Sunshine
Sunshine is cheerfulness and optimism, especially in a difficult situation.
Be a ray of light! Your words can mean the world to someone else, even when you are strangers. Write a post to inspire, encourage, comfort, uplift or appreciate someone today. We bet it will make you feel good too. To comment on a post, click on its title.
Kisqali approved for early stage breast cancer
Quotes for Difficult Times
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."
Helen Keller
"I see your fear, and it's big. I also see your courage, and it's bigger."
Glennon Doyle
"Being a successful person is not necessarily defined by what you have achieved, but by what you have overcome."
Fannie Flagg
"If you remain calm in the midst of great chaos, it is the surest guarantee that it will eventually subside."
Julie Andrews
"Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit."
Napoleon Hill
"Life is short, but it is wide. This too shall pass."
Rebecca Wells
Just Ingredients podcast
Karalynne Call has a great podcast. Very informative. She is a wealth of information about nutrition, health, etc. Her tagline is "All good ingredients for life." You can also follow her on instagram or get natural products (supplements and food) on her website.
Today marks 1 year since my surgery
I am feeling grateful and blown away that an entire year has passed since my mastectomy. I am hesitating typing "cancer free" here because the reality is once you've been told you have cancer, you always live in fear of a re-occurance. I am now hoping to get a whole body scan if possible. However, I am grateful for my amazing doctors at KU, the decision to do the mastectomy and the support through my recovery. Feeling blessed!
why
When you replace "why is this happening to me" with "what for?" everything shifts.
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Why wouldn’t you
My love for those close to me who have been subjected to the ravages of breast cancer is immeasurable. I have watched them struggle, persevere, and thrive following their journey after diagnosis. Once I was talking with one of my dearest girlfriends about how she was feeling not long after she was diagnosed, and she was expressing feelings of guilt and doubt for feeling sad and dejected. I responded by saying, "Why wouldn't you feel sad right now? Why wouldn't you be angry? Why wouldn't you have more questions than answers and have a sense of dread right now? As a devoted mother and wife, why wouldn't you be worrying about how this was going to impact your family? And why wouldn't you be worried about your future…you have breast cancer and that's a big, damn deal." My point being, I think we need to normalize, validate, and vocalize the emotions that are TOTALLY NORMAL for anyone going through this and not suggest that they should buy a cheery sign at Hobby Lobby and be strong through it all. You won't be and that's ok. You are human and are a precious, fragile, and fierce person that is facing a major detour. You are entitled to whatever you are feeling about whatever happened today. So embrace the gift of emotion, cut your self some slack, and know that your journey is unique and you can define and process it however you need to. My prayer and hope for you is that you will have the support and resources you need throughout it all and that your best days are ahead.
“Heart of Life”
"Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No, it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good"
– John Mayer
These lyrics remind me that living a happy life isn't about things going the way you want them to, but about having faith in yourself and choosing love no matter how things go. You got this!
Elephants and the Winter Warlock as inspiration
There is a line from Robert Frost that helps me walk through tough times: "The best way out is always through." And the one I share with my kids is: "The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time." Both say to me that we can do difficult things, experience dark times and feel anxious about the road before us….and still just keep striving toward the goal.
As I type this, the image of a young Kris Kringle singing "Put One Foot in Front of the Other" comes to mind (from the Christmas special Santa Clause is Coming To Town). I dare you to recall that song and not get it stuck in your head:
"Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking out the door!"
Whether it is a reference from a poet, an allusion to an elephant metaphor or the memory of a stop-action cartoon figure to which you turn, there are resources out there, people who have walked that road before you, and friends who will walk it with you. Keep keeping on!
(Sorry about the ear worm.)
XO
Glennon Doyle Quotes
"Every time I said to myself: I can’t take this anymore — I was wrong. The truth was that I could and did take it all — and I kept surviving. Surviving again and again made me less afraid of myself, of other people, of life.”
“You have been offered ‘the gift of crisis’. As Kathleen Norris reminds us, the Greek root of the word crisis is 'to sift', as in, to shake out the excesses and leave only what’s important. That’s what crises do. They shake things up until we are forced to hold on to only what matters most. The rest falls away.”
“Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyway.”
"Life has valleys and mountains and the people who won’t let themselves experience the agony of being in the valley also don’t get to experience the ecstasy of the mountains."
"The wounded become the healers. Your pain will not be wasted. Trust it. Be brave enough to be still in it and you’ll learn that your pain will NOT consume you. It will become the fire you burn to light and warm the world.”
“These things will be hard, but you can do hard things.”
“You are not supposed to be happy all the time. Life hurts and it’s hard. Not because you’re doing it wrong, but because it hurts for everybody. Don’t avoid the pain. You need it. It’s meant for you. Be still with it, let it come, let it go, let it leave you with the fuel you’ll burn to get your work done on this earth.”
I decided
When I was diagnosed, a family friend who had been through breast cancer treatment over 30 years ago called to comfort me. Something she said had a big impact on me. She told me that so many of the women she knew had given up on their drugs (I believe she was referring to hormone blockers) because they felt miserable, so she said "I just decided to tolerate it. I decided. And I did."
Shortly after that, I talked to someone who was being taken off her hormone blocker after 10 years and said she was going to miss it. (Miss it!?!) She said it felt like her security blanket was being taken away.
Until then, it hadn't occured to me that taking an estrogen blocker could be anything but awful. After all, I was on estrogen replacement up until my diagnosis. If I felt good before, didn't that mean that now I would feel bad?
But I decided to tolerate it. I decided. For the first month or so, each time I took my Anastrozole (Arimidex), I paused to look at the bottle and feel grateful for it. I smiled at it. I thought of all the scientists whose work led to these little white pills and thanked them for helping me continue to live my life and be here for my family. And I feel fine. Would I maybe have felt fine anyway? Who knows. Probably. Despite the horror stories I've heard and read, most people tolerate hormone blockers, according to my oncologist. But if you're worried about it like I was, remember that the mind is a medicine cabinet. Placebos can work as well as drugs just because we believe in them. Your thoughts have power.
A good friend. . . .
A good friend doubles the good times and halves the bad times. So don’t be afraid to reach out to your friends even when they are struggling with not knowing how to help! They love you and just want to be there to walk along beside you. ❤️❤️
– unknown
“Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome.”
A quote
"Life is amazing. And then it's awful. And then it's amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it's ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That's just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it's breathtakingly beautiful." –L.R. Knost
Oncology cream
I recommend the PhysAssist Oncology Cream. It's $20 for a 4 oz. jar on Amazon. One jar got me through 21 radiation sessions, applying twice a day.
The journey . . .
I am going on 3 years of being cancer free. Not a day goes by that I don't think about my diagnosis but you have to keep going and enjoying life. I have started doing things I never did before. For the past few years I have been taking aerial silk classes and along with ballet, pilates, and yoga. All these exercise help keep me in shape as well as stretch the area where I had my lumpectomy.
Being active and talking about having cancer has helped me too. You never know who else may have experienced this journey. Getting things off your chest, no pun intended really does help.
Remember you are not alone on this journey. Reach out and talk to somebody!
The Sis Kiss – The Hope Pink Link bracelet by Loverly Grey
When I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer my girlfriend sent me the sweetest gift – The hope pink link bracelet by Loverly Grey. https://thesiskiss.com/products/pink-hero-bead-and-gold-bracelet?variant=43421987438847¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAABYCfkCHQ9ylVPgh9GKKSAnNv3bO-&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3reKkYDBhwMVHDcIBR3mHQn6EAQYASABEgIazvD_BwE If you know anyone newly diagnosed, this is a perfect by to show your love and support. Or…. If you want to spoil yourself with a way to remember how strong you are, but this sweet bracelet for yourself! It comes with a little card explaining the reason behind the design. I wear it a lot and think of her, my journey and all the women out there in this same boat! Love!
BioCorneum – you’re welcome!
Best Scare Gel treatment on the market – Amazon! Thank you!!
One year since my diagnosis
It's been a year and I'm going strong! Thank g-d! I want others to know there is a light. Life does move on and it's beautiful. You can because you want to, move on. I always believe that life teaches us every day. As shitty as it is at times, it teaches us. It's been a year and I had a double mastectomy and have no regrets. It was the right decision for me, yes a decision. I'm on Tomoxifen for the next 5 years and it's not fun but it's the assurance of knowing my risk is substantially reduced. Do your screenings. Do your self checks. Tell others to do the same!
A prayer that gave me strength
“Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow, the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually “The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart has trusted in Him and I am helped. He is not only with me but in me and I in HIm.” Saint Francines De Sales
A few great Quotes to start your day 🙂
Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going. – Sam Levenson
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. – Buddha
If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.- William J. Clinton
Thank you for this recommendation!