Category Archives: breast cancer

The Gift of Another Birthday

05 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in breast cancer

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In my preschool class, it is a tradition to have Oreos as a special treat on someone’s birthday. As I was passing out Oreos this week for my birthday, one of my students asked me, “What’s your number?” I had to chuckle at that one! I’m not one to hide my age; I’ve only been 39 years old once.

Speaking of 39, in June I’m about to take on a big challenge. I’m going to walk 39 miles with my best friend and husband, Ed. But perhaps an even bigger challenge is raising the amount of money I need to walk in the Avon 39 Walk to End Breast Cancer. In order to participate in the Avon 39, both Ed and I need to raise $1800. That is a daunting number!

AVON39

Walking the Chicago #AVON39 in 2011

Here’s where you come in! I am looking for sponsors for the AVON39. To become a sponsor, all you need to do is donate $1 for each mile I plan on walking. Donating just $39 to Avon 39: The Walk to End Breast Cancer is an easy way to support me in my fundraising. If you have a blog or own a small business, your donation can also benefit you!

With a $39 donation, I will put your logo above the fold on my sidebar until June 30. That’s a premium advertising space for less than $10 a month! I will also personally thank you at least 4 times for being a sponsor on my Facebook page and Twitter, with a link to your website, Facebook page, or other social media link (whichever you prefer). My blog is small yet mighty, and you’ll be making a donation to a great cause!

If you are unable to make a donation at this time, support me by liking and sharing my #AVON39 posts. Do you know someone else who might want to be a sponsor? Please share this post with them. It’s as easy as that!

[Tweet “I’m celebrating 20 years of cancer survivorship by walking the #AVON39! Support me today!”]

To make a donation and to read more about why I’m walking, visit my AVON39 Fundraising Page. After you make your donation, please email me at lemondroppie@gmail.com to let me know you’ve made a donation, and to share the links and the logo you would like me to use. If you don’t have a logo, I’ll be able to provide one for you.

Click here!

Click here!

Back to the question of what my number is; I am proud to say that I am 47 years old, and I plan on adding many years to that number!

*Here comes the small print: Please note, my sidebar is not visible on my blog’s mobile setting. I will share your links enthusiastically, but cannot guarantee the number of click-throughs your link will receive. I am walking the AVON39 under my real name. Please visit my AVON39 page for information on how to donate. Thank you for your support!

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Motherhood After Breast Cancer: Pregnancy

05 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by in breast cancer, motherhood

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Tonight as we were chowing down on burgers and shakes at the Choo Choo (our favorite birthday restaurant), Lily asked me to tell the story about the day that she was born.

My due date was November 20th, although when I first had gotten pregnant, I calculated my due date to be Nov. 10th. When I woke up on Nov. 5 (I always say my due date was more accurate than the one my doctor gave me) I started to feel cramps. I called my mom, Ed at work, and my doctor’s office in that order. Since I already had a doctor’s appointment at 11:00, the nurse told me I could wait until then to come in. I had told Ed to come home from work so he could drive me to the doctor’s office. It was a beautiful fall morning, and Ed spent the time waiting to rake the leaves into the street for the leaf truck. I usually went to doctor’s appointments by myself, but this time, I didn’t go home after my appointment. The doctor told me I was going to have a baby that day!

I’ve always thought of both of my daughters as little miracles from God. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get pregnant and have children after undergoing chemotherapy and taking Tamoxifen at such a young age. Many young women are pushed into menopause or become infertile due to cancer treatments. Before Ed and I got married, we talked about the possibility of adoption if we weren’t able to have children.

So it was unbelievable to me when it took only about three or four months for me to become pregnant with both Lily and Emmy. I was also quite fortunate to have healthy and happy pregnancies. Being pregnant was a wonderful experience for me, and the morning sickness I felt was nothing compared to the sickness of chemotherapy. My hair grew thicker instead of falling out and I was gaining weight due to a healthy baby growing inside of me. Ed and I felt truly blessed.

As we watch both our girls growing before our eyes, and celebrated Lily’s 11th birthday today, we still feel extremely blessed to be the parents of our miracle babies. Because as you know, our girls will always be our babies even as we celebrate birthdays and watch our little girls grow up.

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