Hello Everyone:

It’s been a busy, but overall, a good summer. Spending time with friends and family – from here and far – – a summer full of laughter, special moments, a few tears, some hard times and lots of love. 🙂

I went for my annual mammogram in the middle of August. Haven’t heard anything – so the “no news is good news”. Although I’ve been checking on line for an update of the results of the test – but nothing has been posted. I should just let things be – but I still wrote the doctor……just wanted to make sure. Call me a little paranoid…. The good news when I went for my check-up is that my weight is exactly the same as the year before. Not bad for the eating and drinking machine that I am. :P. Some of my friends are still convinced I have a hollow leg.

The tamoxifen is making me achy all over. Sometimes it’s hard to roll out of bed. But I take a hot shower and am thankful that it is not worse and I haven’t gained 20 extra pounds which is one of the usual side-effects!

I managed this year to book an 8 am appointment and asked for one next year. She told me that that time slot is usually reserved for ’emergency appointments’. But after smiling sweetly, she still gave it to me. Probably because I made her laugh with my line that I had asked my surgeon, Dr. Cil last year, if we could ‘break-up’. Being funny helps. LOL.

As I work to put this cancer chapter of my life in the background; my family is having to deal with Alzheimer’s. What a hard disease and one that I feel is a bigger challenge and more difficult than even having to go through cancer. As one person I spoke to said when I told her I felt that this is worse than cancer, she said, “That’s because there is NO HOPE”. I have to agree. I always had hope, and a lot of it while I was battling and even now for my future of a life without a cancer recurrence. But this is different and it is a sad disease. All I can do is escape every now and then, be there, be loving and Sigh. That is why I am so thankful for my network of my dear friends and family.

I have spent the last few days in Smiths Cove, Nova Scotia (or as we affectionately call it, The Shire), and I have been knitting. If you recall, knitting has therapeutic benefits and can be quite calming. I have knit two scarves, a hat and now working on a pencil skirt. My fortune cookie from today: “You are capable of tremendous creativity”. Yes, there is a Chinese restaurant in Digby called, The House of Wong. No MSG but very salty. 😛

I am always reminded of all the love that surrounds me. I recently received this message from a dear Warrior:

“Words are inadequate to express how much I LOVE & ADORE you! I want to thank you for always being there for us….and for forever supporting us in all our endeavours. There is no other friend like you, and without you my life would be so much less fabulous”. WOW.

To close: to all of you……”Truly great friends are hard to find…..difficult to leave and IMPOSSIBLE to forget”. You all make this a much more wonderful world for me – whether times are good or bad, happy or sad, I always know you are there.

I will continue, to keep you posted (as one Warrior put it), “on the wild and wonderful life of Winnie”. Sometimes it’s really wonderful, sometimes I find it very hard, but generally, not that wild. HAHA.

Much love and lots of hugs,

Winnie, the Warrior XO