Why celebrate at all? 

I celebrate because you cheered me on…because we made it through to the other side…because even in negative things there is a positive result! At my recent appointment, my oncologist mentioned (and seemed surprised) that I’d beat the odds …..but he doesn’t know the team I have! (FFF-Faith, friends, and family!)

People ask, “What do you get for your 4th anniversary?” (I saw this on Google, so I know this to be true) …Hallmark suggests fruit/flowers or juicers appliances. That’s great for marriages, but how should you celebrate cancer, or being free from it? Is there a correct day? Should I turn it over to Miss Manners to decide? Some choices:

1. The day the you get gobsmacked by the doctor with the untimely advice that despite your healthy lifestyle you have stage 3C cancer? (August 6, 2012)
2. The day they remove the cantaloupe muskmelon sized tumor that was nestled inside your healthy body. (August 16, 2012)
3. The day the doctor decrees you to be #NED (No Evidence of Disease)…Woohoo! (May 30, 2013)
4. The day it comes back and you have to do it all over again….surgery…chemo…radiation….humbug (Definitely not this one!) (February 14, 2014….yes, Valentine’s Day!)
5. The day you get the next all clear! (completed one year of maintenance doses)(October 6, 2015)

So I have officially chosen August 16th, 2016…four years from my first surgery…Melon Day! My “fruit” anniversary!

From this…

this…

this…

and this…

to this….

I saw a pair of sneakers while trying to avoid political commentary in my Facebook feed by a company named Skicks. They create Ovarian Cancer and Breast Cancer shoes that help raise awareness. I thought that was the perfect 4th anniversary gift to myself!

Best “fruit” anniversary ever!

What are you celebrating in your life?