Hello all, . My name is Nicole, and at the age of 35, I was diagnosed with stage 1a breast cancer. My whole life I have always loved art and would spend hours painting and drawing. This very activity helped me deal with my whole cancer journey. It was the …
Read More »Life Lessons from the Handy Girl: Introduction
I guess the most important place to start would be at the beginning, although that might make for an exceptionally long and unnecessary story. My life has been a journey and to understand or comprehend how one path led me to the next is something I am not sure even …
Read More »What To Expect: Wire Localization Biopsy of the Breast
In June 2019, I had a diagnostic mammogram that came back suspicious. I was sent for a breast MRI that determined that I needed further evaluation and was told to have a wire localization biopsy. On the day of the procedure, there were no special instructions. The first part of …
Read More »Strength
Strength is a powerful word. Physical strength is very obvious to the human eye. Internal strength is something different and more difficult to define. Not only is it difficult to define, but it is hard to determine where one finds their internal strength. It varies from person to person. When …
Read More »What Cancer Cannot Do
Several months ago, shortly after I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I received an e-hug via Facebook from a complete and total stranger. It was in a response to a post I put on a Facebook page regarding my cancer. The e-hug I received contained a poem titled What Cancer …
Read More »Early Detection Can Save Your Life – Breast Cancer
Many of you may have heard at some point about how early detection of breast cancer (or any cancer) can save your life. It may seem like smoke and mirrors, but I am proof positive that early detection can save your life. I was diagnosed with invasive ductal breast cancer, …
Read More »Fear
I had an incredible dream early this morning. My dreams are typically interesting; vivid and in color, but on a rare occasion I’ll experience a dream that I know I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. This particular dream was about fear. I wasn’t running from monsters, …
Read More »Dealing With Naysayers
Today my feelings were hurt as a result of another person’s actions towards my illnesses. This is fairly common in my world, much to my dismay. You see…a large portion of the common public still view fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome as forms of mental distress. Some have been known …
Read More »Dealing with the Holiday Season
Feeling a little ‘bah humbug’ about the holidays this year? The expectation to deck the halls and be jolly is overwhelming, especially when you’re going through cancer treatment, just finished treatment, battling a chronic illness, or struggling with mental health. The last thing you feel like doing is being jolly, …
Read More »I Am A Spoonie! Are You?
Hello Lovies! I’m sure most of us can agree that explaining to others just how much our illnesses can impact our lives can be a difficult task. So we’ll be discussing how to make it a bit easier for both sides. In effort to promote understanding; I’d like to shed …
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