I’m still here!

Now that could mean many things

• I’m still in the house that we built in 1980 and moved into on May 2, 2018
• I haven’t gone anywhere although expected to
• Or, more importantly that

I’m still alive.

Today, July 28 – twenty years ago I went into the operating room late. I had been scheduled for 9 am but they didn’t take me until nearly noon. Now, those that know me know that I get hungry, that I don’t like to miss meals and that at the best I start getting grouchy so you can only imagine how hungry I was when I awoke in the observing room after my operation. I finally managed to convince the attending nurse that yes, I was hungry, that, no I wasn’t feely queasy or any other aftereffect from the narcosis. She finally gave me a yogurt, which although it tasted lie ambrosia came back up as quickly as it hit my stomach. So much for not feeling the effects of surgery or the anesthesia.

I then proceeded to spend time in the hospital, getting out the 1^st of August 1998 a whole 2 days before my 50^th birthday.

It’s now 20 years since that first cancer.

Meanwhile both of my parents have passed away – my dad whilst I was undergoing chemo; my little sister lost her battle with cancer. My husband died and there have been other challenges as well.

On the plus side: my sister-in-law in the USA just passed her 10 year mark and my German sister-in-law is headed or 85 in spite of hers. Both of my sons have turned into fine young men, interesting, entertaining, they led lives that as their mother make me proud, but that would have also been highly satisfactory to their father.

I have even managed to hit the 5-year mark since the second bout of breast cancer.

My husband called me his pioneer woman – a survivor.

I’m indeed still here and enjoying every moment of life.

I am tired of the pink ribbon, but a pink flower from a favorite spot will do just fine.