Just keep swimming! Treatment #4!

 Just keep swimming!

Love this guy with everything I have.  My parents, sister, and I are so grateful for his love and support.  He wins husband and father of the year for sure.

Today should have been my first official day of summer vacation.  Instead, I sat for 5 hours having blood taken, waiting to see a doctor, meeting with the doctor to discuss symptoms, waiting for chemo, and finally receiving my fourth chemotherapy treatment.  Not exactly how I envisioned my summer when I was dreaming about it this past winter.  But...  God has a plan and there is a purpose for this journey that I am on.  That purpose hasn't been revealed to me yet, but I am starting to find some positives from this whole journey.

Today's treatment was the "long" treatment.  I have an extra medicine pumped into me once per month called Zometa.  This medicine is supposed to help relieve bone pain due to the cancer spreading to my bones.  I then sat through what they called Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide, AC for short.  Adriamycin is often referred to as "the red devil," because of its harsh side effects.  I have not been especially excited about this term.  As I was scrolling through a Facebook support group I've joined, someone shared a post the other day with a different perspective.  In the post, the original author wrote about calling it her "red sunshine", bringing light to all the dark places in her body.  This was such a moving and comforting thought to me.  While I was being injected with it today, I was thinking about how the sunshine is coursing through my veins.  🌞

In honor of my teaching background, my sister bought me this shirt.  While teaching students about growth mindset, "Just keep swimming" from Finding Nemo was a phrase that I often used.  You don't always know what life is going to throw at you, but it's important to keep swimming.  So glad I had all this growth mindset training.  It's really coming in handy and helping me stay positive throughout this journey.

Laura took today off from work to accompany me to chemo.  I'm so thankful that I have people to join me that are happy to sit and laugh with me.  Laughter is such good medicine.  Love you, Laura!

This past weekend, I was able to go to Ellsworth... twice!  This may not seem like a big deal, but to someone who has hardly left town in the last couple of months (except for going to Dana-Farber and Brewer for appointments), this was a really big deal.  I spent the morning Saturday with my sister, shopping in Ellsworth, the way we used to do a lot of weekends.  It was very special to be able to do this again and not have to tell my sister to slow down because I couldn't keep up with her.  One of our stops was to a local farm stand.  At the farm stand, a woman came over to me and offered me encouragement and support.  That is one positive about wearing the beanie.  It's kind of like a secret club.  You don't have to speak the words, but those who have been there know what you are facing and can offer you encouragement.  Anyway, she gave me her phone number, hugged me, and shared a bit of her journey.  On Sunday Jason, Owen, and I went to church.  The message reminded me about the miracles that God creates every day in our lives.  After church we decided to go to Owen's favorite restaurant, Pat's Pizza.  As we walked out the door, Owen almost ran into a lady as he rounded the corner.  My first thought was this lady was on her way in the restaurant since we hadn't seen her walk out.  But somehow she had seen us paying and was waiting for us outside.  She said she would like to pray for our family, asked my name, and prayed with us in the parking lot.  She had a Southern accent that told me she was not from around here.  She has no idea how much her kindness meant to Jason and me.  A perfect stranger visiting the area could see our family needed prayer, came up to us, and offered it to us.  There is no doubt in my mind that God sent that woman to Pat's Pizza while we were there to encourage us.  There is so much good in the world.  Unfortunately sometimes it takes pain and suffering to be able to clearly see the good.

I have started walking again.  I'm not about to win any races or distance awards, but it feels good to be able to go for a 15 minute walk every evening.  I also bought a trampoline and am doing 10 minutes of rebounding every day.  This is supposed to stimulate the lymphatic system and move the lymph fluid through my body, which should help remove cancer cells.  I figure it can't hurt to try it!  Owen is pretty excited to have a little trampoline to bounce on, too.

Over the next couple of weeks, there is a lot to look forward to.  Hopefully I will feel well enough to go to the 4th of July parade in Booklin and spend the day at Jason's grandparents house.  On July 7 Jason, my mom, and I will head to Boston for my Dana-Farber visit on July 8.  While there I will meet with Dr. Overmoyer to learn what the next steps are going to be.

Here is a video link to Dr. Overmoyer's explanation of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC).  People may wonder, "How did they (me/my doctors) miss this diagnosis?" but it's a very commonly missed diagnosis.  I'm actually lucky that it was found before I got any sicker.  I'm also blessed that this woman is my doctor.  She's one of two doctors in the country that people recommend for this type of cancer and she is "only" a five hour drive from my house.

We are all so thankful for the outpouring of love that we have received.  At most of my appointments I get asked about my support system.  I have to laugh every time because I know that they are thinking a small town girl might need extra help.  It is quite the opposite for me.  I am overwhelmed by all the offers of help that we receive regularly.  I am keeping a list of those who have offered and will definitely let people know if we need something.  Please keep sending positive thoughts and prayers my way.  It's not always easy, but knowing so many of you care helps make this journey feel a little less lonely.  💖