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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

A breast cancer journey …

October 18, 2017 by Patricia Sands 65 Comments

 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in countries all around the world.

If you are like me, your life has been touched in one way or another by this pervasive disease. My mother had breast cancer in her eighties that resulted in a mastectomy. One of our daughters is a THRIVER … a term I learned many woman choose to use as they move on with their lives. After a vicious attack, double mastectomy and reconstruction, chemotherapy and radiation, seven years later she is strong and healthy.

Treatments have improved so much, the future is bright for so many who receive the initial frightening diagnosis.

Today, to honour the fight against breast cancer, I would like to highlight the journey of a friend and fellow author, Liza Perrat. I was so pleased when she agreed to write this post for us. Liza is a talented author, originally from Australia, who married a French man and has raised her family in France. More about that later. Here is the story she would like to share with us:

A Reluctant Journey

Reluctant because you’d not planned it, did not want it, had no time for it in your busy life. But most of all because you feared this breast cancer journey that had been foisted upon you one chill autumn morning of 2016.

No, no, no, not you! Surely not? There’s a mistake? No mistake, Liza, this time it’s you. And, whether you want it or not, you are going on this journey.

Reluctantly, you pack your suitcase: passport (with visa stamped, “To Hell and, maybe, Back”), bottle of lavender oil to massage away chemo headaches, tube of special cream to avoid radiotherapy burns, all-cotton-sports-support-wireless-bras in assorted colours.  Oh and don’t forget the “fighting, positive” spirit; you’re going to need barrels of that, where you’re off to.

You lock up the house, take a big breath and lug that suitcase out into the cold. The next three seasons –– the time you’ll be away (if all goes well) –– stretch before you, dauntingly, fearfully, as if you are standing at the foot of Mount Everest.

From your hospital bed, post-surgery, you watch the leaves turn their brilliant autumn shades of scarlet, mustard, cinnamon. Beautiful, you think, when the surgeon says, “I think we got it all… it only metastasized to one lymph node.” Those autumn hues are more exquisite than you’d ever noticed before.

Autumn quickly recedes to dismal winter, its grey moments of despair, self-pity and depression hovering like storm clouds over that mountain. Some days you feel like your journey is a never-ending uphill climb, the peak receding like a desert mirage.

But as the surgical scars begin to heal, the melting snow washes away the darkness. You look towards the next mountainous challenge: chemotherapy.

You turn up every third Thursday very early in the morning. No sleep in for the wicked! You slump down in the waiting room with other travellers, many of whom you guess, by the looks of them, are going nowhere. You breathe sharply. You’re ok, you’re going to be ok. You’ll make this journey; you’re climbing to that mountain peak. Between those dark clouds, you catch glimpses of a sunny summit.

You shed most of your hair along the sinewy trail, but, hey, who cares? It’s still cold; you can wear a pretty hat. Besides, a comb or brush is one less thing to carry in your bag. No razor either. Your legs have never been smoother, wow! No eyebrows is ugly though, and your red, stinging eyes make you realise that eyelashes really do have a purpose.

You tell your family and friends it’s not really that bad, this journey, as you keep dragging the heavy suitcase behind you.

Incredibly, you discover some surprises along the way. Pleasant surprises about your own strength, and the loveliness of your supportive network of friends and family who relentlessly cheer you on towards your destination with flowers, ginger sweets, fluffy socks, cashmere shawl, homebaked lasagna and cookies

Spring arrives and you leave behind the chemo. Yay, champagne! Only 6 weeks of radiotherapy left! You lumber down the other side of that mountain, the birdsong cheering you on, the tiny leaf buds nodding at you in the gentle breeze, as if saying, “Yes, keep going, you’re almost there.”  You’re breathless with the scent of new flowers; the heady fragrance of hope. The fabulous smell of happiness to simply be alive.

It’s summer now, and you stagger across the Welcome mat of The Refuge: place where you can unpack, recover, get “back to normal”.

“Normal” though, has become an incredible privilege, because the journey has taught you that you’re lucky. Luckier than many of the travellers you met along the way; lucky that your ticket was not a one-way. This time.

Yes, you can relax a bit, for now. Go on, smell the jasmine, gaze in wonder at the starry night sky, laugh at muddy dog paws on the sofa, bake a chocolate cake and eat it all.

Drink in your luck, savour it, guard it preciously. Because now you know that one day you might have to pack that suitcase again and travel back out into the cold. Return, or one-way. Because, who knows if that mountain will beckon once again?

To celebrate everyone who has faced or is facing the cancer journey, Liza is offering a giveaway: 2 sets of her French historical trilogy: The Bone Angel series (3 e-books each set). To enter, leave a comment below and Liza will draw two names. Good luck!

The Bone Angel trilogy consists of three standalone stories exploring the tragedies and triumphs of a French village family of midwife-healers during the French Revolution (Spirit of Lost Angels), WW2 Nazi-occupied France (Wolfsangel) and the 1348 Black Plague (Blood Rose Angel). (Note from Patricia ~ I absolutely devoured all three stories! The details are fascinating and the reader is truly drawn into the history of the time. Good luck, everyone!) Click here to order.

 

 

 

 

 

Liza Perrat grew up in Australia, working as a general nurse and midwife. She has now been living in France for over twenty years, where she works as a part-time medical translator and a novelist.

Her latest novel, The Silent Kookaburra, is a psychological suspense set in the 1970s of her homeland, Australia.

Liza is a co-founder and member of the writers’ collective Triskele Books and also reviews books for Bookmuse.

Sign up  for information on Liza’s book releases and receive a FREE copy of Ill-Fated Rose, short story that inspired The Bone Angel French historical series.

Connect with Liza online:

WEBSITE

BLOG

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

Liza, thank you very much for writing this post for us and sharing some of your journey. What happy news that you have already celebrated the first anniversary of your recovery. Onward! To all those still in the midst of a battle, we are all in this together and hold each other close in our hearts.

 

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Social issues, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Bone Angel trilogy, breast cancer, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, France, giveaway, Liza Perrat, October, Patricia Sands

Flat and Fabulous~Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 5, 2016 by Patricia Sands 3 Comments

d52cb5d3-a748-3657-ad26-b20644cc1338Following along with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please take a few minutes to read this story shared by Pat Skene.

She calls it:  “FLAT AND FABULOUS” and I’ve reposted the article from the Sixty and Me online magazine, where I sometimes write articles as well. It’s a vibrant, informative community, particularly for women. Take a look.

And now here’s Pat’s story:

In October 2014, I was diagnosed untitledwith breast cancer at the age of sixty-nine. In a matter of hours, I was thrust headlong into a whirlwind of doctor appointments, consultations, biopsies, scans and x-rays. Through waves of gut-wrenching vulnerability, I felt my world closing in and choking the life right out of me.

Where Do I Start?

Before surgery, there were so many things to consider and decisions to make. I felt overwhelmed and exhausted, just when I needed to stay focused. My daughter or my husband took notes during all medical appointments, which was very helpful.

A Few Things to Consider Before Surgery

Due to an existing medical condition (lupus), I have no tolerance for the sun or any UV rays. So because of this, I decided a mastectomy was my only option due to the post-surgery radiation requirements after a lumpectomy.

 I also can’t tolerate chemical medications of any kind, so I knew the surgery would take its toll on my body. And after weighing all options, I decided not to have reconstructive surgery, which would significantly increase my time in the operating room and my recovery. Going flat was the best option for me.

Stating My Case for a Double Mastectomy

Despite the fact that I had cancer in one breast, I decided early on that I would have both breasts removed. It was not an easy task to convince both my family doctor and my surgeon to agree. They were worried about the added risk, which was understandable. But I needed to do this and I repeatedly stated my case until they agreed.

My reasons for wanting both breasts removed were twofold. First, I didn’t want to go through it all over again down the road, if cancer was detected in the other breast. Then there was my self-esteem and sense of balance.

The idea of being left with one large D-cup breast, while the other side was flat, upset my emotional sense of order and well-being. Plus, I would be faced with the never-ending challenge of matching the flat side with a comfortable prosthesis.

Hard Work and Good News

So the operation took place and a bilateral mastectomy was done. The next couple of weeks were certainly no picnic, and I found daily home nursing care for the first few days a huge relief. It was difficult to come to terms with my fear of the cancer label, and my new image in the mirror. But, I knew that ultimately, getting well was up to me.

A few weeks later, the oncologist told me the surgery had successfully removed all the cancer and that was good news. More good news – chemotherapy would not be required due the size and type of cancer I had.

We Need to Ask the Questions

When the oncologist told me I would be put on Tamoxifen as an after-care drug therapy, I was very nervous about the side effects I had read about, because of how I react to drugs. And when I asked what percentage this drug would help my chances of not getting cancer again, the oncologist was somewhat taken aback by my question.

She left the examining room, studied my file and did some analysis. When she returned, she admitted that I probably didn’t need to take it after all, because Tamoxifen would only minimally improve my chances.

Now I know this isn’t everyone’s story. I have friends going through their own personal challenges with breast cancer and I realize how fortunate I am not to be taking any follow-up drug treatment. But the issue here is – what if I hadn’t asked?

We need to challenge and ask questions about every step of our care; be relentless in getting all the relevant information we need to make the decisions that are right for us.

The Comfort of Going Flat

I’m happy with my decision not to have reconstruction. I love the comfort of going flat with the option of wearing prostheses only when I feel like it. After carrying around large breasts all my life, the freedom from all that weight on my shoulders, back and rib cage is truly a gift in a strange sort of way. And as a bonus, I can now choose any cup size I want to be. (‘B” being the operative word here.)

breast-cancer-awareness-clip-artHere Are The Top 10 Things I Learned From My Experience

  • A post-surgery camisole is invaluable. The Velcro pockets hold the drain bulbs in place and help to avoid leakage. The camisole comes with removable soft puffs, which can be inserted into the built-in pockets and worn while you’re recovering.
  • Home care nursing may be arranged by the hospital if you have drains after a mastectomy. Confirm the details of your care with hospital staff and know who to call if something breaks down in the process.
  • Prepare yourself before surgery by looking at photos of other post-mastectomy bodies. Contact a breast cancer support agency in your area and ask them to provide you with the most appropriate photos for your situation.
  • Ask about “dog ears.” Large breasted or overweight women have fatty areas under the arms as part of the breast – which may still be there after the breasts are removed. Before surgery, ask your surgeon if it’s possible to minimize this excess skin area.
  • Confirm your details and don’t assume the hospital records are correct. On three of my pre-op appointments for tests, the hospital records indicated I was having a single mastectomy. I was even called back for an unnecessary biopsy.
  • Pain management choices can include non-chemical drugs. Deep stomach (yoga) breathing and guided meditations proved to be very effective for me.
  • Making the decision to go flat is a very personal one. There is some good information about this issue at breastfree.org
  • Sewing bra pockets for prostheses into existing bras, camisoles and bathing suits can save having to buy expensive mastectomy clothing.
  • Breast prostheses can be heavy, hot and expensive. There are cheaper and lighter options available, so it pays to take your time and do some research.
  • Gentle yoga was the best thing I did, to help me get my body back in shape after surgery and restore my overall sense of well-being. The Sixty and Me gentle yoga video series is a good example of gentle yoga poses.

So here I am a year later – flat and fabulous! I realize this is not the experience for everyone who has been through the pain and agony of this insidious disease.

This is simply my personal journey. I’m not sure what the future holds, but right now I have my life back. It was all about choice, asking the right questions and being diligent in gathering the facts to weigh my options. The decisions I made were simply the right ones for me. Cancer was something I had and now it’s gone, and I’m moving on.

Do you know anyone who has survived breast cancer? What advice would you give to someone who is going through something similar? Please join the conversation.

Pat SkenePat Skene retired from the corporate world of banking to find her voice. She is the author of several books for children and founder of Press Here to Start Publishing. When she’s not writing books for kids, Pat is busy posting humorous reflections for boomers on her blog at Boomerrantz.com. Pat keeps her imagination fed and watered in Oakville, Ontario.

Thank you, Pat, for sharing your story. It’s so important for all of us to keep the conversation open about how breast cancer impacts our lives. Dear blog visitors, I hope you will pass this along.

 

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Filed Under: Blog, News, Social issues, Uncategorized Tagged With: breast cancer, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Canada, mastectomy, Pat Skene, survivor

What’s your excuse?

September 27, 2016 by Patricia Sands 4 Comments

I owe my blog an apology. And I extend it to all of you who have dropped by recently wondering why I haven’t added a new post for a while. Does your to-do list get overwhelming from time to time? How do you handle the overload?

Does making a list of excuses  … um … reasons, help? I was on that excuse train briefly and then put my nose to the grindstone and got to work.

If reality wasn’t a factor, I would have run away to that ancient, remote hilltop village of my dreams in the south of France … with the spectacular view of the Med, of course, … and wifi …

img_3796

Instead I’ve been caught up working on my next novel – writing and researching, catching up on other blogs, doing guest posts and this month’s newsletter, and becoming friends with my new computer. img_5059-1After the usual helpful advice from the knowledgable people in my local Apple store, we all came to the conclusion that another MacBook Pro was the answer. I have to say I was sorely tempted by those divinely thin MacBooks and MacBook Airs, but the Pro offered a bit more flexibility that I needed.  The beautiful choice of covers for the Pro was unexpected ~ guess I hadn’t seen the ads. I chose the colour because it reminded me of the Med along the Côte d’Azur ~ just the right inspiration!

150626-055-sm-CarmenBlike-R3And then there’s the matter of 48, 392 photos that I’m sifting through and organizing … ack! I do loooove to take photos … always have since I was a child with my first Kodak Brownie camera. Remember those?

I’m curious, do you keep all of your photos on your computer or an external hard drive? Do you make photo books?

I’m happy to say I’ve managed to cross off most items from my to-do list and I’m hoping it will be clear sailing for a while now. But then you never know. Life’s like that, right?

The photos are another matter. I suspect that project will be with me for quite a while, partly because it’s such a pleasure looking through old albums. Know what I mean?

Okay, enough about that. On we go!

d52cb5d3-a748-3657-ad26-b20644cc1338

In a few days October will be here. Yikes! That was fast!

Among other things, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (even though this awareness goes on every day, as we know.) A variety of events around the world are organized in October and landmark buildings in many countries are lit up in pink.

I’ll be sharing a few posts and websites with you in support of the initiative. I doubt there are many of us whose family and friends have not been touched by this pervasive disease. What I want to share with you is not about raising funds but rather about raising awareness and sharing important information. Please feel free to share the same with us here.

For starters, I encourage you to take some time to visit  Susie Lindau’s Boob Reports. Susie is an online friend and part of the worldwide writing community of which we are proud members. She shared her cancer battle openly on her fabulous blog, it’s truly an inspiration to read. She says, in true Susie fashion:

“It’s not that I’m a cancer survivor,

I’m a thriver.”

Let’s all be thrivers!

Enjoy these last days of sweet September … the month simply flew by for me. For you too?

942ef31a8531331257befde23e3e4f9a

 

 

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Filed Under: Blog, News, Social issues, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Apple, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mac store, Patricia Sands, photography

Causemetics ~ Breast Cancer support

October 16, 2014 by Patricia Sands 2 Comments

 

Last week I spoke a bit about the Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund. This week I’m happy to share the news of their latest collaboration in order to raise funds to bring support to women with breast cancer.                                  

                                            OUR MANTRA

We want to help women with breast cancer.
Not someday. Today.
Because the rent is due. Groceries need to be bought. Car payments. Hospital parking. Lost wages during treatment and recovery. Even beauty products add to the cost of living. Despite billions raised to find a cure, many of the 23,000 Canadians diagnosed this year need financial help right now. That’s why we’ve partnered with the cosmetics industry to assist those who can’t afford to be sick. We give the proceeds of our sales to help breast cancer patients through the Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund. And we only work with products that are 100% natural and free of toxic chemicals and carcinogens, so they’ll do you some good too.

 

PRESS RELEASE :

Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund launches Causemetics, Canada’s first collaborative fundraising brand to help relieve financial pressure of breast cancer

Support Fund says financial toll of breast cancer is often more stressful than the disease itself

Toronto, ON – The cost of breast cancer is anything but benign. The toll of lost wages associated with treatment and other costs are often overlooked.

This October, the Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund (CBCSF) makes it part of the conversation. The CBCSF, in collaboration with 11 of Canada’s leading all-natural, non-toxic skincare and cosmetic companies, introduces Causemetics.

Canada’s first collaborative fundraising brand launches on October 14 at www.cbcsf.ca through online retail partner www.well.ca and at Green Beauty Spa in Toronto, followed by www.causemetics.ca. Causemetics helps relieve the financial toll of breast cancer – today. For each product sold, a portion of the proceeds ($4 to $10 as marked on the package) will be donated to the CBCSF.

Causemetics line up_originalDonna Sheehan, CBCSF Executive Director and breast cancer survivor says, ““In313281_300555023292053_159476780733212_1399781_779817079_n1 my seven years of work providing psychosocial support to those affected by breast cancer, it became very clear that the financial cost was often more stressful than the diagnosis and treatment, which is why I started the Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund,” says Donna Sheehan, .

“Despite tens of millions raised to find a cure, many of the 23,000 Canadians diagnosed this year need financial help today. We donate the lion’s share of funds raised to helping women fight the disease, and Causemetics represents a long-term fundraising revenue stream. Prevention is a key mandate and we believe minimizing exposure to harmful toxins is part of the solution, so working with cosmetics industry partners who create natural products is perfectly in alignment.”

For more information on this great initiative, click here.  

 

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Filed Under: Blog, News, Social issues, Uncategorized Tagged With: Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund, Causemetics, Donna Sheehan

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