Hanging Tough

There is a power to be harnessed in your inner toughness. I have to admit that from the get-go, I have not resonated with the pink ribbon campaigns, with the survivor mentality and verbage. I did not feel like fighting or being tough... that meant that I was a victim in some way. I have not… Continue reading Hanging Tough

Why we need to weep & wail & tear at our chests

I want to cry but I choke it I crumple it up & it dissolves back into me What just happened there? did I shrink just a little? Something died there a missed opportunity to rip the top off my feelings But I must steel myself There is no time for this shit What will… Continue reading Why we need to weep & wail & tear at our chests

Shedding Layers of Me

What is a woman without her breasts? Without her fertility? Without her hair... eyelashes, eyebrows? What is a woman too sick and sore to hold her baby, to cook for her husband? What is a woman who can't drive a car and doesn't feel well enough to contribute at work? Underneath, what will be there… Continue reading Shedding Layers of Me

Rights of the sick; Dying to Live

UPDATE, 2 weeks post surgery: I developed a fever of 102 from an infection, and felt like crap again for a few days. I learned that I actually had REFILLS on my antibiotics and should have remained on them for 3 weeks, not just 6 measly days. (Really wish the pharmacist or the doctors had… Continue reading Rights of the sick; Dying to Live

All in All, A Very Good Day!

Melissa's surgery was a success today. We got the news we wanted so badly to hear: Her sentinel lymph node tested negative for cancer cells! Thank God! Thank all of you! Melissa's resting now, I'm here to watch over her. If all looks good we will be discharged tomorrow afternoon.  - Joey

Thank you Grandma, I love you and I’m sorry

Dear Grandma Viola, We never met. I am the oldest daughter of your youngest daughter. You passed away only a few years before I was born. My mother watched you be diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 51, go through a barbaric mastectomy, which was the best they could do at the time… Continue reading Thank you Grandma, I love you and I’m sorry