Good News On Election Day

Last Tuesday Nov. 7th the Democrats were able to take control of the House & the Senate! Yes, as a Democrat, I'm hoping the Republican's "Contract on America" & foreign policies will be replaced with some sanity. With all the mayhem going on in the Middle East & other suffering going on worldwide, it sometimes seems like my cancer diagnosis is just so insignificant in the larger scope of the universe. But something significant in my road to recovery also happened on Election Day -- my period started again. I was receiving Lupron shots during my chemo treatments to put my ovaries into a state of hibernation, in the hopes that they would be protected from the treatments. So I had no periods since March -- on one hand, I welcomed not having to deal with them, but on the other, I was anxious about whether my fertility would rebound & wondered if I could have another child (without going through infertility treatments or adoption). It's recommended to wait 2-3 years (after treatments I think) since the chances of a recurrence are greatest during that time period. I'll be about 40 then & who knows how healthy my ovaries will be even with the return of my periods and whether I'll remain in remission. It makes me frustrated that I have to put my life on hold because of the potential of the cancer returning. A useful website that specifically addresses fertility issues & cancer is www.fertilehope.org. One day I hope that I will be able to post a happy outcome on their website and my blog.

Everyday I'm grateful for having Kailee, who's now about 18 mos. old, and for all the joy & love he brings into our lives. I thinkWhen I hear about other mothers who've died from their cancers, leaving behind young children, it makes me both so sad & anxious. About two months ago, I borrowed a book from the library entitled "Before I Say Goodbye" a memoir of a young woman, a British journalist, who died from breast cancer, leaving behind a husband & 2-year old twins. I couldn't read beyond the introduction. It just made me so depressed to think that perhaps I myself wouldn't see my child grow up, that I wouldn't grow old with my husband. Maybe one day I'll pick up that book again. So for now, there's a brighter future for both the world and my hopes for another child...