Is surgery-moon such a thing? Well, I see ladies doing trips before the baby comes, so I figured I would plan a little something too.
Thursday 8/20
Kaiah has been in her new place for a week and she invited us over for dinner. She cooked all by herself in her own place. Gosh, do I feel old and yet so stinking proud. She made us delicious chicken, rice and green beans. We brought a Bundt cake for dessert. I offered to clean, like a guest does, and she actually took me up on it. So, I got stuck cleaning up. LOL! It was so fun to see her in her apartment being all grown up.
Friday 8/21
I decided I needed a day off. I have not taken any time off and I needed a mental health day. I wanted to just put work out of my mind for a little bit longer than the normal 2-day weekend.
We drove down to Wilmington so that I could meet some friends and spend the weekend with them. We had never met in person, but had several calls, FaceTimes and millions of texts. We met by way of hashtags on Instagram because we all have breast cancer. We found each other and the rest is history. These girls are so much more than friends.
Friday night, Meredith and I spent talking for hours about life, love and cancer. Saturday, Amanda drove down the coast to meet up with us. It was so exciting to see these girls and hug them. I already felt like I knew them, but this time with them was so special. Meredith was able to connect her laptop up to her TV and we got Cait on the big screen! It was almost like she was there with us too. All four of us talked for hours. We’ve had the group text for nearly 6 months, but this was just so much more fun.
I could type for hours about how incredible that time with my friends was, but I won’t. Instead, I want to let you all know this, you are not alone. When I was first diagnosed, I felt alone. I was surrounded by friends, family and my kids, but I never felt so alone or isolated in my life. It was the first time I truly felt like I didn’t have anything in common with anyone I knew. I felt like I could not talk to anyone without it surrounding cancer or me feeling like a burden.
Friend, I’m writing this because it’s important for you to know, you are never alone. First and foremost, God is with you. Secondly, you feel alone, but physically you are surrounded by the people who love you. What ever you are going through right now, I can assure you this....you are loved. It’s ok to be scared, it’s ok to not be ok. It’s NOT ok to give up. Acknowledge the fear. The unknown is scary. But do not live in that headspace. Worrying about the unknow, will not make it any less scary or any more known. We didn’t ask to be strong or brave, but here we are fighting. Let’s do this Friend!
Connecting with these women changed, not just my cancer journey, but also my life.