1 year cancerversary!!!!

Well, almost. In 84 day, I will officially be 1 year cancer free (God willing). And I have faith that I will make it to that 1 year mark. My oncologist has faith. All my scans have been normal. All my smears have been normal. I am healthy. I've been taking better care of myself than I have ever before in my life - eating clean, fresh foods, exercising regularly, the whole nine yards. And I feel great.

I remember being a few weeks out from my hysterectomy, and feeling like my first year cancer free was going to take decades to get there. Friends told me that I'd hit the milestones before I knew it: 3 months, 6 months, and finally that 1 year mark. And I still just couldn't wrap my head around it.

It was a very strange time, those first weeks post surgery. On one hand, I felt like it had just happened (which it had). On the other hand, I felt like the surgery had happened a million years ago. It didn't help that I had some minor complications, and that slowed my healing down. I basically spent all of last summer in bed on my back, racked with pain. I was convinced I would feel like that forever. Of course I didn't, but that's how pain is - it seems like it's always been there, and it's never going to leave.

My complications cleared up about 4 months after the operation, and I began to feel like I could get my life going again. I remember the first time I took my son out to run errands. No big deal, really, but it felt amazing. He'd been asking me to take him places for months, and I just couldn't do it. I felt like a horrible mother. But there we were, on a typical fall day in Virginia, where it's still as hot as August, going to Target! And the optometrist! For me, it was magical. For him, probably not so much.

And I was hitting those milestones. Time, which had stood still for so long, was finally moving. Three months, still NED. Six months, still NED. Nine months, still NED. And now I'm less than 90 days away from being an ENTIRE YEAR CANCER FREE!

There is another thing about this cancerversary that is extra special. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer two months before I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. During her lumpectomy, they found cancerous cells in one of the lymph nodes they removed, so she had to undergo radiation. She completed radiation right around when I had my surgery, with both of us getting the declaration of NED very close together. It was terrible that we both had cancer, but in a way, it was good that we went through it together. We could support each other in ways that other people couldn't support us because we got it. Even though our journeys were different, our feelings were the same. We could call each other and cry. We could share our triumphs together. And now we have this bond of a shared cancerversary.

It's a big deal. It's so big a deal that we are going to have a cancerversary party, to celebrate making it through an entire year from when treatment ended cancer free, and to thank all of our friends and family who supported us during some of the darkest, scariest days of our lives. I am so excited that we made it this far, that we get the chance to celebrate when we know others who are still struggling, still fighting.

My happiness over my health is always bittersweet, tinged with sorrow for dear friends who don't have their answers yet. For those that have never heard NED. I think of you and I pray for you every single day. I am humbled by your strength, your courage, your spirit. I am honored to have your support, and that you allow me to support you and be a part of your journey.

xoxo

2015 Race to End Women's Cancer

Last November, I created a team and participated in the 2014 Race to End Women's Cancer. It was an incredible event. To be surrounded by so many women who had gone through or were going through the same thing that I went through was indescribable. I spent half the walk crying and the other half laughing with joy. I met many amazing women, women who had been cancer free for decades. It gave me hope. And to my great surprise, my team was second place in funds raised!

Last week I got a call from a wonderful woman from the Foundation for Women's Cancer, the organization that puts on the event. Because I was the second highest fund raiser, she invited me to be on the welcoming committee for the 2015 Race. Of course, I said yes! I am beyond honored to have the opportunity to work with an organization that is working hard to bring the devastation of gyn cancer to the forefront.

The Foundation for Women's Cancer uses funding from donors and events like Race to End Women's cancer to raise public awareness of ways to prevent, detect and optimally treat gynecologic cancers; provide education about gynecologic cancers and the importance of seeking care first from a gynecologic oncologist if a gynecologic cancer is suspected or diagnosed; and supports promising, innovative gynecologic cancer research and train a cadre of clinicians/scientists to participate in clinically relevant research.

Being on the host committee means collaborating with committee members from across the country, seeking out other fundraising opportunities, and seeking out donors, as well as working my butt off to raise money for my own team. AND I get to attend an event the weekend of the race and hobnob with Camille Grammar, the 2015 National Chair, and Zareana Jess-Huff, Mrs. Maryland 2014. These two amazing ladies are both gyn cancer survivors, and they are the sweetest women imaginable.

The race isn't until November, but I'm starting early. My competitive side is coming out, and I want to beat my donation record for last year, and yeah, to place high again in the rankings:)

If you are interested in walking with me, or just donating to my team, you can go to the following link and click either Register Here or Donate to a Team on the left hand side. My team's name is Team Jennie (very original, I know!):

http://www.endwomenscancer.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1131900&lis=0&kntae1131900=162BD881F4AD4C548E7C2FB25C348FC4

All the information about the race is also listed on that page. I would love to see you there!

xoxo