Not only surviving, but Living!

Ovarian Cancer snuck into my life with illusive persistence. At the time of my diagnosis I had already endured months of pain and anxiety. My relationships were changing and my emotions were in a constant state of turmoil. It is little wonder that this disease is sometimes called the silent killer. My diagnosis came three days after I had lost my dear beloved Auntie Nora. My Libra sister, I was born two days after her birthday on Oct. 12. Since I had lost my parents, my mother in 1995 and my father in 1999, I could always count on her for support and advice. She always held a very special place in my heart. Devastated by her death I was contemplating putting off the surgery until after her funeral but on the advice of my doctor, trusted family members and friends I decided to have the surgery. So on March 17, 2006 my left ovary, fallopian tube, omentum and appendix were removed.
When I woke up from sugary, I was surrounded by my husband, three of my cousins, a very dear friend and my doctor. The pain in their eyes was so evident. The doctor had sent my tumor to pathology but he was already pretty sure it was cancer. My God I was face-to-face with ovarian cancer! The next four months were tough for me and everybody around me. There is nothing good I can say about chemotherapy, it sucked! My chemotherapy regime was very aggressive and I needed help from my mother-in-law and aunt. So they came from Cleveland, Ohio and Augusta, Georgia to stay with us for a while. I had three twenty-one day cycles of the worst chemo drugs imaginable (Etopiside, Bleomycin and Cisplatin). I was very sick from the chemotherapy. All of my hair fell out and I always nauseous and tired.
Now, three years later I am the happiest I have ever been in my life; the happiest I have ever been with my inner self. Sure, I still have some really bad days. Days when I fear getting sick again and days when I feel that my friends have no burdens of their own. I know I have climbed mountains and everyday gets a bit easier. I continue to move further and further away from those horrible days three years ago. I realize how truly blessed we all are to have life. I realize how lucky I am to be in this world, to have my strong, supportive, and sometimes loving family (LOL) and so many old and new totally amazing friends.