I'm 27 and I have cancer. More specifically, I have follicular lymphoma, a non-hodgkin's lymphoma, that usually affects people in their 60s. Some days I can laugh about the fact that I'm an old soul and got a cancer usually found in older people. The fact that my cancer is a chronic cancer has been the hardest piece of this reality to accept. This means that the cancer will always reside in my body. Forever. I will actively fight it at times. The rest of the time, I will hopefully be enjoying remissions.
Hardest parts so far:
1. Telling my students that I have cancer
2. Telling my family and friends that I have cancer
3. Shaving off my beautiful curls
4. Missing my students, working, problem-solving, and being part of a school community daily
5. The side effects of chemo
The blessings:
1. Getting cards, letters, pictures, texts, and messages from my students
2. Opening my phone and mailbox daily to find packages, cards, flowers, messages, voice mails, emails, and pictures
3. Getting to spend quality time with my mom
4. Dancing in the kitchen with Janelle
5. Candlelight dinners with Janelle and my mom every night
6. Walks to Fornax Bakery
7. Snuggling with my baby friends
8. Shaving my head with my mom, sister, Alicia and Janelle (via Facetime) by my side
9. Enjoying the daytime sun
10. Learning that my community is bigger than I ever imagined
11. Remembering why I love teaching and why I can't live without it
12. Getting my taste back and enjoying amazing food
13. Picking out beautiful head scarves and turbans to wear
14. Knowing that Bridge Boston is and will still be my second home and will welcome me back when my treatment is all over
15. Re-igniting and embracing friendships old and new
16. Finding magic and joy in each day (some days it's the growing vegetables in our garden, or the snuggle of a little one, or the crispness of the air, or the smell of dinner, or the hug of a friend and so on). There is SO much magic and joy, even with cancer.
There is SO much to be grateful for, even when cancer occupies my mind and body every day.
Hardest parts so far:
1. Telling my students that I have cancer
2. Telling my family and friends that I have cancer
3. Shaving off my beautiful curls
4. Missing my students, working, problem-solving, and being part of a school community daily
5. The side effects of chemo
The blessings:
1. Getting cards, letters, pictures, texts, and messages from my students
2. Opening my phone and mailbox daily to find packages, cards, flowers, messages, voice mails, emails, and pictures
3. Getting to spend quality time with my mom
4. Dancing in the kitchen with Janelle
5. Candlelight dinners with Janelle and my mom every night
6. Walks to Fornax Bakery
7. Snuggling with my baby friends
8. Shaving my head with my mom, sister, Alicia and Janelle (via Facetime) by my side
9. Enjoying the daytime sun
10. Learning that my community is bigger than I ever imagined
11. Remembering why I love teaching and why I can't live without it
12. Getting my taste back and enjoying amazing food
13. Picking out beautiful head scarves and turbans to wear
14. Knowing that Bridge Boston is and will still be my second home and will welcome me back when my treatment is all over
15. Re-igniting and embracing friendships old and new
16. Finding magic and joy in each day (some days it's the growing vegetables in our garden, or the snuggle of a little one, or the crispness of the air, or the smell of dinner, or the hug of a friend and so on). There is SO much magic and joy, even with cancer.
There is SO much to be grateful for, even when cancer occupies my mind and body every day.
