Five years ago, on March 17, 2015, I published my first blog for DiepCJourney.com. I felt excited and anxious. Today, on March 17, 2020, those feelings, excitement and being anxious manifest themselves in a completely different way. We are at the tip of the iceberg in the United States as we grapple with how to deal with a global pandemic, the worldwide Coronavirus outbreak. This blog will be marked as a time capsule. I had no idea DiepCJourney would be celebrating five years in unprecedented times.
I had an idea what I might write in this blog as 2020 rolled around knowing it was the fifth anniversary year. But now things have changed. I want to share my concerns and gratitude to all of the amazing readers over the past five years.
My Concerns for Readers of DiepCJourney at this Unprecedented Time
The blog continues to grow and evolve. What started as a focus on DIEP flap breast reconstruction has expanded to writing about all options for breast reconstruction and also the option to choose no reconstruction at all. YouTube videos have been added with board certified surgeons, patients, and health care professionals. One of my favorite things, inviting other breast cancer survivors to share their personal stories from diagnosis through breast reconstruction. A Facebook page was opened to share the information from my blog to educate and provide resources. One year after launching DiepCJourney, I opened a nonprofit Foundation to extend the reach of education provided in the blog.
This is the community I have become so endeared to over the past five years of writing the blog. I get emails from readers because of the blog. These emails are from patients and caregivers with deeply caring and concerning questions about the breast reconstruction process. During the Coronavirus I am receiving private messages and phone calls from this community. They have had appointments and surgeries cancelled due to the severity of the virus and outbreak to free up hospital rooms for the newly diagnosed with Coronavirus.
I worry about them and their ability to rebound from this difficult news. Like me, they spent weeks and months planning for their surgery. They are disappointed but also understand the urgency of the cancellations and delays. My concerns run deep for the surgeons and nurses who are on the front lines of the healthcare industry exposed daily to large groups in hospitals and clinics. I know the utmost care is being given to avoid any danger, but it is inevitable the virus cannot be fully contained. I know they are at risk. Some of the people I have interviewed and written about have had to temporarily close the doors to their businesses. Will they be able to reopen? I am concerned for them. They have become my friends.
Five Years of Gratitude at DiepCJourney
The night I opened my blog, March 17, 2020, I spent the evening with the artist who created the watercolor sketch for my platform. Her name is Meagan and we shared a Guinness together that evening to celebrate our combined efforts and work on this project.
This blog belongs to the global people involved in breast cancer and breast reconstruction. My arms are not big enough to wrap them around some of the most amazing, compassionate, and strong individuals I have the pleasure of knowing. This is the community who embraced my passion for educating about all options for breast reconstruction. Who are they?
- My family and friends
- Patients seeking education about breast reconstruction after mastectomy
- Plastic surgeons
- Microsurgeons
- Oncologists
- Nurses
- Breast Surgeons
- Radiologists
- Decorative Tattoo Artists
These are the people who help me weave the stories and content of DiepCJourney. They bring it to life and deepen the purpose of why I began writing the blog on March 17, 2020. Thank you for placing your trust in me. My gratitude runs deep. My trust in you grows stronger every year even as we navigate this Journey together during this unprecedented time in history.
The final words of the first blog I published are even more appropriate today. Isn’t it ironic to be celebrating five years of the DiepCJourney blog during unprecedented times with the very same words?