A Tough Cookie

Well today's the last day of the year and I've had plenty of time to reflect.  On December 31, 2013 while preparing for the entrance of the new year a preacher spoke the words, "Greater Things in 2014".  Those words would become my motto for the new year.  As the year started, greater things were happening.  Then April happened.  April 16, 2014, a Tough Cookie was born.  This was the day I was diagnosed with Triple Negative breast cancer.   I was told that I would only need 6 rounds of chemo, 1 round every 3 weeks.  Then I'd have surgery and reconstruction.  Well...  That's not quite how it happened.  Here's a recap.

April 3rd - Suspicious Cells Found

April 16th - Diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer ( A Tough Cookie is  Born)

September 12th - Four Months of Chemo, the Tumor Triples in Size and Spreads to the Lymph Nodes

September 22nd - A New Journey Begins with MD Anderson Houston

November 6th - Mastectomy Surgery

November 20th - Cancer Found in the Chest Muscle

December 9th - A Second Surgery to Remove Cancer from my Chest Muscle

December 18th - At My Follow-up Appointment I Find Out that I'm not Cancer Free (I wrote on the board in my hospital room after surgery on December 9th that I was cancer free)

December 31st - My coworker comes in with a cookie.  He said that they gave him an extra and he decided to share it with me.  While sitting at my desk, he says, "Oh by the way that's a tough cookie!"  We laughed because I knew this would inspire my last entry for 2014.  

I took the cookie out of the bag and it was indeed a tough cookie.  I had to apply pressure to break the cookie.  That's what we experience daily, pressure!  Life has a way of trying to break you.  And once I broke off a piece of the cookie and tasted it, I realized that the ingredients that are required to make it taste good hadn't been affected.  You see, despite all that I've been through.  The ingredients that were there when you started this journey with me in April are still there.  I'm still hopeful.  I'm still grateful.  I still believe that I'm going to be healed.  I still believe that Jesus is going to turn this around for my good.  I'm still me!  Nothing can change that.  I may not feel upbeat and uplifted everyday but, that doesn't mean that it's not in me.

Greater things may have not happened in 2014.  So here's to Greater Things in 2015!!!!

Happy New Year #TeamToughCookie!!!  You all have played a major role in how I've made it thus far.  Thank you for all that you've done for me and my family.  I love y'all!

#atoughcookiechronicles
#teamtoughcookie
#greaterthingsin2015
#idon'tlooklikewhati'vebeenthrough


If you need someone to talk to, feel free to shoot me an email at atoughcookiechronicles@gmail.com.

To subscribe to the blog:

Go to blogger.com.
Sign in and click Add.
You will start to receive emails.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

It's been 3 weeks since I had surgery and although I physically have challenges with my new body I feel a whole lot better than I have in months.  The removal of my lymph nodes has limited my range of motion to my left arm.  I can't lift my arm very high, if the arm is by my side. I am able to bend from the elbow, if the arm is already bent. Do to the lack of the range of motion and the weakness of my arm I have added a new member to my team Jeremy, my physical therapist.   A new journey within my journey.

While recovering I had an appointment with the radiation oncologist who has a plan for moving forward I could sense the lack of complete confidence in her voice.  It was the first time during an appointment I was discouraged. I left the office defeated.  On top of that I had developed an infection.   What was supposed to be a day filled with joy had turned into a day of blah!  We had also learned that my hubby's cousin was diagnosed with brain cancer. Could this day possibly get worst?   Our day started at 8 am and it was now 530 pm.  While listening to my husband encourage family, I stared out the window.  As the tears began to form in my eyes there it was,  a rainbow.

You see throughout my journey whenever I received bad news I saw a rainbow.  That day was no different.   I see the rainbow as a sign of hope.  God speaks to us in different ways.  This was Him speaking to me again, reminding me that He is in control and that I will be just fine.  My spirit was at peace. I felt better.

Friday morning I received a call from my surgeon. She wants to go back in and take more of my chest wall.  She schedules an appointment for Monday.  Well there goes my confidence yet again.  This time during the appointment I can't contain the tears. I cry. I prefer to appear strong in front of others because I don't like upsetting people.  This moment I thought of only myself.   As my surgeon explained why she and my other doctors thought this approach was best, I let the tears fall.

Every time I feel we take a step forward there seems to be a step back.  As we leave the doctor and travel back to Austin I remember that on Friday when driving to Houston there was another rainbow.  This time I was honored to see both ends of the rainbow.

In Genesis 9, the rainbow is the sign of a covenant between God and man.  God's covenant was a promise that He would never destroy the world by water ever again.   The rainbow reminds us that He is a God that can not lie.  When I started this journey the Lord said that I would live.  The rainbow for me reminds me that He will do just what He said.

So as I contemplate surgery once again I may be unsure of what I'll do.  However, I'm not concerned with whether this is a life or death situation. "The thief comes  to kill, steal,  and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly. " (John 10:10)

#atoughcookiechronicles
#faith

If you need someone to talk to, feel free to shoot me an email at atoughcookiechronicles@gmail.com.

To subscribe to the blog:

Go to blogger.com.
Sign in and click Add.
You will start to receive emails.