A New Beginning...

No, it's not a Star Wars reference!! This was the week, one year ago, that Scott went in for a colonoscopy and they found the mass. July is the month when our journey began...and it's very fitting that this Friday, we are scheduled to have the medi-port removed!! One year of our lives wrapped up nicely, with a bow. That's how I would like to think about it. Wrapped up, with a bow, and now given away. Cancer is not a gift we want anymore.

Reflecting on our journey, it has been full of challenges and joys.

Surgery was tough, but Scotty came through it!! Then, we started chemo in Sept 08 -we ended it in Jun 08. We have met many wonderful people at Reston and Georgetown Hospital including our doctors and nurses.

We have realized true friendship and the true meaning of family. We have strengthened familial bonds - some gained even more strength & some were renewed. Scott & I took stock of our strength and love and used that to fight cancer and to ensure our children felt secure and happy during this time.

We took some trips - Myrtle Beach, Southern Cal, New York, Great Wolf Lodge, Las Vegas (Scotty), San Fran (Me), and will be headed to Carmel, CA to see my brother get married in August. All of the trips presented unique challenges this past year, but were fun and happy trips.

On the harder side, stress levels were high for everyone. There was lots of crying, fear, and trepidation during the first months as we began. We knew nothing about this journey and had to put a lot of trust and faith in people that we barely knew to help guide us along. Fortunately, those people were experienced, honest and gentle with us all at the same time. The fear and trepidation did not go away either. With each test, with each infusion, it returned. Scotty had to deal with a ton of new challenges - mental- of course- but even more physically. But true to his form, he handled it all with a sense of optimism, humor, and strength. That's one of the many reasons I fell in love with him. Everything he comes across is handled that same way.

But with all of that, I can not lose sight that we are the lucky ones. We are winning our fight and there are many that don't. My heart breaks for those families.

Our job now is to move beyond cancer while keeping it away. That requires that we put aside the habit of dwelling on it. A new normal, a new path on our journey, a new beginning...