Hello!

I guess posting less is probably a good thing, right?  Things have gone as smooth as they can be, and I'm very lucky and thankful for that.  Chemotherapy, is now complete, as of July 13th!! I was so fortunate to have a group of people there to celebrate this hurdle and I am SO thankful to have such wonderful people in my life, whether you were there or not.  Seeing the balloons, and the flowers and signs honestly brought tears to my eyes, and I could not ever express how much I appreciate those who have walked through this with me. 

Last week, I had my follow up appointment with my medical oncologist.  Had my bloodwork drawn, and numbers are great.  I made it through chemo with minimal hiccups or issues. He could not be happier with how we've handled these past few months.  This Wednesday I meet with the radiation oncologist, will go over those next steps as well as having a CT Scan for them to review.  

Basically, radiation is my next step, it will be every day over a span of 3-7 weeks, and should find out exactly how long at this next appointment.  Obviously, I'm secretly hoping to be closer to the 3 week mark, but we will see.  I did get the OK to have my port removed as well, and pre-op appt for that is set for 8/3.

Once these two steps are complete, I will have one more reconstruction surgery in the spring of 2023, and then hopefully my journey is complete, except for being on a daily hormone blocker for the next 5-10 years. 

The hormone blockers will push my body into menopause, as the estrogen that my body produces is what feeds the cancer cells and causes the tumor growth.  This bodily change was very hard for me to process for some reason.  Being 36, this hasn't necessarily crossed my mind, and even though I know Anthony and I were not planning on having any more kids, the idea of everything being so final was a hard concept to grasp. I had a rough day, and I cried many ugly tears, but I let it out.  Only because I know I can only control the way I react in this situation, and I choose happiness.  I'm glad I'm here, I'm glad that I've healthy numbers and results, and I'm still moving and pushing my way through each day.  This whole thing has been terrible, but I will not let it define me.  

That is the latest for now!  Keep those prayers coming, because they have been working.  Thank you all, and I love you!