Category: Be Brave

Dear 2233,

Do you mind if I call you that? I know your real name is Tamoxifen, but that seems kind of formal. And the numbers on you say 2233. Maybe I could call you 22 for short?

So 22, it sounds like we’re going to be together for a while, like maybe ten years, so I figured it’d be nice ... Read More


Have you ever needed something brilliant to say? Something that would perfectly express what sits so delicately, yet passionately, in the center of your heart?

I’m not supposed to be writing this blog right now. I’m supposed to be writing a 45 minute speech. I want it to be clever and interesting and motivating and make everyone fall over in ... Read More


What I could spend $1900 on:

542 gluten-free cupcakes

126 self-help books

40,500 Advil tablets

678 gallons of gas

7600 meals at the North Dakota food bank

What I will spend $1900 on:

The removal of 1 breast.

Saul and I actually had a lot of laughs last night talking about how rude it is that I would have to A) Fight cancer and B) Pay for ... Read More


It’s amazing how quickly things return to normal. I have a long to-do list today which includes enthralling activities such as: scheduling dental appointments, calling the insurance company, welcoming the dishwasher repairman, and waiting for new flooring to be delivered.

Sometimes I want to yell, “HEY! Doesn’t anybody around here remember how incredibly BRAVE I was this summer?” Actually, sometimes ... Read More


The night before we got the final pathology report, I laid in bed and prayed. “God, chemo or no chemo, whatever needs to be done, I accept it. I will trust in you and your plan for my life. But please, God, let me read to the kindergarteners this year. That’s all I want. Please just let me read to ... Read More


Two heads are better than one, and two opinions are better than one — as long as those two opinions match.

My husband and I are off on a romantic getaway to get a second opinion on my future breast cancer medication.

Doctor #1 suggested Tamoxifen with no chemo.

Doctor #2 suggested Tamoxifen with no chemo.

Praise the Lord, we have ... Read More


There is good in every situation.

That is a scary sentence. All of a sudden my mind is flooded with thoughts of children being abused and babies dying and inexplicable injustices filling our globe.

But I said it, and I believe it. There is good in every situation.

Sometimes it takes a loooong time to find a silver lining. Sometimes ... Read More


I went in for my second fill today! For those of you new to the cancer world, a “fill” is what they call it when a nurse injects saline into an expander (pouch) under my chest muscle. I go into the clinic in Columbus once a week and little by little, they fill up the expander, forcing my skin to ... Read More


You know that mom who sits next to her children each night as they do their homework? The one who helps them pick out their clothes and perhaps even irons when necessary? It’s the same mom who makes her children’s breakfast for them and packs their lunches each morning.

Yeah… that’s not me.

I start off the morning around 7:45 ... Read More


I’m cancer-free! The medical oncologist suggested I take an anti-estrogen pill, called Tamoxifen, for the next ten years just to make sure no nasty cells get a foot-hold, but it appears that I will not need chemo. It is truly the best case scenario!

Because of my age, Saul and I have decided to get a second opinion with the hope ... Read More