Brave Heart, Brave Soul. She who is brave is free.

As we bring this month to a close I just want to share some of my thoughts with you. First I am both humbled and inspired by each one of your stories. This month was not about me, or my own story instead it was about sharing, caring and yes, inspiring others with your individual journeys. I hope to bring more stories of inspiration to you from time to time through out the rest of the year in a continued spirit of sharing and caring. I sit here right now looking back through the many stories we have shared this month. I see the common threads binding us and weaving us together as a community of survivors. Our stories have each been different and yes we have taken different paths and diverse journeys. But the one thing binding us is our compassion and our desire to share our own trials in order to reach out to all those following behind us. Each one of us has felt the sting of pain, had fear grip our hearts, stepped into the darkness. Still we have kept moving toward the sun, into the l...

Our family's My Journey with cancer and death began on March 30, where my wife Gloria would go to the doctor that day for what she called a "droop" eyelid. She was afraid she was having min-strokes as she had in the past. When she went to the doctor to have them check out her left eyelid that was drooping, she also discovered Gloria was running a temperature of 104, so she was admitted into the hospital for complete testing. Testing started with CT scans on the brain, MRI,ultrasounds and blood work.--- Larry As mom and dad waited for the results the emotions were in a whirlwind. Then the day came, APRIL 4TH 2007 her doctor came into our room and said she had bad news.--- Angie She told us my Gloria had lung cancer Stage 4 and it had metastasised to her brain. I will never forget those words "all you can do is comfort her". Gloria did not accept that as an option and started to seek treatment from MD Anderson but we had no idea the legalities that we had to go th...

Twenty-three years ago I had breast cancer. I was given 6 to 18 months to live. I have stage 3, 2.something cm. Only by the Grace of God , my family's prayers and learning to pray over myself the scriptures on healing am I here today. I opted not to take chemo. I did have radiation and a mastectomy. I did change some of my eating habits for a year., cut out red meat, juiced more vegetables and did Dr. Gursom's therapy of wheat grass juice, coffee enema's which detoxifies ones body. It is not an easy process. If you choose to take Chemo or if you choose other means. One should always make sure that God and you are in a close relationship not only for a cure for here and now but for ones eternity. Nothing like the "Big C" to give one a wake-up call. A friend in Christ, Mary Barnes

I was devastated when I heard what was going on with Christina. I kept thinking to myself, "this does not happen to my family; my friends" I hoped and prayed that something was incorrect in the tests and this was all just a mistake. Unfortunately, it was not, but the Christina that I grew up knowing is still there and is still as loving as ever. I am doing this for Christina because she asked me to share my story. I am 28 years old and when I was 26, I had a complete hysterectomy. From the time I was 15, I continually had abnormal pap smears. My Dr's always told me that it was okay because there were no real changes that were cause for concern. Okay I said. Then when I was 16, the ovarian cysts started. They became more and more painful every month and it finally got to the point where I had my first surgery done in 1999. There were 14 cysts on one ovary and 12 on the other. Once they were done taking them all out and I was in recovery, I heard the Dr tell my mother that ...

It was 2004 and I was 27 years old when my "woman" surgeries started. I'd had problems long before then, but thought that this was just part of "the curse", and our penance to bear. Imagine the surprise when I was diagnosed with endometreosis along with a couple of other terms I have no idea how to spell, but it boils down to period problems. I had a laporoscopy, hyteroscopy, and a D&C. It helped for about 6 months, but then the pains came back. My doctor warned me that this might happened and that the next step would be a hysterectomy. Well, that's just unacceptable. I'm 27, there's NO way you are taking away that which makes me a woman. Not to mention all the horror stories I've heard about what women go through afterward. My mom had had one when she was my age, and when she forgot to take her "witch pill" (our nickname for hormones) WATCH OUT!!! I was also raised in a strong catholic family, and having kids is just what you do. I...

1. Don’t stop talking to God – even if it means standing in the middle of a field screaming at him. Better to scream at Him than ignore Him. 2. Don’t forget that He will always hear you – He hears you just as well when you’re on your knees, barely able to whisper His name through the tears as when you are in the field screaming at Him. 3. Don’t forget God’s promises are true. He will never fail, even when we are going through a valley and can’t see the light at the end, or when we do see a light but it turns out to be a freight train. 4. Don’t forget that some of God’s promises are conditional – if you don’t do your part, He’s not obligated to do His. 5. Hang onto your true friends – you’ll know who they are. They are the ones who still want to be around you when you’re in your darkest hour. They are the ones that don’t seem to disappear when life gets rough – in fact, they start appearing more than usual. 6. Don’t forget that your true friends are human – they have limits and make mis...

Cancer has taken such a toll on my family. My uncle and step-father, both developed brain tumors and were gone within a year. Last week my cousin’s beautiful four year old daughter , lost her fight that started at nine months old when they found a tumor on the base of her brain stem. And then my grandmother and mother who both fought breast cancer and seemingly won until the cancer metastasized to other parts of their bodies. Christina asked me to share my story and I have been struggling with what angle to approach it from. I guess I will just start from the beginning and try not to ramble. When I was 17 years old my mom developed breast cancer. It was caught early and she had the lumps removed, had reconstructive surgery and started chemo and radiation. My mother’s treatment was complicated by the fact that she was a type 1 diabetic. As many of you know, chemo and diabetes don’t mix well. You take insulin to keep your blood sugars level in check, but you have to eat to balance the i...

My story begins November 2006, when after being the victim in an armed robbery, I had what was described as a nervous breakdown where I lost a lot of weight, it was this weight loss that led me to discover a small lump in my right breast.after a few weeks of trying to ignore it, I visited my doctor who referred me to the local hospital where I was diagnosed with a 2cm grade 3 with 1 lymph node involved. I don't think any words or actions can prepare you for that word "cancer", cancer happens to other people, I just went into complete shock, I think I have never really accepted the fact that I was seriously ill, even to this day, the hardest part for me was trying to explain to my children, my son who was 5 at the time never really understood the situation, which in a way was good, but my daughter who was 14 knew exactly what it meant, and knew what cancer could do having watched my friend die previously of the dreaded beast. In February 2007 I had a lumpectomy with lymph...

As I sit and read some of the other stories…my eyes filled with tears.... In disbelief and in sadness of what others have gone through in their lives.My life’s experiences are not so deep . I’m not saying that I have lived a charmed life. But I can honestly say that I do believe I have lived a blessed life. We all have demons that we have fought in our lives...we all have cobwebs buried deep down in our mind… however some thicker than others. I choose to keep my cobwebs buried. I have learned to deal with what has gone on in my past… and choose not to dwell… with only knowing that there is now nothing I can do to change it. My life now has taken on a whole different way of living…we all at times have been forced to travel down roads we do not wish to travel down..These are life’s lessons.. . how we choose to ride it out is totally up to us… as for my experiences… cancer is the one that has challenged our family the most… Cancer has stricken my family three times.. I have lost an Aunt ,...

It was Mother’s Day of May 2004 and I woke up feeling a bit weak. So my husband and I missed church services and slept in. Around 1:00 PM, Bobby asked if I was well enough to go out to eat. We had been transferred to West Virginia with his job and therefore were without the rest of our family. After a nice lunch, we strolled out of the restaurant hand in hand and I began to feel some slight pain in my chest. By the time we were in the car, Bobby had become quite concerned and asked me if he should take me to the emergency room. I thought it was just gas, but in the back of my mind I was worried and so was Bobby. So he made the decision for me and took me immediately to the hospital. Well, to make a long story short, I had quite a few tests over the next few days to include the one where they go up through the main artery of the leg to the heart. The results were shocking. I had six blockages and I was going to need surgery immediately. So, Friday the 14th of May, I went under the knif...

Sooooo, let me tell you what my "Day in the Life "is like....I am a 36 year old mom, two kids, boys..one is now 13, the other is 10....do I count the husband...sometimes that is debatable in counting him as a child...truly depends on his attitude of the day. So Monday through Friday (on a school day) I am up at 5:30...and up is also a debatable word as well. This all depends on how well I slept during the night as my husband will do his impression of a drowning buzz saw at times...and there are just nights that I can't sleep out of sheer exhaustion. So I am guessing the best way I should say this ...I drag my very not in shape butt out of bed , brush my teeth ,get dressed, go into the bathroom that my teenager will use for a shower and set the timer so that he will not use all the hot water in the house... and go downstairs to start the rest of the morning ritual... The boys take turns feeding our dogs...everyone takes their medicine, when the 13 yr old is done eating, t...

When Christie asked me to write about how her breast cancer and my prostate cancer affected my life I was at a loss for words. Hearing your only daughter tell you "I have Breast Cancer" is devastating. I thought about Joshua and Micah, my precious grandsons, - how hard this was on them - scared of their Mommy dying. Of course the good news about it was how God worked everything out for our return from West Virginia. I had planned to retire in July of 2006. However, I felt the need to return sooner. Patty and I decided to retire at the end of January 2006. We arrived home the night before Christie found out she had breast cancer. As I walked through this ordeal with Christie I realized how strong she was. Also, I found her faith in our Lord Jesus becoming stronger as well. Again , I really don’t like to talk about my problems but I’ve been asked to share this by my daughter. It has been so hard having my baby with cancer but then I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This was ...

I woke up today with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. Why you ask? Well it is Micah's birthday. His tenth to be exact. Again you may ask why is this such an exciting day? Outside of the obvious? Hummm .... let me tell you. Three years ago, in March of 2006, I was facing chemo. I had already made it through, a surgical breast biopsy, the loss of my breast, lymph node removal, and the beginning of breast cancer reconstruction. I was going faithfully twice a week to have saline pushed into my expander. It was painful enough having this strange foreign device stuck under what was left of my skin. But then the added bonus was the saline push to stretch my skin in order to accommodate my implant. Just when I was feeling there may be an end to my nightmare, I was hit with chemo. No one thought it has actually made it into my nodes. So my reconstruction process came to a holt . I had just had my third surgery in three months and I was worried about how this was all affecting my c...

This week I was blessed to receive the following letter from a dear friend. An old friend, but still as kind and as endearing as ever. Brian and I have known each other since we were both 17 years old and living in West Virginia. I have had the privilege of knowing and loving his family. Brian sent this letter to me in response to one of my notes, my thoughts. I was completely blown away by my shy friend's testimony and by his ability to be so open with his story. I was both moved and inspired so I asked Brian if I could share his sweet words of wisdom with all of you because I felt his words have the power to inspire and bring hope. With that said, here is Brian's story... Brian's Letter : I read your message tonight. I believe with all my soul that the Lord takes us down rough and difficult roads to better prepare us for whats to come. During the lowest points, we find out who we truly are. Not the person we want everyone to think we are, not the person we want ourselves...

There are moments in people’s lives that they will remember forever. They can recall the who’s, the what’s, the when’s and the where’s. Even the clothes they wore, the smell of the air, the sounds around them or the words that were spoken. The moment can be a happy one. "I now pronounce you husband and wife." It can be a funny one, "Mom....Zack just shaved the cat." It can be a shocking one, "An airplane just flew into the Twin Towers." It can be a devastating one, "Mr. & Mrs. Fandino, there is no doubt at all that Jackson has autism." And in my moment, that tiny little second, I knew in the pit of my soul those words would change my life forever. He has severe autism. He is stuck in his own world, will never know the true feelings of love, fear, sadness or happiness, will probably never speak. Potty training, ha! He will never do "normal" things. "No cure…no cure…no cure." My first reaction, the true Puerto Rican girl fr...

All this month I have introduced you to many of my dear friends and today is no exception. For many the struggles of cancer of any type can be devastating. Yet many still find the blessing and humor of life even inside the pain and struggle of the beast. Susan is one of these woman. She is not one to draw attention to herself even in the midst of battle. Instead she chooses to gently encourage those of us around her to keep the good fight. Her strength is in her humility and in her grace. I have known Susan for a long while now, and though we are both Triple Negative Survivors, I have never heard her complete story until now. I am humbled by Susan's story. I hope you are just as moved as I am..... Susan's Story... On September 16,2001 my mother passed away from an 8 year battle with lung cancer. It was the saddest day of my life. My dad was trying to adjust and my sister decided that she her husband and 18 year old daughter would move down from California to be with my dad and...

I have long been a planner. When I was younger, my strategic thinking was always long-term, pondering what I might be doing when I got older. Now that I am older, of course, it is harder to think much beyond the next few months to maybe a year. I try to assess what life will be like in 2010, 2011, or beyond, but life is simply more complex than it used to be. No where was this more true than in my life with my late wife Laura. (You can read more about this in my self-published memoir, My Life with Laura: A Love Story .) In every way, we did things the right way. Both Laura and I waited until our 30s to settle down, with each of us focusing on our careers before marriage. Shortly after our wedding, Laura became pregnant with our daughter Charlotte, and it seemed that we were well on our way to starting a family. From that point on, Laura could not stop thinking about having another child, and perhaps another one. But, life threw us a curve. In May 2006, Laura was diagnosed with triple-n...

" When I say, "I love you," it's not because I want you or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman . " ---Spike to Buffy Johnny's Story.... When Christina first asked me to do this I wanted nothing to do with it. I hate sharing my feeling or emotions, after all as Christina says, I am the strong silent type. You know, the kind of guy who likes to keep it all inside and not let anyone in? But I knew this was really important to her. Even if I don't say it out loud a lot I am really proud of Christina and all she does here on the Uniboob Club and the articles she writes over at http://www.fightpink.org/ . She is always chatting me up about this and that. I know there are many times she doesn't think I am l...

My Chiari Story... After 10yrs of unexplained symptoms, migraines and neck pain with doctor's visits of uncertainty, a simple MRI of my neck in June 2005 changed my life forever. Everyone pretty much knows their own body and when things start not to feel right or our mind doesn't think as quickly as once before, that is pretty scary. It is a constant battle of analyzing our ourselves to get to the truth. Remembering things was my forte and I found myself a clean blank slate waiting for the writing to reappear in my short term memory. I felt myself slurring more. My friends or family members would ask me what I said because they couldn't understand me. I struggle to talk slower and get frustrated because I know what I am saying and pretty much could understand myself but others could not. Finally with the right doctor, I was told in June of 2005 that I have a rare disorder called Arnold Chiari Malformation. Arnold Chiari Malformation is a rare brain disorder that causes crow...