Recently someone excitedly said to me, “It is almost your month!”. I was confused but later realized that she was talking about October- Breast Cancer Awareness month.
I am a 2019 breast cancer survivor, stage 3b, triple negative. I choose a double mastectomy with no reconstruction and no regrets. And even after all this time, some days are hard.
Here are a few random thoughts and feelings:
- We don’t love the pink ribbon. It took me four years to finally wear one. The pink choose us, we didn’t chose the pink.
- Not all of us like to share the journey and the details. It is our journey and ultimately, we choose what we want to share- and that is okay.
- We will never be the old normal again. We are trying to find our new normal and that can be a steep, slippery slope. And that is okay.
- Learning of someone we know that has passed away from breast cancer can send us into hibernation for awhile. And that is okay.
- Some day we are a warrior and some days we go back to bed and pull the cover over our heads. And that is okay.
- Women helping women is a beautiful thing.
- There is power in prayer and you don’t need to know all the details to pray for someone.
- People say the dumbest things. And that is okay.
- The realization that your days may be numbered is powerful. It may cause your priorities to shift which may inspire life changes and friendships to shift. Change is scary but can also be exciting.
My journey was one of self reflection. I wanted to remember what I really loved and what I really loved to do. Turns out, all those things were just an arms length away. I love to feed my friends and family, I love to grow and preserve food, I love to write. And all those things led to www.christygoza.com and a wonderful, magically garden in my backyard. And now the site has morphed into recipes and words for the world and I love creating content in my spare time.
My hope for fellow survivors- I hope you find peace and comfort and heal to the extent you find hobbies you love that fill your days with joy.
One in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. The best chance at survival is early detection. Make certain you and the women you love get their annual mammogram.
If you are on this journey and would like to talk- I am always available.
