My Turn to Wear the Pink Ribbon

Hello everyone,

Since my breast cancer diagnosis and the surgery that followed, the outpouring of love and support for me and my family has been humbling and so heartwarming! I never knew so many people cared about me and what I was going through. There will never be an adequate way to express my deep and heartfelt thanks for all the love, support and prayers from all of you. From the depths of my heart, THANK YOU ALL.

It has now been 17 days since my mastectomy. I am still very weak, I tire easily, and it's difficult to get around, I still experience significant pain and discomfort, and of course, I am scared out of my wits. It's been hard to manage my emotions too; the change in my appearance has been difficult to accept. I am still in bed a good bit of the time, I have very limited use of my right side as yet, and I still have two drains inserted to drain fluids and excess blood. (Not much of a walk in the park so far.)

I have had numerous emails inquiring as to my conditon, but with my right side being as it is, as well as considering how easily I tire, I have been unable to answer each and every one, as much as I would like to. And ... there's an emotional side to this for me too. This all happened to me so fast, I have hardly had a chance to absorb it all and wrap my mind around it. Thus, it has been very, VERY hard to speak with anyone about what I have been through, except for very few. I do speak occasionally to other breast cancer survivors, to whom I don't have to re-live my experience, because they've been there. For the most part though, I am not yet up to talking about my experience in person; as much as I would like to be. I'm just not yet up to visitors.

Therefore, I created this "blog" (a new concept to me) in order to keep all who are interested in my progress informed as to how things are going. And your interest touches me deeply and warms my heart.

All this said, I am asking for your understanding in that I have not properly thanked each and every one of you personally for your inquiries, gifts, cards, tokens, words of encouragement and support, and most of all, your prayers. I FEEL THEM, and THEY GIVE ME STRENGTH. Please don't stop praying and encouraging -- it is what keeps me going! My having a positive outlook is what is going to help me beat this. Thank you SO MUCH!

Going forward, I'll try to post my progress here as my treatment proceeds, and try to let you know how I'm doing. And I will do my best to keep the details of my progress current. It will also serve as a way for me to journal the path of my journey, in the hope that one day, I can look back and see how far I've come! So, check in from time to time if you like. I would love to read your comments if you feel inclined to leave them, as I consider all of you my cheerleaders, and envision all of you wearing the "pink ribbon" on my behalf, as well as for so many other women like me!


At this point, I need to offer a special thanks to those who've been by my side since this ordeal began: my sister Brenda, who was at my side not only at the hospital, but when I got home as well, as were my dear sons, Mark and David, who keep me going. And my very special husband, Larry, who is my primary caregiver. He cooks, cleans, sets his alarm at various intervals through the night to give me my meds, he helps me shower and dress, drives me to every doctor appointment, waits on me hand and foot. and has been here for me 24/7. My appreciation for his devotion is beyond measure.

From now on, my blogs will likely be shorter and more concise. Thank you all for reading this very first blog, and I look forward to posting regular updates to all my beloved "cheerleaders!"

My sincere love and thanks to each and every one of you, and I truly mean that.

Till next time,

Deb