Care, Stories I remember so clearly the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My family and I were on vacation. I was still reeling from a mammogram and biopsy and still hoping that the results would be negative. Just a mere inconvenience in the scheme of things. Looking out at the beach I could see my family enjoying the ocean. I wasn’t allowed to get wet because of the dressing from the biopsy so I stayed on our deck. My cell rang and I could see it was my doctor’s phone number. I thought it might be good news, but my stomach did backflips when I answered. She cut to the chase…”I am so sorry, the lump is malignant.” When we arrived home, we learned that the tumor had to come out along with sentinel lymph nodes. During surgery they removed the malignancy and found Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). I’d had DCIS four years earlier. The sentinel nodes were not affected, and margins were clear. I was also diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Halfway through chemo I developed a blood clot on my jugular on the port side and had to be hospitalized for three days. I kept trying to visualize myself back at the beach on our “lost” vacation. My goal was to get through five months of chemo and 20 rounds of radiation. Then, by June, I could be back on the sand staring at the water. In February I had my final radiation. Family and friends were with me while we celebrated. I was ready to get my life back. June was not that far away. We heard about a virus on the news, but it was still a distant warning. I put it aside. Then the world turned upside down. I met with my surgeon on March 2, wearing a mask. I was told until I was given the go ahead, I could not leave the house. I was immunosuppressed. I could not fulfill the plans I made just a few months earlier to go to the beach. In fact, I could not leave my house at all until given the go ahead, even to take a walk. I was immunosuppressed from the treatment. So here I am, not dissimilar to sitting on the deck looking out at the beach. Some mornings I am in my bedroom, staring out the window. I see green treetops, our yard and flowers in bloom. The sounds of summer await. Our county in Maryland is under lockdown. I am now allowed outside in front of our house. Wearing a mask, I can at least see all the signs of summer and feel a soft breeze. The neighborhood is eerily silent. I long for the day when I can be out and about again. My surgery was postponed for a few days last August so I could go to Phoenix and see the Rolling Stones with my family. I am so happy that was accomplished. The Stones are not touring right now because of the corona virus. However, just as I learned all those months ago, oddly enough from Mick Jagger, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you find you get what you need. << Previous Post In Case You Missed It:... Komen Blog Read More Next Post >> Tips for Getting the Most... Komen Blog Read More Related Stories Previous Next Komen Blog Komen’s 2021-2022 Advocacy Priorities Seek... Read More Komen Blog Tips for Living a Healthy... Read More Komen Blog Breast Cancer, No Longer Your... Read More Komen Blog When Pink is Just Another... Read More Komen Blog The Moment That Changed Everything Read More Komen Blog Experiencing Breast Cancer As a... Read More Komen Blog Jennifer and Angelo Merendino Used... Read More Komen Blog Social Justice Is An Issue... Read More Komen Blog National Breast Cancer Awareness Month... Read More Komen Blog Fierce Fight Read More Komen Blog Komen LA’s Mark Pilon Recovering... Read More Komen Blog Dr. Elizabeth Mittendorf Wants To... Read More Komen Blog Leading the Fight Against Metastatic... Read More hbaker Looking Back Helps Me See... Read More Komen Blog Susan G. Komen Unveils “LivePink”... Read More Komen Blog Coronavirus Stole My Cancer Thunder Read More Komen Blog Olympian Uses Medalist Mindset to... Read More Komen Blog Komen’s 2021-2022 Advocacy Priorities Seek... Read More Komen Blog Tips for Living a Healthy... Read More Komen Blog Breast Cancer, No Longer Your... Read More Komen Blog When Pink is Just Another... Read More Komen Blog The Moment That Changed Everything Read More Komen Blog Experiencing Breast Cancer As a... Read More Komen Blog Jennifer and Angelo Merendino Used... Read More Komen Blog Social Justice Is An Issue... Read More Komen Blog Triple Negative Breast Cancer –... Read More Komen Blog Susan G. Komen Unveils “LivePink”... Read More Komen Blog Patient Groups to Congress: End... Read More Komen Blog In Case You Missed It... Read More Komen Blog COVID-19 Quarantine and Your Mental... Read More Komen Blog Dr. Daniel Stover Leverages Lab... Read More Komen Blog The Affordable Care Act, Supreme... Read More Komen Blog Cherishing Every Moment Read More hbaker Looking Back Helps Me See... Read More JOIN US TODAY! JOIN