One Year Milestone

“Birthdays don't really matter much anymore ... for me, I sort of have a new birthday and that's October 2nd, the day I was diagnosed, ... the day we all sort of look to and mark these milestones by one year, two year, five year, 10 year. Hopefully, I have a 50 year.”   - Lance Armstrong



Today, Friday, April 6th is my diagnosis birthday.  One year ago today, I was diagnosed with small cell poorly differentiated neuroendocrine cancer (primary unknown); about two weeks later, I started this blog. 

One of the toughest things about this past year has been trying to lead a "normal" life - in between doctor appointments...my blog is a record of both the cancer, and life beyond the cancer.  

The past year in a nutshell:

• Multiple ultrasounds of the liver
• Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis MRI:  2
• Brain MRI: 4
• Spine MRI: 1 (my absolute least favorite scan, to put it nicely....its torture being strapped in for 2 hours)
• Needle Liver Biopsy
• Octreotide Scan (3 Day Scanning Process)
• PetScan
• CT-Scans to the Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis): 7
• Therasphere (radioactive cancer therapy)
• Gall Bladder Cholecystectomy surgery
• From the Gall Bladder pathology report it was detected that I had another form of cancer in the GB as well, what they called, Adenocarcinoma of the gall bladder (now viewed as the primary).  Apparently this then mutated into the neuroendocrine cancer.  There are NO reported cases of this in medical history, only ME.
• Brain Radiation (for 10 days)
• Genetic Blood Banking
• Port installed in my upper chest
• Received my first blood transfusion
• 4 Hospitalizations (2 to 4 days each)
• 3 Trip to the ER
• 11 rounds of Chemo
• Countless hours spent at the hospitals (for chemo visits, blood draws, gall bladder attack hospitalizations, to many scans to count, etc...)

 Trips to heal my soul and body this past year:

• May: Gulf Shores
• August:  Kauai, Hawaii
• September:  DisneyWorld
• December:  North Carolina (to visit my brother and his family) and Miami
• February:  Miami (boys were able to be "pilots" for a few minutes)
• March: Miami

Extra special surprises that have happened for the boys (due to my cancer):

• Dolphin Encounter (had our own special 1-on-1 encounter with the dolphins and giraffes)
• Multiple trips to see the Chicago Bulls (the last one Benny came and "kissed mama on the lips")
• Upcoming (on the 19th of this month):  Chicago White Sox VIP treatment (more to come after the game)

So here is to another year of scans and chemo treatments and Northwestern Memorial Hospital appointments, enjoying my boys and being a mother, traveling with family and eating great food...here is to another year of celebrating life - one day at a time.

Peace, Love & Miracles