Back in January life took a turn I didn’t see coming. When my doctor said my thyroid nodules had grown, I went ahead and had a biopsy done. The biopsy came back suspicious for thyroid cancer and two weeks ago, they took my thyroid out. Crazily the pathology came back with papillary thyroid cancer in both sides. While the cancer is all gone, the doctors will be watching me more closely now.
My health has taken some crazy turns the last few years. Last October, I became really tired and hit a brick wall with my energy. When I tired to hit the ground running in January it went nowhere and have been on my couch every afternoon napping. Little did I know severe fatigue is a sign of cancer.
The words ‘you have cancer’ changes not only your perspective, but shifts your focus to what’s important. Below are the changes taking place this year even while recouping from fatigue.
- Spend time being present with my loved ones. This has definitely taken top priority since we are only given so many days on this earth. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, so my goal is to be present with my family and my wonderful friends.
- Refocus on my passions. Instead of putting things off to another day, I’ve decided to do things now. This is very hard with limited energy, but each day I’m trying to get back to the things I love.
- Change what I put on my skin such as body spray, lotion, makeup, etc. This change took place a while ago, but I’ve shifted towards all chemical free makeup such as Beauty Counter, changed to natural deodorant, and found some clean fragrances to use.
- Change what I put in my body by taking the chemicals out of my life. I’m in the process of cutting out all red meat, sugar and working on adding more organic vegetables. While I had shifted to this direction several years ago, I’m becoming more vigilant. All of the oils I cook with are organic and am replacing our kitchen containers with glass and stainless steal.
- Change what’s in our house. We’re in the process of removing as much plastic as possible in the house, purifying the air, and making sure chemicals are gone. We’ve also ditched all the harsh cleaning products in our house for mild natural products or even just plain vinegar.
- Savor the small moments. I try to appreciate those little moments of joy in life, like laughing with my kids, kissing my husband, or driving with the car windows down on a beautiful day. Colorado has such amazing places to explore, and we’re looking forward to family hikes this summer and vacation.
- Getting back to working out. The fatigue took a toll on my workout routine, but now I’m looking into fun classes and trying new activities. Who knows, I may even sign up for another run!
All of the actions above will definitely help continue my quest in being cancer-free. However, the one thing that has kept me sane is my faith. Holding onto hope, peace and joy is the only way to combat this disease. To my friends and family combating cancer, you are heroes and have taught me to hold onto hope. Thank you for being a light through this process. Being cancer-free is something I’ll be continually grateful for each day.