Category: Personal Stories

Episode 17: Journey of the Caregiver

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Caregivers are called upon in the most unexpected ways through disease, an accident, surgery, or treatment. This is the story and journey of a thousand miles, two breast cancer diagnoses, multiple surgeries, and the story of how my son, Brian, taught me more about this role and what it means to be a compassionate caregiver on Episode 17: Journey of the Caregiver, on the DiepCJourney podcast. No Instruction Book for a Caregiver When a friend or loved one faces a health event and you know they will need assistance, your call to duty to be a caregiver begins. There is no payment for this role and certainly no instruction book. Both the patient and the caregiver shift their daily routine and begin to think in terms of strategy to help the patient. Considerations can include any or all of the following: This can all become overwhelming and require a great Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Nipple Tattoo Artistry Experience

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This story is about three friends in vastly separate places in their lives, uniquely connected through the breast cancer experience, and a narrative of a breast reconstruction nipple tattoo artistry experience. Whitney’s Breast Reconstruction Story I met Whitney in 2019 shortly after moving back to Seattle. Our past connections are uncanny. We remain friends and the story behind how it came to be still warms my heart. You can read more about it in this blog and how Whitney’s genetic mutation for ATM and CHEK2 put her at high risk for getting breast cancer. She completed her breast reconstruction Journey traveling to San Antonio having her DIEP flap performed at PRMA. Whitney communicated with me while she was in Texas revealing how pleased she was with her surgery. My heart was happy to hear about support from her husband and other Journey members living in the San Antonia area. Because Continue Reading →

Staying Connected in 2022

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We have rolled over another year of the calendar. Living through two years of a global pandemic has not been easy for any of us. There are traits we have learned about ourselves we did not know we were capable of, like patience and persistence. None of us anywhere on Earth were prepared to deal with all the rapid changes we continue to make because of the pandemic. And yet we have somehow stayed connected. I feel so strongly and see such immense value in staying connected in 2022. Staying Connected Through social media Whether you have one social media account or many, whether you have actually met your social media friends in person or not, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others, these platforms connect us in valuable ways. I think there are two important questions to ask yourself when using social media. The answer to question number one should Continue Reading →

Is Compassion an Action?

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I promised a dear friend I would write a blog on this topic after a conversation we had online one morning while sipping coffee. We spoke about the numerous ways folks have been off put by the circumstances we have all encountered over the past two years during the global pandemic. It seems fitting to write the blog during the holiday season and ask ourselves the question, is compassion an action? Compassion and the Origin of the Word We think of the word compassionate as being a verb. But the full meaning of the word “compassion” from Meriam’s dictionary states the definition of compassion as a “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. I can see defined compassion as an action. Have you Ever been Called to Show Compassion Lately? A recent example I encountered myself happened this past week when I stood in line Continue Reading →

My DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction Seven Years Later

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This morning I began my usual morning routine. I am an early riser. I open my laptop, check my phone for messages, begin sorting out emails to respond to, and begin my workday. But this morning marks a day on my calendar I never forget, or more appropriately, always remember. December 1, 2014, I was sitting on a gurney being marked up for my DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Writing about my DIEP flap breast reconstruction seven years later? How is that possible? Where did the time go? The Days and Months Leading up to my DIEP Flap My coffee is fresh and warm and my thoughts flood through my mind as I recall the events of the morning I showed up at the hospital. Yes, I showed up. But boy did that take a lot of decision making, planning, and a strong dose of physical and emotional fortitude in the Continue Reading →

A Home for the Breast Cancer Quilt

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I first encountered DiepC Journey ~ Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy Facebook group when researching my options for prophylactic measures due to carrying a BRCA1 gene mutation. I instantly connected with the vibe of the group. What a wealth of information! If you know the founder of DiepC Foundation and the accompanying Facebook group, Terri Coutee, you will know just how welcoming, no-nonsense, and warm she is in all her advice and education pieces. She works to give each member a personalized experience when interacting with her foundation and page and she has helped countless woman and men dealing with breast cancer or breast cancer risk. Terri and I clicked, we’re both in the Pacific Northwest, shared a mutual friend, and both chose the same reconstruction—DIEP flap (using tissue from the belly.) We even made a video together. My Breast Cancer Journey to a Twist But! Here’s where the twist comes Continue Reading →

Twenty Years: My Memories of 9/11 and What I Didn’t Know

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When dates in your life approach on the calendar emotions arise. The events of 9/11 still have great impact on the world. While speaking to friends this week, on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, we recall exactly where we were and what we were doing the morning we heard the news. Twenty years, my memories of 9/11, and what I didn’t know are told in this blog. Where Were You When You Heard the News on 9/11? September of 2001 brought exciting new beginnings for us. We were new residents to Texas having moved from Seattle to a town north of Houston in the summer of that year. It was a beautiful, warm, fall morning in Texas. Our youngest son was a few blocks away safely tucked in his classes at middle school. My husband was an hour’s drive away in Houston, a large city where the oil and gas Continue Reading →

Trusting your Body after Breast Cancer and Breast Reconstruction

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I hear it so often from those affected by breast cancer or breast reconstruction. They experience weakness, loss of muscle mass, sense of balance, and overall strength. I know this feeling. It’s frustrating, feels like a true sense of loss, and sometimes even feels a bit hopeless as if you will never return to the person you were prior to treatment and surgery. I want to share my own experiences, provide hope and why trusting your body after breast cancer and breast reconstruction can be an important part of physical and mental recovery. Loss of Strength after Breast Cancer A breast cancer diagnosis is shocking for most. It is both physically and mentally challenging depleting the body and mind. I remember the absolute fatigue I felt from hearing about the diagnosis, crying, telling my family,  and going to all the subsequent appointments following my first diagnosis. After I had two Continue Reading →

Recycling Thoughts of My Breast Cancer Diagnosis

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It is funny how the daily events of life can conjure up memories from when you were diagnosed with breast cancer. Oh, diagnosed with breast cancer twice in my case. Our community is holding a recycling event this weekend. While clearing out various files I came across some paperwork I saved from my first diagnosis is 2002, my second diagnosis in 2014, and also my DIEP flap breast reconstruction also in 2014. It was like recycling thoughts from my breast cancer diagnosis. The Diagnosis Process Does Not Change Much What was interesting to me was an email I printed from a best friend and survivor herself. She was diagnosed a couple of years before I was. To read more about our connection and understand the meaning behind out song, “I Hope You Dance” you can read this blog. She had great pearls of wisdom to share with me. I speak Continue Reading →

Episode 10: Male Breast Cancer

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Male breast cancer will be diagnosed in about 2,650 men this year according to Breast Cancer.org. A leading patient advocate for the Male Breast Cancer Coalition bringing awareness to male breast cancer is our guest on episode 10: Male Breast Cancer, of the DiepCJourney podcast. Michael Singer and his wife Patty share the poignant story of his sister’s death from metastatic breast cancer and how if formed his fierce work in patient advocacy. He has become a strong voice bringing awareness that breast cancer does not discriminate and touches the lives of men, too. The Breast Cancer Diagnosis In 2010, Michael felt a lump under his left nipple about the size of a tip of a pencil eraser. Patty advised him to tell his doctor at his routine annual physical exam. Did he? No. Patty asked Michael why he did not tell him. His answer, “Because I was embarrassed”. That Continue Reading →