Today I felt fairly good starting off my day.
I got up early and decided to walk my dogs and get groceries while it was morning.
While I was on my walk I got an email on my blackberry. It was my father in law and he said "call mom simpson asap"...so I did.
She told me there was a support group for breast cancer at noon.
It was 10:30 and I hadn't gotten groceries yet.
She told me there was going to be a guest speaker and lunch.
Sold.
So off I went to get groceries and then to the meeting. I wasn't sure if I'd be feeling much up to talking, but I guess I was wrong. I poured it out. I probably sounded self absorbed, but I needed it.
The group today was just a small one, about 6 older, small town ladies. I think the youngest was 50? But it didn't matter. They were so sweet. I had a blast! We had tea, coffee, croissant sandwiches and there was a guest speaker. The speaker was a woman who works as a life coach. She was like a mix between a motivational speaker and a therapist. Very Wayne Dyer-esque.
I liked it.
We also chatted randomly about our breast cancer experiences. They seemed interested to hear my stories as I think most of them had completed treatment many years ago. Things change quickly with treatment and medicine (yet for some reason there is no better replacement for chemo). I learned a lot too. I learned that "staging" of cancer is NOT cut and dry. One woman had a small lump 1.4cm, and zero node involvement and was classified stage 3! Another had a 3.5cm lump and 2 infected nodes and was classified as stage 4 (terminal!). So it makes sense to me now that my cancer isn't easy to stage. It's often much more than size and node factors that are involved. It's pattern, it's many things.....
I had a great time. If I wasn't concerned about my dogs eating my groceries in my van, I would have stayed all day. I will go again....and I will bring my Mom next time!
Grateful.
I got up early and decided to walk my dogs and get groceries while it was morning.
While I was on my walk I got an email on my blackberry. It was my father in law and he said "call mom simpson asap"...so I did.
She told me there was a support group for breast cancer at noon.
It was 10:30 and I hadn't gotten groceries yet.
She told me there was going to be a guest speaker and lunch.
Sold.
So off I went to get groceries and then to the meeting. I wasn't sure if I'd be feeling much up to talking, but I guess I was wrong. I poured it out. I probably sounded self absorbed, but I needed it.
The group today was just a small one, about 6 older, small town ladies. I think the youngest was 50? But it didn't matter. They were so sweet. I had a blast! We had tea, coffee, croissant sandwiches and there was a guest speaker. The speaker was a woman who works as a life coach. She was like a mix between a motivational speaker and a therapist. Very Wayne Dyer-esque.
I liked it.
We also chatted randomly about our breast cancer experiences. They seemed interested to hear my stories as I think most of them had completed treatment many years ago. Things change quickly with treatment and medicine (yet for some reason there is no better replacement for chemo). I learned a lot too. I learned that "staging" of cancer is NOT cut and dry. One woman had a small lump 1.4cm, and zero node involvement and was classified stage 3! Another had a 3.5cm lump and 2 infected nodes and was classified as stage 4 (terminal!). So it makes sense to me now that my cancer isn't easy to stage. It's often much more than size and node factors that are involved. It's pattern, it's many things.....
I had a great time. If I wasn't concerned about my dogs eating my groceries in my van, I would have stayed all day. I will go again....and I will bring my Mom next time!
Grateful.
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