Hooray! We’re alive! Is it strange to also be excited about not dying? We’re accustomed to celebrating life in our culture but how often do we get to also celebrate not dying?
They are the same, after all; living and not dying. Marinate on that for a minute.
On Friday, June 7, I will reach the 2 year mark from my final Herceptin treatment, the date after which my doctors started the clock on my survival. Most breast cancer recurrences happen within 5 years. Because my cancer was HER2+, 2 years is instead an enormously important milestone for me. (Five years is still a big one for me too.)
Why? HER2+ breast cancer is aggressive and has a higher rate of recurrence than other types of breast cancer. Because it tends to be faster growing, the time to wait for it to come back is also faster. At 2 years, my doctors take a big sigh of relief and so do I. It didn’t come back yet so there is a better chance it won’t.
If you get to the 2 year mark without a HER2+ recurrence, you’re not in the clear. You’re never in the clear. But this Friday is the day a tiny bit of this planet I’ve been carrying can be put down. That tiny bit sure has been heavy!
As the unpleasant anniversaries of my illness begin this summer, I’m taking a different approach. Instead of moping through days of sad and scary memories, this year I have a day to truly celebrate living and not dying! It even feels a bit like a 2nd birthday.
My day was given to me by my doctors. Maybe we should all have one just because.
I don’t need a gift more than that but if you want me to squeal with delight at my big “2nd Birthday” Party called Art Bra Austin supporting the Breast Cancer Resource Center, I’d sure appreciate it. Art Bra is SATURDAY!!!
Photo by VINICIUS COSTA from Pexels
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