Dear Friends,
Thank you for all of your wonderful, wise words in the last year and a half; your words made me laugh, made me cry, made me realize we are not alone in our battles against cancer treatments, and that so much still has to be done for those who will survive active treatments…
I have been busy living with my new “normal”
ways of doing things, a little slower, a little more forgetful, a little more thoughtful. Cancer and chemotherapy has impacted me in ways that I was not expecting. I’m more thoughtful for one thing, I’m more thoughtful about how I spend my time, I’m more thoughtful about what causes I throw my energy in, I’m more thoughtful about God, and I’m more thoughtful about me.
Before the “Big C” I was busy having a good time, life was good! I was active, I was looking pretty darn good, I was dating, I had a good job, I was learning to be a Native Leader, you know, I was having a good time! Then I got cancer again and my whole world got turned upside down and emotional chaos was my best friend
I didn’t like myself, I was so unsure of myself, I was depressed and I didn’t want to do nothing. And after living in this state for almost 2 years, it has become like a bad habit that I’m trying to break; welll, I’m almost there
When I started this blog, it was to share my story with those who will follow. When I was diagnosed and facing chemo, radiation, herceptin and hormone therapy, I didn’t know what to expect. Boy did I not know what to expect and it scared me a lot
I just couldn’t see not sharing with those who will follow what it was like to go through cancer treatments and almost lose your marbles, to go through cancer treatments and lose so much of yourself, to go through cancer treatments and still come out of it intact…
Laura’s Journey has been a tribute to all people who live with cancer, my story has been their story, their story has been my story, and I have been so blessed with all the people I have encountered along the way. Sharing my story has helped me through some of my darkest days and has helped me laugh and cry my way through cancer and that was worth its weight in gold!
Now that I am on the road to recovery, I do not feel the need to write so often, and I’m coming to a close on this chapter in my life – this part of my journey is coming to an end. I will still stop by every now and then, but I am busy again in college (which has its problems thanks to Chemo-Brain!); I’m rediscovering art and rewiring my brain with the book “The Artist Way” (which I strongly recommend), I am helping other people newly diagnosed as a career, and I am trying to regain my health! I’m still tired a lot and by the end of the week I am so dragging my butt, by Wednesday I need a nap, by Thursday, I need two naps to make it through the day, and by Friday, I’m like “OK, I made it through another week.” I know this will too pass, but it sure seems like it is taking forever.
I want to thank you all who have hung with me during this journey with all my heart, thank you just doesn’t seem adequate, you know what I mean? I will keep this site up for a few more months, and maybe post once in awhile, but this part of my life is coming to a close, and it is time to move on.
People can still reach me by posting on here, and if they do not want their comments to be public, put write in your post: “please do not make this public” and I won’t. If you post a note here privately or publicly, I see your email address, but no one else does unless you check you want your email public. Either way, if you want, I can privately email you. I do hope you will still feel free to post on the previous pages since this story is all of our story, we all share this journey ;) and I’ll still answer your posts while this site is up.
Thank you my friends, I wish you strength, wellness and peace, as we now move into our “new normal” way of doing things; I have been honored and blessed by your words.
One foot in front of the other, always,
Laura