Gymnastics Pink Meet

What a fun night!  The SUU Gymnastics team had a breast cancer awareness meet.  The girls competed amazingly well and they had a great crowd.  I was able to participate in this night.  They choose someone close to them that has been affected by breast cancer to honor.  Todd works at SUU and works closely with the athletes so I was able to receive this privilege this year.  I hate being in the spot light but I also know that it is important for people to know that young women get breast cancer too.  It is not always some body's "GRANDMA" who gets cancer.  It can be a 33 year old mother who is breast feeding a baby.  I am able to be that voice/face of breast cancer.  So I want to say thank you...THANK YOU Southern Utah University Gymnastics for allowing me to be a part of your fun night!  It made my day.

Time Flies

I finished radiation the day before Thanksgiving and got a nasty coughing mess that week.  I am finally feeling pretty good this week. Four weeks of coughing most of the day and night.  That is a long cold. I was even tested for pertussis.  I was negative; that was great.  Just in time for Christmas, I am SOO thankful!

I saw my plastic surgeon two weeks ago and scheduled my next surgery for March 26.  I am ready for this whole ordeal to be done.  My original diagnosis was March 29, 2012 so it will be almost one year to the day this whole nightmare started.  He was happy with my skin after radiation.  I did do pretty well.  I just hope that the long term effects won't outweigh the benefits of radiation.  I started taking Tamoxifen. It is a hormone therapy.  It blocks the actions of estrogen.  It changes it so that it doesn't connect with cancer cells and multiply.  So far I haven't noticed any big effects. I will take it for 5 years. 

I now have to say how thankful I am for my life.  This whole hellish situation with the school shooting has straightened up my pitty party.  I was feeling like I was picked on for getting cancer.  I would choose this every time over what those people are dealing with in Conn.  All I can say is that this world sometimes doesn't make sense.  What I have to hope with is that God is good and he will take those little ones and protect them.  It is those of us left behind that have to suffer.  My prayers and tears go out to those parents.  No one should ever have to lose their child.  I am sorry.

I am grateful for my best friend and my soul mate, Todd.  Thank you for protecting me, loving me and being my other half.  You make this fight a little brighter.  I will forever be grateful for you!  My little kids are also a sweet reminder of what is good in this world.  They make me remember why I went to hell and back this year.  I want to be their mom.  

 My little Jordan.

 Family photo for our Christmas card.

I want to tell those of you around me the reason I dance.  I dance because I am happy.  I am happy that I lived!  I am so excited to experience another day.  I get to be a wife, mother, sister, daughter, teacher and friend.  It all goes back to the basics.  Life is good, even when it is stressful and crazy.  It is a blessing to just get to be around another day.  So when you see me dance it is simply because I am happy.  You should try it sometime, it is amazing. 

5 More Radiation Treatments

 The inside of the radiation machine

 Patty and I waiting for treatment

I can't believe it, I have only 5 more treatments.  It has gone fast.  I have been tired and I am getting pretty red.  I have to put this thick cream on my sites three times a day.  The treatments take about 30 minutes a day.  I asked the physicist how the radiation worked today.  It was pretty interesting.  He even opened up the machine for me.  I have been so impressed by all the people at Valley View Medical Center.  They have taken such great care of me.  My next step....hormone therapy for five years.  I will have another surgery in the spring but I am putting that at the back of my mind for a while. 

Image Reborn

 Downtown Park City

 My new friends

 Anna, from Salt Lake

 Lisa, from Salt Lake

 Kim, from Tennessee

 Sheila, our host

 It snowed -A LOT

 Cabin, a large cabin

 My bed, it reminded me of the cold war....

I was able to go to an Image Reborn retreat in Park City this weekend.  It was for Young Survivors, like me.  I made some pretty great friends.  They were from all over the country.  (Washington DC, Tennessee, Missouri, and Utah (Salt Lake, Orem and Cedar City).  I am so impressed by how all these wonderful ladies have dealt with their disease.  We also got so pampered!  Thank you Image Reborn. 

Save a Sister

I am so slow on my posts this month.  I think it may have something to do with me doing radiation??  Ha Ha. 

I was able to participate in the Save a Sister race in St. George, Utah.  This was October 20.  My mom and I joined as survivors.  We even got a special pink shirt to wear.  I took Kaili, Jordan and Houston with me.  We just pushed the two man stroller the whole way, go TEAM.  I had a lot of fun being there with some many supporters.  I even put pink hair gel in my hair.  Kaili, Jordan and my mom joined in the hair fun too. 

Pink Day

 Julie and Kelli, our TA's

 Office Staff

 Mr. Benson and Kalene

 Lynette and Gia

 Our Superintendent

 Lisa and I

 SPED department

 My BFF's

 Aleese

 Nancy, another Survivor

 Denise

 Our kids

 Patty, another survivor

 Margie

 SPED department

 Patty, another survivor

Well, I finally got the total donation amount for our Denim Day.  We raised $1438.00.  I am so grateful to everyone who supported this day.  It was such a fun day.  All of my co-workers dressed in pink and their denim.  I sold 70 pink shirts with our special design.  It meant so much to me.  We even had an anonymous donation of $100.00.  The superintendent brought the four of us a livestrong bracelet and came to see us.  Our school bought us pink flowers and my friend, Amy, brought me a pink ribbon ornament and bracelet.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  I will post some of the amazing pictures I got that day.