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Five months?!?!

Posted in Boston, Cancer, chemotherapy, connections, Discovery, Fundraising, prayer, recovery, work, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 20, 2012| 2 Comments »

I honestly cannot believe it: today is five months since I was sitting in my office and got the call from my doctor saying “you have breast cancer.” In some ways, it feels like a lifetime – I hardly remember a time when cancer wasn’t consuming my life. In other ways, I don’t know where these last five months have gone – I feel like it was just February, we were finishing the shutdown and celebrating my 38th birthday. (What a dud 38 has turned out to be – bring on 39!!!!)

But as much of a nightmare as this has all been, anyone who knows me knows that I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I refuse to curl up in a ball and cry endlessly (although I let myself for a few minutes every now and then…), become useless or a burden and just accept my fate. I am not going to over-analyze this and whine ‘why me’ over and over, either. In fact, I don’t think I have to – I think now maybe I know why me…

Just as I sat down to write this, my phone rang. I was so relieved to see my friend’s name. It was only a month ago that she told me the horrific news that she’d found a lump. I refered her to my fabulous dream team at Dana-Farber and it was confirmed as breast cancer. And today she was having a lumpectomy. While I’d heard she made it through fine, I was excited to hear her voice and know it for sure. I exclaimed my relief over the news that the doctors said all went well and they believe they caught it early and it’s all gone. And she said, “It’s thanks to you. You reminding everyone to check.” And that’s it. Maybe that is why. Maybe I needed to go through this so others can catch it early enough and stop it. Words can’t express how thankful I am that she found that lump and stopped it. That makes every second of this journey worth it.

So please – do your self-checks. And tell your sisters, mothers, wives, lovers, friends, daughters, everyone, to do their checks, too. But it’s not enough. We have to stop the damn c-word completely! As some of you know, I am excited to have two opportunities to help in the collective fight against cancer:

  • Tomorrow (Tuesday, August 21) at 1:15 p.m. I will be interviewed live on the 11thAnnual WEEI / NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon – Events – The Jimmy Fund. (WEEI is Boston’s sports radio station – 93.7 FM and 850 AM and you can listen live online at www.weei.com; It may also be simulcast on TV (NESN), but that’s TBD.) They are going to interview me about my personal cancer experience, my interactions at Dana-Farber, etc. Hopefully I’ll be able to help some cancer survivors know they are not alone in their experiences and inspire some people to donate and help conquer cancer. (And hopefully I won’t embarrass myself on live radio/TV…)
  • I’m also honored that my childhood friend Heather Forbes started a team for me in the Jimmy Fund Boston Marathon Walk on September 9. I am thrilled to be feeling healthy enough to walk the last three miles with the team, so have registered. Our team is still looking for walkers (and supporters), so if you are able, please join us – there are multiple legs, you don’t have to do the whole 26.2 miles! For more information on walking or donating: Amy’s Jimmy Fund Walk Page.

Thank you: every prayer, every self-check, every step walked, every penny donated: together we really can make a difference in this fight!

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Walk/Run for Dana-Farber and The Jimmy Fund – and Me! :)

Posted in Boston, Cancer, chemotherapy, family, Fundraising, tagged , , , , , on August 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I seriously have the best friends on earth. Two of my dearest are devoting their time and energy to fundraising for Dana-Farber to help conquer cancer:

  • On Sunday, September 9, Heather Wojdag Forbes is leading team Amy’s Victorious Secret (no, sorry to disappoint, we will not be in lingerie…) in the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. Somehow she is fitting this in amidst getting her twins off to college, her younger two ready for school, working full-time as a nurse and teaching her first college course! Thank you, Heather! If you’re available September 9, please join her team – you don’t have to do the whole marathon, there are 13-mile, 5-mile and 3-mile options. And if you can’t join, please consider sponsoring – here is a link to Heather’s fundraising page:  Heather Wojdag Forbes’ Fundraising Page  Thank you!!! Oh – and for every donation over $10, we’ll write the name of a friend or loved one on the team shirts!
  • On October 14, Tara Henrichon will run the Newport Half Marathon, also to raise money for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. Tara, an avid runner who is also doing the Chicago half-marathon in September, was the first person to lure, uh, I mean inspire me into running and we were going to run Newport together. Instead, I will be there cheering her on as she runs with the intent of helping to make a world without cancer! Tara is another unbelievably busy woman and I’m not sure how she can find the time, but I so appreciate it – thank you, cousin! Please consider sponsoring Tara’s run: Tara Henrichon’s Dana-Farber Fundraising Page Thank you!!!

And I have just signed up and joined Heather’s team  – I will walk with Team Amy’s Victorious Secret for the Dana-Farber 3 mile route – the last three miles of the Marathon. You are welcome to sponsor me, too,  at Amy Atwood’s Fundraising Page . Or better yet, join the team. Or just join us at the finish line for fun and drinks after. Or all of the above! 🙂 Thank you so much!!!

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