Celebrating Life
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primek
Member Posts: 5,392 ✭
in Day to day
Birthdays.
Once one approaches 50 and beyond it is not something we often feel like celebrating.
However nothing like a breast cancer diagnosis to put that aging fear in a different light.
I recently celebrated by 53rd birthday. I feel I lost a year in the middle of that due to bc treatment. My 50th birthday I was a bit sad as I was in a job that broke me mentally and I realised I either needed to move on or suicide actually felt like a viable option
Well that is a wake up call.
My 51st birthday...I celebrated. I had a new job I loved with much less stress (and money, but so worth it) My husband and I did a huge ride on my birthday ...over 2000 km and travelled part of the great ocean road. It was fabulous. I was so happy and felt life was so happy again.
Ahhh. But life held more drama. My sister in law died from endometrial cancer the same week I found a breast lump. It was 3 months after that wonderful holiday.
So my 52nd birthday was intersting. I had just finished treatment. I was growing hair and I was planning on returning to work. I had gained a huge amount of weight...but I was so happy to be alive.
This year....it was simple. I family thing. Didn't matter. My thoughts were f...you cancer I'm still here. And I'm planning to be here for a long time. To see my sons launch into careers and find life partners. I hope to have grandchildren. I'm so lookimg forward to all that.
So when you have those bad moments about wrinkles, about grey hair and about how much cancer has taken from you. Just remember what cancer has given you. A reason to treasure all those moments. A reason to want to live, to dream , to fight. I didn't choose cancer but it has done that for me.
Life, celebrate....be grateful to have the opportunity to get wrinkles.
Kath
Photo....no makeup, after a few fed up tears about ongoing fatigue, and then just pulling it together and taking a pic...of my current post chemo hair and appreciating that I'm still here and I'm still winning.
Once one approaches 50 and beyond it is not something we often feel like celebrating.
However nothing like a breast cancer diagnosis to put that aging fear in a different light.
I recently celebrated by 53rd birthday. I feel I lost a year in the middle of that due to bc treatment. My 50th birthday I was a bit sad as I was in a job that broke me mentally and I realised I either needed to move on or suicide actually felt like a viable option
Well that is a wake up call.
My 51st birthday...I celebrated. I had a new job I loved with much less stress (and money, but so worth it) My husband and I did a huge ride on my birthday ...over 2000 km and travelled part of the great ocean road. It was fabulous. I was so happy and felt life was so happy again.
Ahhh. But life held more drama. My sister in law died from endometrial cancer the same week I found a breast lump. It was 3 months after that wonderful holiday.
So my 52nd birthday was intersting. I had just finished treatment. I was growing hair and I was planning on returning to work. I had gained a huge amount of weight...but I was so happy to be alive.
This year....it was simple. I family thing. Didn't matter. My thoughts were f...you cancer I'm still here. And I'm planning to be here for a long time. To see my sons launch into careers and find life partners. I hope to have grandchildren. I'm so lookimg forward to all that.
So when you have those bad moments about wrinkles, about grey hair and about how much cancer has taken from you. Just remember what cancer has given you. A reason to treasure all those moments. A reason to want to live, to dream , to fight. I didn't choose cancer but it has done that for me.
Life, celebrate....be grateful to have the opportunity to get wrinkles.
Kath
Photo....no makeup, after a few fed up tears about ongoing fatigue, and then just pulling it together and taking a pic...of my current post chemo hair and appreciating that I'm still here and I'm still winning.
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Comments
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Belated happy birthday Kath. Cheers to many more happy years. Love your spirit and resilience. x0
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Kath you are awesome in every way. 53 really isn't very old. The help and support you give everyone here is just so appreciated. You are invaluable to all here. I also love your spirit.
Xo.1 -
Hooray for birthdays. I just celebrated my 72nd, and no, they don't get less important as you get older. Every birthday for the last five years is one I might not have had. My hair is naturally less grey than it was pre cancer, can't see any more wrinkles, I am a bit thinner (and possibly fitter) and I finally got to Iceland (should have gone when I lived in Scotland, but .....). My two grandsons didn't exist 5 years ago. I feel deeply for those facing cancer in your 20s and 30s, because life wasn't meant to be that way, but life still remains precious as you get older. Cancer certainly forces you to make decisions - mostly, in my case, ones that were about building energy and well being. My mother wasn't too keen on turning 90, and at 93 wryly felt it was a mistake, so I had better use my 70s and 80s to good effect!! No-one in their right mind wants cancer, and not everyone is going to see benefits, but like Kath, I can see a few I never expected, and am also grateful.6
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Woohoooooo to still being here with all it's shitty downs and magnificent highs!!! Cancer has given me new wonderful friends (Kath!!), appreciation for the little things like sitting in the sun reading a book, and more willingness to participate in life itself rather than being a watcher. I now don't give a stuff what others think about me or my actions and if I feel fantastic and want to have a dance I'll dance wherever the hell I am, much to the embarrassment of my niece when we are in the supermarket doing grocery shopping together!! Bwahahaha!!
Kath your gorgeous personality shows, makeup free, after having a little eye leak and all you've managed to do lovely, is colour coordinate your face slightly to your top!! People pay for that!!!! You are a WINNER!!!!! Sending a huge happy don't change cause you're gorgeous hug and I'm very lucky to have you as a friend. Xoxox1 -
hi, primek,
so sorry I missed your birthday, big week, the lead up to my sons marriage on Saturday,he is 44 and fin ally met the love of his life, 4 years ago and I now have inherited a beautiful extended family, metastatic breast cancer has brought so much to my life, not in quite the way I had planned it though, as with all of us, such a rough and bumpy ride we have had, you have always been the one to give such good advice to us all, and now it is your turn to shine!!! and may there be so many more to come for you and for all of us,can someone please tell me how to post a photo on here? Im technologically challenged!!
wendy550 -
@wendy55 thankyou.
To post a photo click on the arrow next to the square that has a mountain and moon in it. Click on "choose files" then click on documents. ..then you can go to your photo gallery. Your photo gallery will include downloaded memes as well as pics. Just make sure you are in the space where you want the pic or it ends up in the middle of your text. Hope that works. I find I can't add pics from my drop box. I have to resave to my phone 1st and it then works.0 -
@socoda awww ...big hug back. @Afraser yes ...wake up call ... @LMK74 No 53 isn't old and until treatment I didn't ever feel old. ..now just stiff but live in hope that will improve once letrozole treatment finishes...but it is livable and worth the downs to hopefully prevent any stray cells dividing. I just want my old energy back and live in hope that it will return if I keep at it and not give up.1
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Happy belated birthday too @Afraser. Lovely comment. x0
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So here's me 12 months ago with 2 rounds to go and then here's me sept 9 at my best friends wedding. Looking fabulous!! Got the girls in my boob tube to to hold the dress up0
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Fantastic @onemargie0
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You look beautiful in both shots @onemargie.0
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You look fantastic too Kath. Hang in there lovey I really hope you feel better soon. I feel very selfish and vulnerable at the same time as I had triple neg bc so don't need to take any post treatment meds like you take Kath and I feel so good heaps of energy and rarely have any osteo joint pains or hot flushes these days. But also aware I do t get to take the meds you take to prevent recurrence either ❤️ Margie.
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