The C word....

I heard the C word for the first time, many years ago but it was so distant, so unrelated to me, it barely phased me.

I heard the C word again a few years later but this time from someone I knew, one of my aunts. She had the C word and we lost her to the C word.

Throughout my teens and young adulthood, I heard about the C word may times, again quite distant. "It will never happen to me" were probably some of the thoughts that crossed my mind....

But I had just turned 23 when it happened. I was alone, thousands of miles away from my family and loved ones, and the C word made an appearance in my life. It was sometime in October of 2004 when I first found out that I had Cancer. Since then, I've had three surgeries, two radiation treatments, and year round check-ups with countless doctors and medical professionals. I'm pretty sure I see some of them more than I see my friends. It's pretty freaking insane to live with cancer. You tell your story over and over and over....until you sound like a broken record.

And then, for a little while, things settled down (finally!). And I got married, we had a kid, we bought a house (not necessarily in that order). We lived in our house for a while. Then, we left the middle of nowhere and moved to a faux city. We had new careers. Sold our old house. Life Was Happening!!

And just when I thought that things were finally OK; that I didn't have to worry about it anymore, cancer strikes again with a vengeance! The news I heard a few weeks ago still linger....recurrence......metastasis......surgery.......

I was scared...... I just wanted to curl up and cry for a very long time. But I needed to get my ish together. In my book, you either go big or go home.

Life has constantly thrown curve balls at me and somehow I've always managed to hit them. Well, bring it on cancer!!!! I'm a fighter and am ready to fight you once more!!!! I've kicked your ass three times, I'm sure as hell I will do it again!!!!