It's Go Time!!!!

Today is the day!!! Tonight I will join with family and friends to participate in the Light the Night walk. Today I remember the diagnosis and the phone calls home to break the news. Today I remember the scans and biopsies. Today I remember the chemo and radiation. Today I remember the nurses and doctors. Today I remember the fight. Today I remember all that I have learned. Today I remember to be grateful for all that I have and all that I am. Today I CELEBRATE!!

Would you consider making a small donation today to help me celebrate? Every dollar counts, no donation is too small!

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ia/DesMineL13/ItsGoTime

Checking Up to Check In

Day 11 of Light the Night Campaign. I actually just got done with one of my 6 month check ups! Every 6 months I return to the cancer center. And while I know in my brain that the likelihood of my cancer coming back is very small, my heart still beats a little faster as I walk through those doors. I am careful not to let the "what if" questions cloud my logic. But it is the small amount of anticipation that makes the "all clear" declaration even sweeter! It is the preceding anxiousness that makes me remember to be thankful for where I am. It can be easy to get wrapped up in life and forget about where you came from and all the progress you've made. But the 6 month check ups remind me to check in and be grateful for all that I learned and all that I gained through my cancer journey.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ia/DesMineL13/ItsGoTime

Brave

Day 10 of raising awareness for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. 

10 years ago today, a 10th grade boy with curly hair asked a 10th grade girl to be his girlfriend. 10 years ago today, that boy and girl had no idea all that life would hand them, but they ventured together. 

I am so thankful for everything we have gained in love over the last few years. Together we faced cancer head on. Together, we were brave. Together, we beat it! Thank you for being brave with me, Shane Griffin!! 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/08/childrens-hospital-brave-video_n_4066018.html

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ia/DesMineL13/ItsGoTime

Red Face Assumptions

Day 9 on this wonderful October day is a perfect day to raise awareness and money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society!

One of the funny memories from radiation is remembering everything people kept noticing about my appearance without knowing the situation I was going through. I continued working all through chemo and radiation and not many of the gym members knew I was going through cancer treatments because I didn't lose all of my hair to or share my circumstances with them. But as I began to experience the effects of radiation, my face and neck turned red from the radiation burn. As people began to notice my red face, their comments usually varied, but always made me laugh. Some asked if I had just got done working out. Others concluded I must have just gotten back from a warm vacation. But my favorite assumption was that I must have high blood pressure if my face was that red.

If you've ever seen someone with a red face, would you consider donating $5? Because who knows, maybe they weren't red in the face for all the reasons you thought. Maybe they were really fighting through radiation treatments. Your $5 will help people fight and win the battle against Lymphoma.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ia/DesMineL13/ItsGoTime

Chicken Nuggets

On Day 8 of my Facebook stampede to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society I will share a memory from one of my favorite nurses.

Friday after my chemo treatments, I always had to return to the cancer center over my lunch break to receive a shot of a white blood cell booster to ensure that I would be ready to receive chemo again in two weeks. This was always a quick, simple appointment where the nurses asked how I felt the through the night, took my temperature and blood pressure and gave me a quick shot. One particular week during treatment, I was having a bizarre craving for chicken nuggets. Because I have the best husband in the world, he retrieved them and I scarfed them down while they pumped me full of chemicals. The next day when the nurse asked how I felt after my treatment, I told her my stomach didn't feel its usual self. I had felt a little more nauseated than normal and just felt sick all night. With her syringe raised in the air, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "You think it might have had anything to do with all those chicken nuggets you ate yesterday?" Touché, Linda! I loved that she called me out. I loved that she wasn't babying me. More than anything, I loved that she was being 100% real with me.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ia/DesMineL13/ItsGoTime

Eyes on the Goal

Day 7 to raise fund for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society! Light the Night is almost here! 

Though I danced and celebrated the amazing news of my cancer free scan 2 years ago, I quickly had to put my party hat aside and put my game face back on. You see, the battle wasn't over yet. I still had to power through 17 bouts of radiation to ensure a full recovery. One of the biggest things I learned through the transition from chemo to radiation is that you must always keep your eyes on the end goal even once you've reached it and focus on what you need to do in order to maintain that victory. 

2 Years Cancer Free

It was 2 years ago today, on October 6th, that I had my first cancer free scan!! As I walked into the cancer center, my heart was full of apprehension. But I was overcome with joy, relief, and gratefulness when the doctor declared it showed no signs of cancer. There have been many milestones thus far in my 25 years and this was by far one of the most significant.

Help others celebrate being cancer free by donating to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. 

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ia/DesMineL13/ItsGoTime

Fridays and Saturdays

Day 3/4 of our effort to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

Fridays and Saturdays during chemo weeks were always times of transition. With my chemo day on Thursday, I was pumped full of a steroid that gave me energy to get through Friday. Then as that drug wore off, I started to feel the chemo effects. Though my nausea was under control, a general feeling of blah quickly overtook me on Saturdays. I am thankful for such a patient husband because many of Shane and I's weekends were spent lounging around the apartment taking naps. Now as I hurriedly type this post so I can begin my busy weekend hopping from one event to the next, I am thankful for the health and energy I have. If you are thankful for your health and energy this morning, would you consider sharing this post and donating $5 to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society?

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ia/DesMineL13/ItsGoTime

Reminicsing

Reminiscing on day 3 of my October push to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

As the chemo treatments began to take a toll on my body, my workouts started to dwindle. With low energy and a general feeling of malaise, I didn't have the same spunk I used previously to complete workouts. We directly followed 4 months of chemo with 17 bouts of radiation. Even more exhausted, I was soon using time that was previously for working out to take naps. After it was all over, I started to ease back into my strength and cardio routines feeling disappointed at what I was unable to accomplish.

Now, for the last 5 months, I have been working out at Spartan Strength. The other day I looked back at where I was 2 years ago and realized how far I have come from those low energy, icky feeling days. I realize now that even though I may not have been able to lift the same amount of weight or run as hard during those chemo days, I was doing my best and striving to be better than the day before. Sometimes our progress may feel slow, but if we keep moving forward we will look back one day and realize how all those small steps add up to something significant.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ia/DesMineL13/ItsGoTime

Day 2

For Day 2 of my social media push to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society I will share a happy memory of my second chemo treatment.

After all the drugs had been intravenously injected and my system was full of chemicals fighting the cancer that grew within me, a nurse went to the refrigerator to retrieve what I thought was yet another medicine. However, when she returned she carried with her a small tackle box full of earrings. She told me the story of how a former patient beat cancer and wanted to pay it forward by making earrings so women could feel beautiful even as they lost their hair. Gazing at the hundreds to choose from, I picked out the perfect pair to suit my style. I was grateful that a stranger had been so thoughtful toward people she would never meet. I still have those earrings today and every time I open my jewelry box and see those black and green dangles, I am reminded to pay it forward.

Would you consider paying it forward today by sharing this link or donating to such an important cause?

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ia/DesMineL13/ItsGoTime

First Chemo Memory

I am attempting a huge social media push from now until the 12th of October to raise awareness and money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk. Though I can celebrate being cancer free it is import to remember that others still fight the battle and need our support.

Each day I will try to post a short snippet of a memory/lesson from my cancer journey. Since it is the first of October, I will start with my first chemo treatment.

As I walked into a room full of bald, wrinkly heads with sick, sad eyes, I felt like an outsider. Though my facts told me cancer knows no age or fitness level, my heart told me I was too young, too fit, to be amongst the "sick." I had no idea what laid ahead of me and that is exactly what scared me the most. With so many unknowns swirling about me, my type A personality was not coping well. Would I get sick? Would my hair fall out? Could I still workout? What if the treatment didn't work? Would it hurt when they put the needle into my port? Then before my brain could ask another question my eyes brimmed with tears as the nurse counted to three and poked the needle into my port. Looking at me with a tender smile she said, "The fear of the unknown is the worst part." And from that day I vowed to always remember and live by the Winnie the Pooh quote - "Promise me you'll always remember you're stronger than you seem, braver than you believe, and smarter than you think"