Exactly five years ago today I woke up from a deep sleep, that deep post surgery sleep. I will never forget looking to the side as Brian was sitting in the room holding my hand and having to tell me that the surgery went well, a planned double mastectomy, but..there is always that but... the cancer had spread into my lymph nodes. What we originally thought as being stage zero quickly went to stage three in seconds. I knew what that meant. Fighting to live just got a little harder.
18 rounds of chemotherapy, 33 rounds of radiation, 8 surgeries, a staph infection, a pulmonary embolism, and all the rest that comes with "cancer"..Oh let us not forget the other things these past five years brought us, my dad's diagnosis with non-hodgkins lymphoma and then my husbands diagnosis with thyroid cancer. WOW! I never gave up.
No, "WE" didn't give up. Why, because of the undeniable support each of the people you will see in the pictures below and so many more that are not pictured! If you ever thought of us, helped us, gave to us, prayed for us and never gave up on any of us. We are truly grateful for you! You know who each and every one of you are, thank you for being there through it all and helping us fight the fight so that five years later I can say, "I survived. Cancer I WON, I beat you!"
I truly believe that each and every day, every step, every moment and second, even those when I could barely lift my head, I was never alone. God's grace and His presence always carried me through it all. My faith was steadfast, even in the darkest of dark times I knew, I felt at peace because, I believe. My journey comes second to my God who is first. "I AM SECOND"
For the last couple of days, I knew what today meant. It has been a hard day, one of emotions that bring highs and lows. In processing what I wanted to share through my yearly update the following came to mind, "WHY". I know everyone asks this question, I have, I did. Usually my answer was to not say "why" but to say "because". Today I leave you with this...
WHY.....
"W" ....hy, for whatver reason, this is the path you are on right now. Either you made the decision or it was made for you. Own it, it is now part of who you are and will be. Time to make smart decisions about your future, ask, reasearch, and never evr give up.
"H" ....ow, do I deal with this? That is completely up to you. Your reaction and attitude will set the direction for what is to come. You are at a crossroad, which path will you take? Seek and ask for guidance, accept the help the comes your way and learn the word "humble".
"Y" ....ou! This is about you. What will you do? Become stronger or crumble, the choice is yours and yours to make. Remember, people are watching, your loved ones, your friends and even strangers. You get to decide what they will remember and say about you from this point forward. Your legacy.
 |
| With or Without hair, we kept smiling! |
 |
| Tests and more test, year after year. |
 |
| CTCA Phoenix and The Cancer Center in Midland both continue to be a guiding light. |
 |
| January 2016, 5 years of surviving together! |
 |
| Together we started, together we won! |
 |
| 5 years later, a fighter, a survivor, a warrior because so many loved me through it all! |
 |
| My 5 year check-up at CTCA, I WON! |
 |
| "Your baby sister/daughter has cancer" not something we ever expected to hear. Each one of them, my parents, sisters and brother have helped in ways that leave a lump in my throat, tears in my eyes and all I can say is I LOVE YOU because you each loved me more. |
 |
| Wrist bands, t-shirts, trips, money, food, fundraisers, first pitches, prayers, calls, texts, visits, so much more. The support these past five years taught me that blessings come in all different forms. |
 |
| 5 years of riding a roller coaster we didn't buy tickets for. Never expecting the loops that came our way. We are known as the Texas Tornadoes for a reason, through the ride Together We Have It All! |
 |
| Our Reinke Iowa Family! They each loved and supported us from a thousand miles away. Tom and Nancy made trips and stayed for weeks to help do the things we just couldn't do. Distance may keep us apart, family keeps us together. |
 |
| One love, two cancer survivors! #ReinkeStrong |
 |
| This was taken at my Sister Sylvia's church First Baptist in Odessa. Sylvia and my parents have been a phone call away so many days and even nights, we could not have fought and won without all of the prayers, love and support, they personally gave but also asked for. "I prayed for you" yes so many did! Thank you. |
