Last Week My Oncologist Used the "C" Word...

... and I'm pleased and relieved and overjoyed to post that he said "Cured!," not cancer! 

It has been four years since my second diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer.  Being cancer free for that period of time allows my oncologist to say he considers me cured! 

I am thankful for my family and medical care, but I am also abundantly aware it is GOD's mercy and grace for which I should be most thankful.  My goal has been, and continues to be, to live a life that glorifies Him.  I fall short more days than not, but I am a work in progress.  I praise GOD for His love and healing in my life.

May He be glorified.





LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.
O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive,
that I should not go down to the pit. ~ Psalm 30:2-3


He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with
me. ~ Psalm 55:18


Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. ~ Psalm 103:2-5



Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten
by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. ~Isaiah 53:4-5


Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of
peace and truth. ~ Jeremiah 33:6


Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And
your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. ~ Isaiah 58:8



Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many
others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. ~ Matthew 15:30

Cancer Slam -- a novel by author Ansley M. Dauenhauer

Written by a mother and breast cancer survivor, 'Cancer Slam' is a novel for middle aged readers to help them understand hard facts about breast cancer and to help them navigate the many emotions the diagnosis brings with it.  The author does an excellent job of addressing some key issues related to a cancer diagnosis -- anger about having their life suddenly changed, concern that the parent might die, and self-consciousness about having a bald/sick parent.  She accomplishes this, and also includes factual explanations about how cancer forms, how and why chemotherapy works, etc.  Only once did the book feel "textbook-like" to me; otherwise, it is a very well organized, well written story.

The story is written from middle-grade Hannah's point of view, and begins at the start of a new school year.  Coincidentally, this is also when Hannah's mom learns of her cancer diagnosis.  Besides the reality of cancer, Hannah has to deal with finishing a group history project and with a manipulative, bossy "best friend" who begins to feel like no friend at all.  By the end of the school year -- with mom's treatments finished and the history project a pleasant memory -- Hannah has matured quite a bit, and has learned that the stereotypes we form about people are almost always inaccurate and incomplete.  Most significantly for Hannah, she realizes that cancer does not automatically equal dying.

This is a book that I wish I had read during (or ideally, before) my cancer diagnosis.  My husband and I worked hard to protect our boys from the stress of cancer, and years later I realize we alienated them a great deal.  It was not intentional on our part and I'm not "beating myself up" about it, but this book would have been helpful for me as a parent to help them through a difficult time. Although I probably would never offer to show my boys my surgical scars (a personal choice), I think the idea of letting the kids cut their mom's hair is a non-threatening way of including them in an inevitable part of the treatment.  Had I read this book during my treatment, this is one suggestion I would have definitely considered.

One change I would encourage about this book is to include a discussion guide for parents and children.  The author does an excellent job of touching upon emotions and fears that come  with a cancer diagnosis; she has an opportunity to intentionally facilitate the conversation between parent and child.  I personally would have benefited from a "road map" of questions to discuss with my kids.  Otherwise, it is an easy book to read and discuss together.