A New Dog and A Decade of Gratitude
If you asked me 10 years ago if I was going to get breast cancer or if I’d ever have three dogs, the answer to both would have been an absolute no. I was too flat chested to get breast cancer, or so I thought, and I might have one dog but never three – that’s just a lot. Now, I can’t imagine my life without having had breast cancer, and I can’t imagine my life without my three dogs.
I can’t imagine my life without without breast cancer because of all I have learned along this journey about how to really live, and I just have never wanted to go down that road of what ifs. I got cancer, I was not in control of that, so what was I going to do about it? I could be negative, or I could be positive. I chose to be positive. That’s the path I chose to go down, and as Robert Frost said, that has made all the difference.
And I can’t imagine my life without the addition to our family of our new-to-us Dalmatian. I named him Kenny, after my dad. My dad always joked that if he died, he wanted to come back as one of my dogs. Spoiled rotten. 😊🥰 It made me think that I always imagined my cancer journey ending with my mom and my dad at my side. I always had my dad beside me on this journey. He stayed at my house for 15 weeks in Maryland while I drove back and forth to South Carolina for chemotherapy. He dog sat for me for 15 days so I could fulfill my lifelong dream of going to Italy while I was in remission. He was always realistic but positive whenever I talked to him about my cancer. I wanted him there with me at the end of my cancer journey. He was a great caretaker, and I always felt like everything was alright if he was there. Now he won’t be there if I die from this cancer, but I know he’ll be there when I take my last breath on earth and first one in heaven.
Anyway, I didn’t mean to write so much about my dad; I wanted to mention him because it is fitting that Kenny came into my life when he did because my dad is who I got my love of dogs from. I’ll talk about how good Kenny is for me at this point on my cancer journey, but first, an update.
I had a port flush on Friday. Easy peasy. In and out. Port still works beautifully. In May, I see the doctor, and we’ll schedule my next scan, which I am already quite nervous about since this is the longest I have ever gone without a scan, and I have had several stressful things going on in my life since the beginning of 2025. Adding a third dog to the mix – yes, it has been stressful, but it has also been a great blessing to me at this point on my cancer journey.
Tomorrow marks the 10 year cancerversary since I was diagnosed with breast cancer, but Kenny will be training on our fence all afternoon, so I am writing a day ahead of this milestone. I can still remember every thought, every feeling, every moment of that day and hearing the words: It’s cancer. I am soooooooo very grateful for the past 10 years and to be here 10 years after that diagnosis.
As I look back and reflect, I realize it probably took me nine and a half years to be able to live without thinking about or worrying about cancer on a daily basis again. I am feeling better today than I have in the past 10 years. I posted a photo of me with this post of the day before I was diagnosed with cancer, at the wedding of my brother in law and sister in law. I had no idea the journey I was about to start. I had no idea that day that my life was about to change forever. Mostly, I look back with thankfulness – for the procedures and drugs that healed me, for the doctors and surgeons who healed me, for the nurses and people (you all included) who have taken care of me mentally and physically, and for all the time I have been given.
And I am sooooo very grateful for the opportunity to come off of treatment. It was a huge decision to come off of treatment, and I honestly didn’t want to and was scared to. But now I see that it was the best decision for me. I continue to get back to better and better health. We took Kenny down to a dog beach, and when he had had enough fun, Kenny took me up a set of stairs I wouldn’t have dared try to go up even a month ago. I made it to the top pretty quickly since Kenny was dragging me! I wasn’t out of breath! I am up and about more now. I am getting more accomplished in my days again. I simply have more energy back, and it feels wonderful!!
My doctor told me at our last appointment she was going to want me to go back on treatment again at some point. And now I don’t want to go back on. I always thought treatment kept me safe, so I’d want to be on it so long as I could handle it. I was so lucky to be able to tolerate my first line of treatment so well. But the longer I’ve been off it, and the more I realize how much energy I lost because of it, I don’t want to back to it until I have to, when my cancer comes back. I want to keep getting stronger and recover from five years of treatment for as long as possible. And I don't want to die from treatment. I will really have to discuss the pros and cons of going back on treatment with my doctor before I’ll go back on. But I don’t have to worry about that today. Today, I have to worry about when to take Kenny out on his next walk. He has soooo much energy compared to my senior GSP and my border collie who prefers to protect our house from her perch on the arm of my couch.
Kenny will get me into good shape with all his walks, and I know that my dogs need me, which keeps me in the mindset of needing to stay alive and healthy. As I always told my dad, I don’t have time for cancer!
So, 10 years past a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis, and five years past a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, I am doing great, and I am ever so thankful for everything, and especially for all of you, my biggest supporters! I’ll be grateful and looking forward to the next 10 years or whatever time I am given. Health is a gift. Time is a gift. Life is a gift. Every day is a gift. Have a great day! Stay safe and healthy, everyone! I’ll update again in the next few weeks, after my doctor appt.