Spring has sprung :)

This spring will be different for me and I am so ready for the fresh start. :) No chemo. No shots. No pain. And my hair will only keep getting longer, not falling out. It feels so good to know that this year will be different.

So, let's see. I never updated about my trip to Florida. It was amazing! I saw my mom for the first time since September, my aunt who I hadn't seen since August, and two of my cousins whom I hadn't seen in years. It was great catching up with all of them and meeting my cousin Alex's wife, Melissa. The weather was beautiful and warm all four days we were there. Disney was amazing and I swear we walked close to ten miles that day! (I lost 3 pounds when I got back from that trip!) The conference was really quite incredible. I was surrounded by women my age who knew and understood what I had gone through. Some of them were still in treatment, wearing bandanas or hats to cover up their baldness. We were given different colored lei's depending on our situation. For example, white meant you were less than a year out from diagnosis, green was 1-5 years out, and so on. I caught myself seeing a young woman with a white or green lei and thinking, "Wow, she looks really young." And then I'd remember.... I'm young, too.

I often hear, "You're really young to have breast cancer." However, it happened. And there were hundreds of women as young or younger than me who had been diagnosed. The picture below is the group photo from the conference. I'm in the front row on the left side, wearing white pants and a purple tank top. There were women from TEN different countries there: Canada, Colombia, Germany, Ireland, Isreal, New Zealand, Philippines, UK, USA, and Zambia

Kinda crazy to think all of these woman were diagnosed under the age of 40, isn't it?



Overall, it was a great trip and great experience. I miss my family but I'm really grateful I was able to spend even four days with them. :)







My most recent trip was to Oregon to visit my great uncle Sonny and aunt Olga. Alan came along and we had a lot of fun! We were spoiled rotten by them, ate very well, and got to see the sights of Oregon. We went to a museum, an Indian casino, and on the last night, we went out to dinner. From there, we went to California to see the Pacific and explore the Redwood Forest. I was in absolute awe by that place. Those trees are so enchanting and beautiful. The history they hold and what those trees have endured through time is incredible. If you've never been, I highly recommend you see it at least once in your lifetime.



The Pacific coast was beautiful, as well. We had fun on the beach! (I had a cold so I didn't take my shoes off, but Alan had a good time!) :)








In health news, I'm still feeling well. I've been eating right and exercising. Last time I checked in with my nutritionist, I was down 8 lbs! It has been very encouraging.

Also, I will be having a colonoscopy on April 19th because I want to make extra sure there is nothing wrong with my GI tract. If my body continues to feel as well as it has, I may cancel it. The doctors kept telling me to just give my body 6 months to a year to feel normal again. So, I will keep you all posted on that issue.

Until next time, enjoy the warmer weather! :)

Love,
Annie xx

Recalling the first surgery

It was one year ago today that I endured my first lumpectomy. I remember being relieved that the tumor would finally be removed from my body. Everything happened so quickly, it all seems like a blur when I think back to that day. Dr. Molin was wonderful though. My mom, sister, and brother were all there that day. I remember when I came out of surgery, groggy from the anethesia, and seeing them all standing at the foot of my bed. I remember Dr. Molin coming into my post-op room, leaning over me, and saying, "This is curable." I remember I started crying, not because I was in pain, but because I was so incredibly overwhelmed with what was happening to me. I suppose a part of me was hoping to wake up from this nightmare and have it be just that. But little did I know what lay ahead of me in those following months. Exactly one week later, I would be back in surgery again, in attempt to remove all of the cancer in my breast.