Life is Beautiful

Well, I’m way behind on my Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I haven’t spread much awareness yet. So far, I’ve only managed to get a new Facebook cover photo up. And I did order my annual glass pumpkins from Luke Adams. It’s the most beautiful Breast Cancer Awareness design yet of the four pumpkins I have. They’re starting to add up in numbers and in my collection, and when I look at them, I feel so fortunate and blessed because each one represents a bonus year in my life with metastatic cancer.

This blog originally started as a place to share my favorite products, then became a place to share my favorite clean products, and now I try to choose a company each October that gives back to breast cancer awareness or research. I have chosen my company this year, and I will write a separate blog featuring jewelry from The Freshwater Pearl Company once I recover from the surgery I had on Monday.

I’m a jewelry girl, always have been. It’s not that I like the fancy gemstone expensive stuff. I much prefer dainty, unique pieces. Sometimes, I like statement jewelry, but mostly, I like simple, delicate, classic, and unique pieces. Anyway, I found my new favorite company, and I will feature an upcoming blog on it and how it gives to breast cancer research.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am thinking of the survivors, the thrivers, the caregivers, those fighting and those no longer fighting. I’m thinking about what it means to survive. I found a quote I like from Fighting Back Against Cancer: “Survivorship is learning to hold two truths at once: This could happen again, and my life can still be beautiful.”

I also missed National Metastatic Breast Cancer Day last week. I think the quote above is perfect for metastatic breast cancer. I always wonder when I will be finally be free of the fear this cancer will come back. Doctors and family have told me to just go live my life. Easier said than done. I don’t think I’ll ever not think about recurrence again. I think about it every day. It helps me be grateful for each day. This quote is perfect because I can hold two truths again: the acknowledgement that cancer can happen again, but my life can still be beautiful. And that’s why I like to promote beautiful things during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, like Luke Adams’ glass pumpkins and The Freshwater Pearl Company’s jewelry, because beautiful things symbolize hope, and life can be beautiful with cancer and in survivorship and “thrivership.”

I had my surgery on Monday. I got my pathology back, and everything looks good!!! I will wait to hear from my doctor, but the words “no malignancy” have me sighing a deep breath of relief. Hopefully, having an ovary and fallopian tubes removed will also be preventative. I have a port flush next week, and I will have bloodwork and my next appointment with my oncologist in November. I’ve had so many tests and images lately, I feel good going into the appointment. Will keep you updated! Back to surviving – back to holding truths that this can happen again, but life can be beautiful at the same time! Life is beautiful. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!