Check out the original post here on Cervivor's Blog:  ​http://cervivor.org/self-care-napping-okay ..read more

The first day: each time I head off to a young adult cancer adventure I'm looking forward to what I'm going to take away from the camp that is different from what I've taken away from previous camps. I don't think it's fair to judge camps, as they all have varied experience, facilities, etc. I just really go into the week thinking "how is this week going to impact me in a unique way?"  I can already tell this week is going to be special. This adventure is happening in Squaw Valley and it is going to be amazing! I can say, arrival day, day one, did not disappoint. We were picked up by K ..read more

​Why should I care? Stop right now.  Look around you.  Do you have five people around you?  If not picture you and four friends.  Of this group of five individuals four of you will contract at least one strand of HPV during your life.  That is right.  Eighty percent of you will contract HPV.  You could ask those same individuals you are around if they know what HPV is and I’d venture to say no one really knows; they might remember something about a shot, they might have heard something about it jokingly in a television show or movie, but can they describe wh ..read more

This week I was able to take Wylee to his first big concert.  He had asked Santa for tickets to take Mommy to a country music concert.  I was so proud of him asking for an experience vs an item.  Well, Santa pulled through with some pretty good tickets for Chris Young.  I might not have known the songs by the three bands that played that night, but you know what, none of that mattered.  I was there with Wylee and we had the time of our lives.  He made it strong through the first two bands, ate all the cheesy Bankers Life Fieldhouse food, and danced together ..read more

Today has been a writing day for me, and it feels great!  I worked on editing and publishing a blog post for Cervivor, it is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month you know! #CCAM I worked on a piece about my story that someone is wanting to use in a project.  I worked on finalizing the book Wylee and I have written.  I also worked on my journal. I had the idea yesterday while I was in treatment to start a group that focuses on Surviving & Journaling.  At first I thought, just cancer survivors only, then I realized we are all surviving something.  Many of us need the o ..read more

I wanted to take a moment to share a post that was featured on Cervivor just before Christmas this year with you all.  I wrote a letter to Santa with my wishes for this Christmas.  I hope that you enjoy it and that it helps you all to get a better understanding of what is happening in my life. Please take the time to see the full original post on Cervivor here:  ​cervivor.org/dear-santa ..read more

I really truly appreciate people asking me how I am doing, however, sometimes I just don't know how to answer.  I feel that when I tell them that I am fine then they simply don't believe that is true.  However, my idea of fine is probably completely different from yours.  My current idea of fine is certainly different than it was six years ago aka before cancer. If I tell you I'm fine what that means is that I am fine, for my life.  Unless I am sitting in a hospital bed this is likely the answer you are going to get from me, I'm fine.  If I am sitting in the hospital ..read more

I haven't posted since October.  I need to get it together!  This blog is such a special place for me and it helps me so much.  It is hard to believe I have been putting off writing for this long.  I always have great plans, great topics, things I know I want to write about and then time just slips away from me. I need to get outside my head more.  I need to remember that the order of things doesn't always have to be perfect.  If I am ready to write I need to give myself permission to just sit down and write.  Not to worry if I forgot about something else I ..read more

I never realized how much the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover" was true for cancer as well.  You don't have to "look sick" to be sick.  A few weeks ago I was in the hospital for a few days.  I was there due to pain I wasn't able to get under control.  The pain was, and continues to be, in my right upper leg on the outside of it.  I have this pain daily, the management I am still working on though.  I was released from the hospital on Friday night so I could make it to a wedding I was going to be in on that Saturday.  I was released without a real ..read more

Five years ago today I was in the stirrups in New Albany seeing Dr. Baldwin.  Five years ago today he was taking a biopsy of a tumor on my cervix.  Five years ago today I asked "what could it be other than cancer?"  Five years ago he told me, "you have cancer, this is just a formality." Today I have met the five year statistic.  I am part of the 80% of women who are diagnosed with stage 1b2 cervical cancer who will live at least five years.  I am a part of the successful statistic.  This survival rate statistic is explained by the American Cancer Society: Statis ..read more