say I personally got to travel over the bridge while they were there. After the 3 weeks the bras were washed and donated to a woman's shelter.


(Luminari Blog)

Can't wait to see what they do next year!

xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving

Thank you, dear God
For all You have given me

∩ │◥███◣ ╱◥███◣
╱◥◣ ◥████◣▓∩▓│∩ ║
│╱◥█◣║∩∩∩ ║◥█▓ ▓█◣
││∩│ ▓ ║∩田│║▓ ▓ ▓∩ ║
•°*”˜˜”*°• From our house to your house •°*”˜˜”*°•
•°*”˜˜”*°•Happy Thanksgiving to family and friends•°*

On October 29th I walked with my nieces CRS-A, AMS, and Gi in the American Cancer Societies Make Strides To End Breast Cancer 5k walk. It was a better day for ducks but we had a wonderful time and the walk along the north shore was beautiful. Here are a few pictures.




Gi is warm and dry under the blanket!





The Pirates get in on the pink action...


The North Shore...












The finish line...



I can't wait to do it again next year.

xoxo

1 YEAR CANCER FREE!!!

Is it really possible that it has been 1 year since my double mastectomy? 365 days without Cancer!!!
When I think back to last October I do remember all the emotions all the anxiety about the diagnoses, surgery, and treatments but what I remember most is the tremendous love, prayers, and support of my family and friends. I was never alone in the hospital. Every time I opened my eyes someone was by my side. Every doctors appointment my husband or sisters or nieces would go with me (sometimes all of them :). Every four hour chemo treatment went by quickly with them by my side talking and laughing as if we were sitting around a table having tea. In the spring my sons college baseball coach had a pink ribbon put on the teams game hats and gave me a hat to wear to the games. The love and support continues even 1 year later. People have made donations in my name, hit home runs for a cure, dedicated a pink out high school field hockey game, and on the 29th some of my nieces and I will be walking in the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K walk.

Here are just a few pictures from the past year:

Me and my boys after surgery...love them so much!







First Chemo





Hospital for 3 days after first chemo...I'm ready to go home





Hair Hair Long Beautiful Hair.............









Last Chemo...Dance with me!











Growing back even more beautiful



Pink Out Game!



I'll post pictures of the walk next time.
xoxo

Got Boobs...Check them!!!!

Yes it is October and everywhere you look there is pink!!! Its wonderful to have a whole month where everyone is spreading awareness. Now ladies some time today while you are at home do a self exam and do one at least once a month. Are you due for a mammogram??? schedule it. October is great but you need to love your boobs all year long. Guys you should check yours too and everyone encourage the women in your life to do a self exam and schedule their mammograms!!!

xoxo

Change change change

Sorry for the lack of posts. May through August has been a very busy time. If you would like to read the full details you can find them on my other blog (see the link on the right).
Things have been going well. I had my last plastic surgery in June and I am very pleased with the final results. The weather has been very hot so its been nice to wear tank tops with no bra :). My hair is growing very well, soft and very curly but lots of gray :( I saw my oncologist in June. She is very pleaased with how I'm doing. She loves my reconstruction! She said it's the best she's ever seen...Yeah!!! She gave me the go ahead to get my hair colored...yeah squared! I already had an appointment scheduled just in case. Now that my hair looks like a cute very short cut I can stop wearing my wig, hats, and scarves. Again with the heat this has been nice.
Speaking of the heat oh what fun the hot flashes have been!!! I seem to sweat a lot more anyway but during a hot flash omg! I'm covered in a damp film and dripping down my forehead and back...oh so very attractive. Then my arms and legs start itching and its a prickly stinging feeling. I need to call my oncologist to see if it is possibly caused by the Tamoxifen.
So it is actually one year ago today that I received my biopsy results. In some ways it seems like yesterday but in most ways it seems much longer. While thinking about that this morning I realized out of all the diseases I have fought the cancer has been the shortest battle. I have been at war with Crohns disease for about 26 years now. The Hepatitis C from my blood transfusion was a 2 year battle (however I had it, without my knowledge, for 15 years). After knowing for certain on August 23rd, the cancer was only in my body for 1 month and 29 days and the actual battle ended with my last chemo on February 8th 2011. Thats 5 months and 16 days. Even if you count the 5 years I will be on the Tamoxifen (which is not a battle. It is preventive medicine). It is still a much shorter battle than the Crohns!
xoxo

Follow Ups

Sorry for the lack of updates. That cold really knocked me down. My doc. gave me an antibiotic and cough medicine which helped a lot. I’m feeling much better except for the hot flashes and panic attacks in the middle of the night…oh Tamoxifen I wish you weren’t so cruel !

I did have some follow up appointments with my oncologist and my breast surgeon and my plastic surgeon . They all went very well. The oncologist is happy with my recovery from the chemo and me tolerating the Tamoxifen (when I had my appointment I wasn’t having the panic attacks. I’ll be sure to mention that next time. The breast surgeon was also pleased with how well I am doing. Now for the plastic surgeon…while he is happy with the healing I still have extra skin on the sides and the right side is still smaller. You guessed it, this means more surgery (hopefully the last!). I’m scheduled for June 15th so I’ll try to post before that. We are in the middle of a remodeling project that decided to start on its own!!! I’m going a bit crazy with that. Dirt and plaster everywhere. YIKES. I’m going to have to move in with my niece during my recovery.

xoxo