Two
more weeks of radiation to go. And just as they said I would be, I am tired. The
burns are becoming more severe, but I know this is necessary to counter the aggression
of the disease. The team of radiation techs I see daily at treatment are the
sweetest. I am so grateful for the gentle souls surrounding me with care. 12
more sessions/doses to go.
Grad
school is back in full swing. I am currently scheduled to finish Dec 2024 with my
masters in Global Leadership with an emphasis in Islamic Studies. The world of
Islam and the way it shapes culture will forever be fascinating to me. I am
eating it up.
The
end of October I will begin a crazy travel season with work trips to Iraq and
Bolivia, followed by a personal trip to Cairo, Egypt over Thanksgiving. Some of
you know that Egypt was my home for 2 years, and I have not been back since I
left in Dec 2011. To say I am excited would be an understatement. To me, Egypt
is the most mysterious, mystical, passion filled place on the planet. It’s
tough, but the people are incredibly genuine. Some special reunions
await.
Overall,
I am in good spirits and feeling more and more like my old self. It’s amazing
the small things that are big deals in this journey "back to
normalcy". I know fully that "normal" will never be as it once
was...and I am learning to be okay with that. I have been granted a miraculous
peace I cannot explain.
I am
asking for prayer as I begin my hormone blocker in October. My type of cancer
is driven by estrogen, so as difficult as it is to do this, I need to stop its
effect on my body. It’s pretty terrifying to put my body into the unnatural
state of menopause so early, and the side effects are known to be rough. This
will be the norm for the next 5 years. I am also praying against increased
issues with lymphedema from the radiation and hoping the reconstruction will hold
up. I do not want to face additional surgeries of radiation induced
damage.
Thank
you for checking in, praying for me, and encouraging me. Smiling with a heart
of deep gratitude as I am a few weeks away from the anniversary of my
diagnosis. What a year.
Comments
Post a Comment