Yesterday I had a appointment with the breast specialist, the surgeon who performed the mastectomy and removed the cancer, I didn’t have any of the usual dread leading up to it. When we were wrapping up we hugged and she said Merry Christmas and Happy New You, chuckled, looked at me and said Happy New Year to the new you!
Each year about this time I reflect on the year, sometimes a little more than a year. The past year was very full, largely comprised of trying to get back to normal after treatment on many, many levels.
A childhood family friend used to say how you spend New Year’s Eve is how you will spend the year. I brought in 2019 with my family, great friends, a fantastic fireworks display and serious vomiting. This may be the best way to describe how 2019 went.
2019 is cancer free, my health is at an all time high, my weight is at an adult low, a definite firework! My family has been able to start to feel a return to normal, definitely fireworks! We have been able to start the path to a non-profit, Survivor Sherpa, to help other women going through treatment, an absolute firework! The amount of unnecessary stress in my life has fallen to a low I never dreamed imaginable, super duper fireworks!
Getting here was a bit of a vomit-pocalypse. No need to rehash all of that, read https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/survivor-sherpa.com/25 and https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/survivor-sherpa.com/379 to get a feel for what happened. The wheels are back on, waiting is over and those are important memories now, huge fireworks.
It has been a wild ride, I don’t know when to pronounce it fully ‘over’, as a precaution I am keeping my hands and feet in the vehicle until it comes to a complete stop. Maybe when the bills are all paid and I no longer have to take tamoxifen. I do know that being past the surgeries and treatment– especially the side effects is a fabulous firework.
Being able to appreciate all of the positives and being able to help others in this situation is a wonderful thing and this whole experience has made me a new me. When my doctor said Happy New You, it seemed much more meaningful than a simple mistake. I really am a Happy New Me thanks to all of the experiences of 2019. Here’s hoping 2020 is a little more level, or maybe for the highs are much, much higher and the lows are not anywhere near as low.
Merry Christmas and Happy New You to you!
Survivor Sherpa 
How wonderful! I can somewhat relate. On New Year’s Eve, I had a procedure to remove the port. It felt good going into the New Year port free after a year. The best to you!
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It felt great to have my port taken out too! Congratulations, here’s to a great 2020!
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