Here it is:

On October 6^th, 2009, our mother, Andrea Sue Ross, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, less than eleven months later, we have already raised $3,500 almost $5,500 for ‘Run For the Cure’ of which our mom is a proud and worthy participant.

Through 2 surgeries, 1 MRI, ultra sounds, radioactive injections, mammograms, biopsies, a port-a-cath installation, 6 chemo treatments and 30 days of radiation our mom has hardly complained at all. Now, well into hormone therapy, our mom is only four years away from being “officially” a cancer survivor. Though in our opinion someone who has made it this far IS a survivor because you have to be really strong to have the confidence, courage, compassion and over all the perseverance that it takes to kick cancer’s butt. Our mom is strong. Our mom is confident, courageous and compassionate. Our Mom perseveres.

Our mom kicked cancer’s butt. So can you. You can help weather it’s by donating money to help find a cure, supporting a friend with cancer, or, if you to are, or will be, a cancer survivor then telling your story and inspiring others. YOU can make a difference.

Our mom is running for the cure. You can to.

Find more about our journey at WeCanRebuildHer.com

You will discover a true liberation, a freedom beyond your wildest drams, when you discover that your joy does not depend on anyone else. Your joy only depends on what you choose to give your attention to.

– Sarah, Book 1, Esther and Jerry Hicks, 1995. Hay House Inc.

And all is well. Woooohooooo!!

I learned a lot today:

• That I have two staples in my right breast (!).
• That my enlarged right breast may be a delayed reaction of radiation (?).
• That the constant snapping of photos during the ultrasound is not necessarily a bad sign.
• That no matter how unbelievably terrified I am during the tests, all the terror can be wiped away in an instant by a happy, happy result.

Happy, happy day!

Thank you to everyone whose good wishes got me through this week and to this happy, happy result.

Woooooohooooooo!!!

There was lots of excitement on the playground — happy reunions and fresh starts.

Hoping this school year brings good health and much happiness for your family and ours.

My wishes at that time centred mostly on good health, happiness, peace, podcasting, prosperity, recreation, renewal and exercise. On many a beautiful day, glances at that board reminded me to choose x-country skiing or cycling with Lucy and Bayla, over vegging or chores. We didn’t create vision boards in 2009. When we pulled out our magazines this weekend to create our September 2010 Vision Boards, I was stunned to see the clippings that hadn’t made that 2008 cut: a huge, red “Be Brave”; an innocent-looking “Ready for Anything”.

Little did I know. Our collages are dependent, of course, on what we can find and clip. Images of affection, creativity and peace were tougher to find this year. And the colours this round are decidedly cooler.

But glancing at the two versions, I can’t help noticing: where the last one whispered, this year’s screams.

Health, healing, harmony, life, love, ease, peace, prosperity, exercise and joy.

Envisioning lots of it for all of us. For many years to come.
]]> http://wecanrebuildher.com/2010/09/06/fine-tuning-our-futures/feed/ 0 http://wecanrebuildher.com/2010/09/03/tmi/ http://wecanrebuildher.com/2010/09/03/tmi/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:24:34 +0000 Andrea http://wecanrebuildher.com/?p=5587 This time last year, my right breast was huge.

I didn’t think much of it, as the imbalance first occurred during my five years of constant breast-feeding (including 8 months of breastfeeding both of our little ones).

As this CT scan image makes obvious, my right breast became the smaller of the two following my surgeries last fall.

I was told that radiation would make it even smaller — and I’m pretty sure it did.

In the past few of weeks, though, that right breast has ballooned right up to its pre-surgery size. Despite my chemo-induced menopause and my estrogen-gobbling tamoxifen.

And I’m scared. Scared enough to have cancer-dreams (of which I’d had almost none). Scared enough to bump my mammogram and ultrasound up to Tuesday and beg my oncologist for speedy viewing and reporting of my results.

Tuesday, September 7, will be Luba’s first day back to school and I’m certainly hoping to enjoy these last few free-range days.

Still, Tuesday (and the day I get my happy, happy results!) can’t get here fast enough.

Related Posts:

• Previous Month Snapshots
• Stubble Stings
• From the Mouth of Bayla #5
• Hair Shaving Celebration (video)
• Hair Shaving (audio)

What do I want?

I want more. I want to crash out of this invisible armor I’m trapped in – to tear away the shackles and freefall, delirious and wild. I want to plummet naked into a velvet ocean at midnight and roll in the ecstasy of the waves. I want to peel back my layers and hold my raw wounds up to the sun for healing.

I want to slice through these suffocating wrappings and grab onto CORE ME – whoever that is – and never let her go; make her into the real me, the only me, for some to love and some not to love .. . and I want to not so painfully care who does and who doesn’t.

I want to feel, taste, devour it all – no filters, no censors, no gatekeeper telling me what is rightfully mine to take and what isn’t. I want rapture at the top of a mountain under a full moon. I want to absorb me, embrace me, the light and the dark, the glorious and the hideous, and cherish it all and laugh at it all forever.

Sarah’s back. “So what do you want?” she asks.

What do I want? “Caprese salad and a cup of pasta fagioul.”

We close our menus and clink our chiantis…

– Juicy Joy – 7 Simple Steps to Your Glorious, Gutsy Self. Lisa McCourt. (This book is not yet published. You can snag a sneak peek by signing up for Lisa’s newsletter, here.)



In the 6 weeks since, you’ve raised $4000!

(….and made me the 3rd highest fundraiser for the Ottawa-Gatineau run, so far!!)

Huge, huge thank yous to:

WOooHooo!!

What generosity will the remaining 34 days of sponsorship bring?