Wednesday, July 11, 2012

No Cancer Dancer - Three Years!!

Three years ago, I was terrified that God would take me from my children. How selfish of me, huh? I couldn't begin to comprehend the new terms being tossed at me and what my body was about to endure. But today, I am a no cancer dancer!! The PET Scan is clean! In exactly 11 days, I will reach that critical three year date of being clean from this dreaded disease. YAY!

If you are a follower here, you know that I had a scan back on 6/15 but for some strange reason, the results "never came in".  Well, under normal circumstances, no news is good news, but when you have lived with a determined little DNA that goes awry, you just never know what is going to happen....so you wait, and wait. And in this case...wwaaaiitttt..... but alas, wahala!  Thank you, Jesus.

Three years.  Ladies (and gents, too!) this is great news - especially coming from a TNBC like me!! As I said from the very beginning of this blog, there are no guarantees with cancer, so we hope and we pray. TNBC was found by researchers only a short decade or so ago, so I KNOW there is great hope in the strides being made today for tomorrow's patient.  And I want YOU to believe it!!

You, me, we, cannot give up the fight to support research for ongoing treatment.  Treatment that includes simple things like a life-saving mammogram, a trip to the oncologist (for those financially unable), patient and family support, and yes, the American Cancer Society. They have done so much for patients and their families and the only way I can think of to continue to support research and patients (at the same time) is to support ACS. If others before us had not done so, my sister and I would not be here right now, of that I am certain. I am not a spokesperson or anything for them, I have just been a cancer patient who has been loved by the people who work there.

Today, I ask that you look at each face that passes you by. At work, in the store, on the street, even on television.  Look at them with hope and compassion because if they are not, or have not suffered from a cancer themselves, then surely a loved one has. This disease called knows no boundaries and is very determined to take lives young and old. It took my mother and father. At some point, it has held several women in my family - seven of us. But we are not giving up!

Together, we will continue the battle.  Yay, for three years! YOU can do this, too. I believe in you. Hang in there.