Today We Celebrate - 8/31/21

Today Tim & I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary.

Today we celebrate the day we said “I DO” in front of our closest friends & family.

Today we celebrate the promise we made to each other – IN SICKNESS & IN HEALTH.

Today we celebrate the day I had my bilateral mastectomy.

Today we celebrate my being a breast cancer WARRIOR.

Today we celebrate my being a breast cancer SURVIVOR.

Today we celebrate 1 year anniversary or cancerversary of being considered NED.

Today we celebrate the amazing support we have had rallying behind us for the past year.

Today we celebrate everything we have learned from my breast cancer diagnosis:

• Life is too short to take anything for granted

• Take time to appreciate the little things because they add up to big things

• Take care of yourself and your loved ones; they are all you’ve got

• Be your best advocate and speak up!

• Lean on your support system; they are the ones who care the most

• It’s okay to set boundaries

• It’s okay to not be okay

• It’s okay to ask for help

• Try to find the silver lining. While it might not always visible right away; it’s there

Today we celebrate the NEXT me

Today is a day full of lots of reflection and emotion for us. I remember 8/31/20 like it was yesterday. I remember walking into the hospital gripping Tim’s hand scared to death for what I was about to do. All I knew was that I had to trust my surgeons and that their skills and knowledge were leading us in the right direction. I remember all I wanted to do was wake up and see Tim’s face and know that I was okay. I remember being wheeled into the OR with tears streaming down my cheeks because I felt helpless, vulnerable, and petrified. I remember looking down and seeing my body for the first time at the hospital when Tim was helping me get dressed to go home and crying into his chest at what I saw & because of what breast cancer had taken from me and also fearing the unknown that was ahead of us.

The past year has been one hell of a roller coaster ride. Cancer is not a one and done, it is a never-ending story. We will continue to battle it and the residual effects that it is having on me and my body for the unforeseeable future; thyroid/endocrine issues, bone/joint issues, mental health issues, body image issues, self-confidence issues, and medication side effect issues. But at the same time, we will always remember something that we have learned in the past from the challenges we have faced; as a family, we can handle ANYTHING regardless of how difficult it is.

Today we celebrate! Cancer 0: Me 1

Libby, Tim, Jack & Mason