"2012-2022 - A decade of loss"

It has been quite the decade.

2012 - My mother passed away from breast cancer. She hid the disease until it was too late to treat, so needless to say the entire family was shocked when we found out why she was not feeling well. She passed away a little more than two months after receiving the diagnosis. I was not prepared to say goodbye. Is anyone ever, really?

2015 - After years of arguing over everyone's favorite subject, finances, I left my husband. It was a long time coming but painful, nonetheless.

2017 - Shortly after his 89th birthday my father passed away. I was sad but prepared for the end and glad he was no longer suffering. And I was relieved that I could stop the frequent evening visits to check on him. Then came the guilt for feeling relieved. 

2018 - My bra was not fitting properly, and I felt something was not right. A biopsy was negative for any abnormalities, so I wasn't worried. That fall, my 14-year-old son was detained for allegedly being involved in a school threat. While he was not charged with any crime, he was expelled from high school and his world fell apart. This is when the REAL stress began. 

2019 - I went in for a follow-up biopsy and ultrasound and the results were positive for breast cancer. I was scheduled for a simple lumpectomy but upon review of the MRI, the surgeon informed me that I needed a mastectomy and would have to seek treatment two hours away if I wanted to consider any reconstruction in the future. Chemotherapy and radiation followed my surgery. Oh, and the PET Scan showed a pseudoaneurysm on my Aorta that would need to be repaired once cancer treatments were completed.

2020 - The Aorta received a stent, but because it was so high, a surgery for a Carotid Artery bypass was needed first. Fun stuff. After five days of rest and watching my household being packed up, I moved to a new city and began a new job. This all happened within a period of two weeks. 

2021 - I reluctantly resigned from my Payroll Accountant position early in the year. I developed Chemo-Induced peripheral neuropathy and can no longer work using an adding machine and keyboard.

Whew! Hello 2022 - I have decided that despite of what I have lost in the last decade, especially my breast, I will "embrace myself." I will accept myself as I am and make every effort to make the next decade full of happiness!

Please join me. Embrace • Your • Self.