Saturday, May 4, 2013

Wow!  Since I've been MIA for a month I guess it's time to do some catching up.  First I need to wish a double Happy Birthday to my Dad who turned 69 today and also to our lovely daughter Kinsey who turned 20. Where does the time go???

One year, one month, and one day ago on April 3rd, 2012, I had my bilateral mastectomies. That date marked a transformation for me both physically and mentally. It was from that point that I was no longer a cancer patient but instead was considered a "survivor".  That sounded to me like a great reason to party! There had been plenty of attention placed on me for over a year so instead of focusing on that I decided this party could be a celebration focusing on thanks.  The only daunting task was to decide who to invite. Clearly I couldn't accommodate everyone who had wished me well so I decided to choose those who were there from start to finish, through thick and thin. 

After attempting to transform our unfinished basement into a "pink" zone we all gathered there on April 13th for some wine, appetizers, and some extra special thank yous.  With Brad's help preparing munchies and Kinsey's help with the decorating, it was a fun evening shared with about 35 of the most awesome women I know! It was a mixed bunch-some family, all friends. There were people I see everyday and others I don't see real often like my hairdresser and our vet. Even Grandma was there in spirit. Apparently I chose the perfect date because almost everyone I invited was able to attend. We had a great time just catching up, relaxing, and as you can imagine sharing a few tears.

There are so many things I have learned through this breast cancer journey. First of course is the power of prayer. There were people praying that I don't know and have never even met, some near, some far, some I have not seen or spoken with in years. That alone is empowering. Secondly I learned that people don' t have to do big things because the little things mean just as much. There were those who brought meals, one who mowed our yard, some who sent flowers or delivered presents and even those who offered monetary support knowing how tight things got with me off work and so many medical bills.  Many in the room had simply checked in time and time again with a visit, a call, a text, Face Book message or an email. As I explained they had no idea how much regular contact meant. It's funny how God works. I never had too many visitors or too many calls, they were instead perfectly spaced to fill in the dull or down moments. They couldn't have been scheduled and turned out any more therapeutic.

As you can imagine there wasn't time to speak about everyone or how each had touched my life. Instead I spoke in generalizations. There were however three women I felt I had to speak about individually. First was my Grandma Budreau. Although she was in the nursing home and no longer able to do the extras she would have in the past, her role was praying the rosary. Even as her body failed she never once forgot to ask how I was or to tell me she was praying. Since she has passed I placed an angel she gave me on the table and tied some pink balloons to it. She was certainly there in spirit.  Second was my cousin Monica, aka my "big sister". She had suffered a stroke at age 46. It was her undying faith, her strength and courage that so many times gave me the motivation to "keep on keeping on". Lastly of course was my sister, Kristin. She attended appointments, organized food, and was my private duty nurse. I had to write out my thoughts and still couldn't communicate them all as effectively as I would have liked to. Before I was done there was hardly a dry eye in the room.

I had plenty of pink- small party favors and pink flowers, pink cupcakes with breast cancer liners, cancer ribbon pasta salad, and even pink bracelets available for the younger girls who joined me. Somehow I even  managed to find a bottle of wine with a tag supporting the cause.

Although this party was about thanking my girlfriends some of them still felt the need to bring something special for me. Spoiled once again! Little did they know that there mere presence was present enough!

A dear friend had burned a very moving and empowering CD for me even before I was diagnosed. She had no idea how many times I would listen to it throughout the course of my journey. The last song is called "Thanks". I really wanted to play it after I was done addressing the group. However, I knew that they like me didn't want to spend their entire evening in tears. After all this was a PARTAAAAY!!!!! So instead I will post the video here. It pretty much sums up how I feel about all the love and support that has been shown to me and my family. It brings tears to my eyes every time I listen. I truly have the best family and friends anyone could every ask for!