I Don't Even Have the Gene

Personal Update: I finished my 18 weeks of chemo and 3 weeks later started 33 sessions of radiation. I finished radiation on June 27th, the day after the school year ended. My hair has officially started to come back (yay!), although every day it is a reminder of how hard the last year was. My surgeries and treatments lasted the entire last school year (September-June), and I am very excited to start this next school year without any of that on my list of to-dos. I have started two medications to suppress estrogen and shut down my ovaries for at least the next 5 years. My hope is to have reconstructive surgery next summer. I want to apologize to those of you who wanted to celebrate with me as I finished my chemo and radiation therapies. The end of radiation was an (unexpectedly) emotional time. While I knew I should be excited to be done with such a difficult thing, I just couldn't stop thinking about how this will be a life-long journey that will be affecting my life. It is no

Well the hardest part of my journey is DONE. I have only one more of the more toxic chemo sessions left (then 12 of a different drug) and I have shaved my hair! Unfortunately, I had to shave my hair on Christmas Eve. It was so hard! Thankfully, my dad did it for me at my parents house. I cried for about five minutes straight and it still sucks, but the hardest part is done. I have many looks I’m still getting used to: the totally bald, the hats, and a wig. None feel normal. It will be a long time until I feel like myself again but I’m determined to make the best of it and step out of my comfort zone to try to have fun with it. School started again and I thought it would be way harder than it was! I’ve said it before, but I have been so blessed this year by my coworkers and students. Every acknowledgment and compliment of my wig gave me the confidence I needed. My students and I had a conversation about it. They are so wonderful and sweet. While we all awknowledged that I look differ