Pink Ribbon Cards - About Me - diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, inspired by breast cancer recovery.



Home Photo Cards Handmade Cards Box of Cards Posters Magnets Order Form Contact Us About Me Links	March 2008 I am approaching my 4th year as a cancer survivor this fall. Some days it seems surreal. Did I experience cancer? How has it changed me? It has changed me in many ways that I tend to talk to cancer patients about. Like any life experience, they fully understand having been through it. There are moments when the physical changes from surgeries, the hormonal changes from medicine and surgeries, does bother me. I simply push it out of my mind and try not to spend energy on those thoughts. The majority of the time I am very grateful to be here and be healthy. The challenge is living with the thought that it may come back. It would be much easier if I had a road map for this journey! Every day I have this urge to go out and live, be, do things, it never leaves me. Raising 3 daughters I can't be quite that free. The concept that life is finite resonates in me every day. Enjoy your time, love deeply, laugh at yourself, be available to new experiences. So much of this is also packaged with getting older and wiser. I enjoy talking to or emailing cancer patients/survivors. There is a strong sisterhood that immediately connects you to eachother. You feel unconditional support, no matter what the woman's individual experience involves. Please email me any time. October 2006 It has now been 2 years since my cancer diagnosis. I spend a lot of time thinking about staying alive. I have researched environmental concerns. It is something I can control; I can't control my family history of cancer. I now eat organic, filter my water, and continue to learn. I do fear that awful word, cancer. I am not sure if my experience brings me to my appreciation of life or if it is the wisdom that comes with being in my midforties. Perhaps both contribute to the way I feel. I feel a level of intensity with my children and husband that is hard to explain. My love for them is beyond powerful. Don't get me wrong; every day here is not a walk in the park. We have the same frustrations, hectic lives as others. I think the new piece for me this year is that no moment is unimportant. I continue to value feeling and being. Even if it is not the best day, I try to live in the moment, feel it. Another difference in my life is that I try to avoid confrontation. I don't want the stress. This is a challenge for me as I care so much about the people in my life. I have given myself permission to walk away if I need to. The piece that has never left me is understanding that life is finite. Cancer brought that thought to the front and left it there. Enjoy the ride, the day, the moment. Grow and learn as best you can. The funniest piece of my journey is that all people are now equal. I frequently write a letter to a celebrity, newscaster, weatherman, and radio show host. I wrote to Dr. Susan Love and her secretary called me. I wrote to Lance Armstrong and his assistant called me. I see all people on an even plane. I have no intimidation about speaking to someone. I talk to everyone now. This is different for me; I used to be shy and quiet. As always, warmest regards to you. If I can help you in any way, please email me. Lorelle October 2005 In the fall of 2004 I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer at age 43. After my surgery, I remember for a long time completing a simple task was too much for me. Life was heavy. I remember sharing with my husband how overwhelmed I felt. I plugged along, going to appointments, recovering, and processing this new burden. My spirit took a long while to recover, longer than I thought it would. Learning to live with the fear of that dreadful word, wanting to go back to my life "before cancer" and never being able to. Heavens, I was just stage 1, how incredible the women who are not. I cried for them. People tell you that you are brave, but the truth is, you have no choice. You want to get well, so you go forward, doctor appointments, research, surgery. As I write this I am approaching my one-year anniversary. I am beginning to feel like myself again, only changed. I am now grateful for my early detection. I am blessed with people I love dearly in my life who have inspired me in countless ways. I watch them closely and learn from them. My life is full of more laugh out loud moments. I am more candid. Things are clear. My grandmother Ivadelle used to collect old greeting cards. The quality and detail of each card was amazing. As a child I used to sit and look through her scrapbooks. Last fall I could not find awareness cards so I made my own. I enjoyed doing it very much. I am drawn to the pink awareness ribbon. This is part of my journey, I am curious to see where it leads. Best Wishes, Lorelle