Female in Motion

I had a "lite" version of breast cancer. It seems like there are a million products on the market now that are "light," "lite," or "reduced" in some fashion. Weird, but I think about my cancer in that way. I had a very mild case of breast cancer, or Cancer Lite. I almost feel like I shouldn't claim to be a cancer survivor. So many others have really, truly struggled with side effects of treatment, horrible pain from surgeries and catastrophic changes to their daily lives. While I did have three surgeries, six doses of chemotherapy and 30 radiation treatments, my body tolerated all of it fairly well, and I seem to be bouncing back rapidly. Call it "survivor's guilt," but I went through a couple of months after treatment where I felt a bit ashamed. I gained weight, had tons of personal support and a great experience with my cancer team. During this time, a young man I knew died from liver cancer. He was a vibrant, strong C...

I am feeling a little weary today, after a half-day of work, a Relay For Life meeting, and my first post-surgical grocery shopping trip, so I am posting a video of a Scott Krippayne song, "Sometimes He Calms the Storm." Several people have quoted lines from this song to me. It fits my current situation, and anyone else who is going through a difficult season. I've included the lyrics below, because they are so meaningful. You are not alone. "All who sail the sea of faith Find out before too long How quickly blue skies can grow dark And gentle winds grow strong Suddenly fear is like white water Pounding on the soul Still we sail on knowing That our Lord is in control Sometimes He calms the storm With a whispered peace be still He can settle any sea But it doesn't mean He will Sometimes He holds us close And lets the wind and waves go wild Sometimes He calms the storm And other times He calms His child He has a reason for each trial  That w...

As promised, here is the weekly photo of Female in Motion. She's a little bit tired, but not too bad for four days post-surgery. I had a single mastectomy of my right breast on Monday, August 20, 2012 at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, IL. Some folks thought I would be in the hospital for weeks, or in bed for months, but I was released the next day and able to fly home in two days. Modern medicine is a marvelous thing! I was treated like a queen by all the surgical and post-surgical teams at CTCA. The same nurse prepped me as last time (Jerri is a doll! She's been there 32 years.), my recovery nurse was Amy the Angel, and all the techs and nurses that cared for me overnight were so kind. I was allowed to do things at my own pace...which was pretty speedy. Even my roommate was a sweetie. Her name is Debbie and she's a preacher's wife from Iowa. We were praising God all through the night! The housekeepers and nursing staff at the hospital gave me two gi...