SURPRISE!! IT'S A NEW YEAR!! HAPPY 2020

SURPRISE!! HAPPY 2020 YA'LL
By: Stacey L. Bolin
Have you ever, in your life, had a moment when you feel like you have woken up? I've been in such a brain fog with all that has been going over the last three years both good and bad. I battled breast cancer, have a heart condition, and the negative nellies in the world - YIKES! On a positive note, I have a beautiful granddaughter with a grandson due in March of this year. My younger son got married October of 2019, and both of my sons have their own trucking businesses and beautiful strong women in their lives. I kept my promise to my husband that he'd never had to work again if he didn't want too.

We have traveled to many new states and got to see ole military friends and family. Don't know if any of you remember my dream of opening my own store, well guess what - I now have my own brick and mortar store called, "Nostalgia's" Gifts and Goodies, located in Kimball, Nebraska. What a crazy ride it's been. We are only open from October to December, but the online store with products we create are still on Etsy.com. Opening this store made "Ukandu" tm Crafts, into a brand. Now I am at a point that I am considering buying my own store location, instead of a rental and have really enjoyed my husbands great sales skills when talking about my store. I was shocked how eloquently he spoke about it yesterday when we went to look at potential locations. Love the feeling of someone in my court.

I also opened a new business called "Painting on the Prairie with Stacey Bolin" and have enjoyed teaching art classes. I love the store and creating specialized gifts and I love seeing our Saturday Picasso's, smiling at the end of each paint class. You can find all of my newest stores on Facebook, but the one thing that I have missed the most is my blog. So many stories and ideas fill my creative noggin, that I have wanted to post, but was not in a mindset to place my fingers back onto the keyboard - Until now. So below is just a quick health jaunt to get you up to speed, before I start back up with my blogging.

As many of you know, I moved from Maryland to Nebraska, yes just like the T.V. show they have on now. I won't lie, I felt extremely disoriented for the first six months. Had a mild heart attack, had to separate myself from negative family and friends, and try to find that gut instinct I once had. Little by little the gut feelings came back. My son tells me to this day, that in September of 2016, I told him I was going to be diagnosed with breast cancer, but we both laughed it off that I was just stressed and speaking out of context. As I begin to heal and adjust to my new state, I was derailed once again when I was told I had breast cancer. That was a four wheeled journey all on its own, until I found a doctor that worked with me and that overpowering intuition. They were AWESOME! AND I'M STILL HERE!!!

Now I've been making this claim for years, spite all the naysayers - if I follow my instinct, I win/doing the right thing 98% of the time. So when it came time for the double mastectomy scheduled for September 20th, 2017, my mind was out of control, another feeling of death waiting if I proceed. The procedure was to be a mastectomy with reconstruction surgery that involved implants - Have you seen the news lately about those things? I went into a total HELL NO!! mode. I was not in denial that I had cancer, though many believe that was my underlying defiant attitude about the surgery. I was told it was to be only 5 hours, a standard procedure and in a few weeks all would be fine. They never convinced me and I cancelled the surgery and began following my intuition on the best form of treatment. On the day that would have been my implant surgery, a stunningly beautiful being came into my life - My granddaughter. She changed my life and my thinking the moment I held her in my arms. I knew I was going to be alright and that Grammie wanted to be around to see her grow up.

I had opted out of the 5 hour surgery, I scheduled the 12 hour D.E.I.P. surgery, (SAY WHAT! YEP I DID) which is a process that takes the tissue from your abdominal area and use it to create new breasts. By using all my own tissues, you'd never know these things were manufactured from all the Oreo's and snacks I've eaten over the years. I had plenty to go around and I'm back to the breast size I was in High School. Never thought I'd be toting these larger ladies around again, since I had a breast reduction in the late 1990's.

D.E.I.P. - the most life changing abbreviation that has literally transformed everything about me inside and out. To this day, I like to reply, "Hi, I'm Stacey Bolin, I'm 50+ years old and I had a tummy tuck and boob job - that's why I'm rocking this, slightly rounded on many edges, body. Oh and BTW I had breast cancer". So here I sit, fingers upon the keyboard, ready to get back to what I love - Writing. But I have to admit, the drive comes from a new determined feeling of something grand upon the horizon that will make a difference in lives all over the world - especially mine and my family. So I've strapped myself in my Time Machine and ready to discover what awaits me - as I'm sure one of you out there has the other half of my search, quest, answer, something, whatever it is.

Breast Cancer Update

Greetings Fellow Readers - I wanted to update you on recent events that has kept me away from my writing, but at the same time has inspired me to get back on track and do what I love so much. On March 29, 2017, I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer and after going through two sets of doctors who wouldn't listen to my instinct, I finally was place in the best hands I could have ever asked for. I am now a patient at UCHealth in Aurora, Colorado. LOVE IT!  I just finished my fourth and final chemo treatment and will undergo a double mastectomy/reconstructive surgery in September. I will say this whole process has had its ups and downs, but I'm still here spite those who'd wish I'd move on in more ways than one - but that's their problem, I'm here for the long haul and here for my family, Nobody's going to fill my shoes.

I'm excited to get back to my keyboard and my paint brushes. I'm just about finished with a new novel called "Witch" and hopefully will be on shelves soon. I'm slowly updating my products on my Etsy.com Ukanducrafts Store. I'm just taking things day by day. Look forward to sharing my breast cancer survival story with you and my newest in original horror stories for this Halloween Season.
Until then - Blog ya later alligator.

Most Sincerely,
BU3 Stacey L. Bolin USN Ret Seabee

The Diagnosis - Is it Breast Cancer?

Musical inspiration for this story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pze_mdbOK8 I look to you - Whitney Houston

 

The Diagnosis - Is it Breast Cancer?

By Stacey L. Bolin

She arrived at the Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, with ample time to spare to get her insurance error - possibly - corrected so that she would be able to keep her nine o'clock appointment with her internal medicine clinic. She rolled up to the gate guard and provided him with her military identification card without any conversation as he quickly tried to analyzed if her entrance onto the facility would be one as friend or foe. He waved her on to proceed while offering a simple smile of his eyes through his serious duties - if only the answers to her medical situation could be reviled in such a moment that was a just a wave of the hand and keen instincts.

Her fears intensified as she parked her truck and made her way into the medical center in route to the Tri-care office. It was always moments like these, the medical unknown, the her prayers to God to offer guidance would be all that consumed her waking thoughts and this day wasn't any different. "Please God, please let someone understand what is happening here," were the only words that she muttered as she walked the long corridors to the main lobby where the Tri-Care office was located.

She was met by a very personable representative that was quick to shadow any face of sorrow that had been worn on any person that walked into her office. When she realized the error that had transpired at the Naval Academy Tri-care office, she was completely appalled that people from the same company that she represented, would lack such compassion and would not take responsibility for the breakdown in communication. The representative handed her a clip board to fill out her military information, and said, "Don't worry dear, this is an easy fix and I do apologize for the lack of compassion our sister office offered you. These last two days must have been so stressful for you, but if it makes you feel any better, I believe you are going to be just fine - keep the faith." Suddenly she found a glimpse of inner peace upon hearing such a positive statement, and as she continued struggling to fight her fears filled with insurmountable emotion - her eyes began to well up as she broke into much needed soulful cry. "Sweetie, Relax, your paperwork is fine and your insurance is fully active. Don't stress over the unknown as it will only bring you down."

Her fears had somewhat dwindled, because of the representatives sincere words of encouragement, as she walked a bit taller on her way to the internal medicine clinic. The halls on the way there still felt long, dark, and distorted; while at the same time the smell of baking bread from the "Subway" in the building found a way to focus her thoughts on something that meant more to her than life itself - her family. Images of precious moments she had experience in her life danced within her mind - her wedding day, her babies being born, the moment when she first saw her love of a life time - if only she could turn back the hands of time and relive all the moments that were near and dear to her heart, once again. She knew that it was time to find her inner strength and determination she possessed, which was more like a second personality – a.k.a. her body guard - that would kick in when her first personality felt hurt, scared, threatened, and broken by life.

 

She arrived at the internal medicine clinic, checked in and let the waiting commence. Now the one thing about her, was that her love for research was never put aside for any reason or situation, but she also knew it was never a good thing to rely on the internet for medical advice, however in this situation, it was the only thing that gave her the hope that if it wasn’t breast cancer, than maybe it could be a cyst or a gland infection due the quickness of symptoms, the size of mass, and the pain that accompanied it. In a few short moments, time would tell the tale.

Her name was soon called by the vitals nurse and she made her way into the clinic.  Her blood pressure was 141/90, and her pulse was rapid – which had the nurse on instant alert. The nurse immediately took her to a basic examination room, and instructed her to disrobe from the waist up, put a gown on with the opening in the front, and to take a sit on the exam table as the nurse conducted a quick EKG test to rule out a heart problem. Then nurse closed the curtain and left the room to get the doctor. The room was bright and the smells were the same as any exam room, yet the urgency of the nurse to get her into a room, triggered a memory from more than nineteen years ago, when she was being examined for a lump in her collar bone, while eight months pregnant with her first son, that was revealed by numerous tests that she had Hodgkin’s Disease. Her breathing became rapid as the memories of her past let the fears of the current unknown take hold of her once again.

A knock on the door followed by a good morning, was the announcement in her thoughts that the moment was finally upon her. What was lurking just underneath her skin was about to be known. The doctor introduced himself, as this was not her normal assigned primary care physician, and asked some general health questions before his physical examination.  She explained in great detail when she first noticed the mass and the symptoms that soon followed upon her discovery. She admitted that she had also researched online the symptoms and that even thought it could be a malignant mass, it could also be a glad infection.

Now usually doctors never want to be told, what the diagnosis is, especially from a patient with no medical education what-so-ever, but this doctor was different. He was pleased to know that she had taken the time to learn more about her symptoms and that she also chose to see a medical professional and not just try to diagnosis and treat the symptoms with over the counter medicals and warm compresses. In his professional opinion he agreed with the idea that it felt like an infection, but with her long medical history and having a prior cancer and radiation and chemo therapies, he didn’t feel comfortable making any the decision to treat. He ask her to get dressed as he left the room to make a few phone calls and within minutes she was escorted upstairs to the breast care clinic for testing.

It was at this moment she began to fear the worst, even with the knowledge that the doctor she had just seen felt it was a possible infection; there was still a realm of uncertainty that loomed over her. She waited anxiously for her name to be called, as she tried to focus on the pages of a people magazine that had been left on a chair beside her.

The door to numerous testing centers opened and her name was called. She stood up and began walking with the male nurse that called her name, but she couldn’t feel her feet upon the floor, sounds went silent, and people around her became blurred that gave the appearance that she was walking in a tunnel that wrapped the most glorious feeling of warmth all around her. It was the same feeling she had experienced when a package had mysteriously arrived in her mailbox one February afternoon back in the late 1990’s, that had no return address or postage, yet the contents within provided all the information of a promise she had made to husband back in February of 1992, and was the reason her and her husband had taken their relationship from friends to soul mates.

With her being taken up to the breast clinic without a scheduled appointment, meant a wait longer than normal was to be expected. She took a deep breath and laid herself down on the exam table as the nurse stepped out to let the doctor know she had arrived.  When the doctor arrived, she was once again asked to disrobe from the waist up and the doctor immediately proceeded with a physical examination.

“Well Petty Officer, I have good news…I believe what you have here is a condition called Mondor’s Disease, but just to be on the safe side, I am going to have you go over to the breast care ultrasound clinic to rule out anything else.” The stresses and fears that once restrained her, lifted instantaneously as she followed the doctor to the ultrasound clinic. When they arrived, the doctor turned and shook her hand and said, “I know it is not breast cancer, however Mondor’s disease is very rare and should be watched closely, however I am confident that it will get better, but it will take some time. You should return in two weeks or sooner if the pain and swelling gets worse.”

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.” She said with a smile of relief.

“You are welcome.” Replied the doctor and then she went on her way.

The Ultra sound indicated that there was significant swelling in the breast cord and that with Motrin and warm compresses, the pain and swelling would reduce over a two to three week period. It was a relief to hear such words as she left the building and made her way home. Her fears had retreated into the back room of her thoughts to plan for their next attempt to consumer her.  For now, she smiled and relished in the thought that she was givin another chance to live, love, and be happy to make many new memories with her boys, and her love of a life time - her husband.

God was with me once again.

To learn more about Mondor's Disease go to:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2608091/

 

 

To learn more about the mysterious envelope that arrived in our mailbox in the book:

"Through the Barracks Window" available on Amazon.com

"Is It Breast Cancer" - Part Three

It was brought to my attention that I must condense some of my stories into other formats so that I can continue to write without causing significant delays in the uploading process. So what should have been the rest of the story, is now part three of four parts. I do apologize, if your coffee and muffins are cold, as I had promised you this story on Tuesday. What's the old saying - Better late than never?

 

 

"Is It Breast Cancer - Part Three"

When all else fails, I close my eyes and I can see the place
where all my dreams came true and that the ocean
is symbolic of the moment I found you, that sees me through
another day - Stacey Bolin

 

Following another night of worry and wonder, she managed to collect her fears and get herself up and ready to go with the light of dawn that began kissing the darkness away. Of all days to be filled with such fear, why did it have to be on Valentine’s Day?  Over the years she had grown to view this day of red hearts and people confessing their profound love to one another, as just another day her mind, but did however, enjoyed watching the happiness that it brought to others and in many ways; she harbored a small amount of envy. But today, she didn't have time to think about the Valentine dramas of the past - all she wanted to do was think about getting the flowers delivered to everyone, while feeling proud that she was the first person to see the happiness and joy of the recipients when they opened their door and was greeted with such a special gift by the loved one that had thought of them that day.

 She had gotten all of her early morning deliveries out, picked up her oldest son from school to help her, since he had gotten out early due to mid-terms, and was able to get back to the shop to reload for her second and final round of the day.  She had updated the florist that she would be taking a moment, around eleven, to stop at the Naval Academy to update some insurance documents and then continue to resume with the remaining deliveries. She was relieved when they gave her a smile of approval and sent her on her way. She took that as a sign that all was going to be fine, but the little voice inside her head suddenly put the negative bug in her ear, that all may not go as planned. Whether the customer service representative knew her, or not - would she really remember that November morning?

 She was on schedule and made her way to the other side of town to get her medical dilemma corrected.  Her son chose to wait in her truck to listen to his music, when she turned to him and said, with a strange chuckle to her voice, "This may not go well...if you hear police sirens, don't worry, they just coming to escort me out of the building." Certainly this was not a comment that any rational person would say, especially in the presence of their child of any age, but at the moment, she wasn't feeling anything but the urge to run, as far and as fast as she could.

 The customer service representative greeted her with a big and extra friendly hello and was eager to help just as she had always done before, yet immediately her disposition, went from friendly to guarded as the details of the insurance fiasco unfolded. Clearing she was not wanting to be told that she had not done her job, but in the same breath, remarked about everything that was said and done on the November morning - every detail, and the conversation pertaining to an upcoming wedding she was working on – she had recalled every detail with the exception of the form that had been filled out to schedule auto payments. She had denied ever doing such a document and that she has never taken a blank check to set this process up. This was her reason why she honestly believed she did not file any such document and continued to repeat over and over, in a voice like a child that had gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar, "I don't take voided checks to file ACH payments."

 A cold silence filled the room when she stopped speaking to fully understand what the representative had been saying to her. What she thought was a person that she could trust, was now anything but, as in her mind she now viewed that this person had committed the ultimate betrayal - lying. Without a hint of anger in her voice, she stood up and simply said, “I can’t promise that this won’t go unaddressed.” And with that turned and walked out of the door, determined never to utilize this locations Tri-care assistance again. The only solutions she had left was to hope and pray that the Tri-care office in the Walter Reed National Medical Center, where her doctor appointment was tentatively scheduled for and in less than 24 hours, could correct this problem in time.

 Her son met her with a smile, when she got back to her truck. He was glad to know that she had found a way to keep her fear in check, as he was use to her over reactive ways that always led to unwanted stress and drama. Her personality mimicked a weather forecast - the calm before the storm - as they continued with their remaining deliveries before they could call it a day.

 

***

She stood in the driveway that cool, dusky early Friday morning, teetering on a fine line between, going over the edge, and snapped. Fearing the worst and hoping for the best, she asked her husband - "What do I do?" He looked at her with his best face to keep her spirits positive, but his eyes revealed a soul that was remembering her battle with lymphoma that she had faced in 1994. He was scared what the tests would reveal and all he wanted was to jump in his truck, go to work, hope that all of this was nothing more than a muscle injury and that tomorrow - life would go back to normal. Breast cancer were the two words that had the ability to shake this man to tears as his birth mother had succumbed to this dreadful disease before he had ever had the opportunity to meet the woman who had given him life.

 As he got into his truck, she kissed him, a little longer than normal, allowing herself to feel the softness of his lips. She stood in the driveway, a little longer than normal, as she watch him heading off to work. She closed her eyes and took in the smell of the morning air, a little longer than normal, enjoying a moment of quiet before the city would awake. She was doing everything and anything to capture the moments before the unknown would soon be revealed.

That morning drive was filled with anger, sorry, pain, frustration, as she spoke out loud to herself. Could it be that the guidance of a stronger power had been with her on that morning drive? Clearly she should have never had been behind the wheel that day. To this very day, it was a drive she couldn’t remember, but to her amazement would never forget the excessively busy roads of rush hour traffic on the beltway that had magically forged a clear pathway that offered no delays to her destination.

To be Continued.... 

 

How do you think the story ends?  Would love to hear from you and how you may be feeling about this story. Can you connect in some way? Do you have a friend or family member who has experienced the same medical fear? How did they cope? What was the outcome? We all have a story to tell, and I don't want it to be just my stories. I love getting your replies and it helps to inspire me with my journey to be a writer, even if I only succeed in the blogger world. I do hope that you have a great day and I hope to have the ending uploaded today. That is my goal, however, looking back on my entire blog, I didn't realize I had written so many stories, maybe I should make my blog into a book? (smile).  Until next time - Blog ya later.

 

Is it Breast Cancer - Story Update

Gettings to all my loyal readers and those who have just joined me.  As you know, I have been trying my luck at the - working part-time game. It's been a long time since I have worked in the field of retail and I will be the first to say...it is much harder than it looks. But that is not why I am on here today. I wanted to update you on the three part story called "Is it Breast Cancer." I didn't want you thinking my plans were to leave you hanging and have to come up with your own endings.  

 

I almost have the story complete, so won't you join me tomorrow, with your favorite cup of coffee and a scone, muffin or something tasty to sink your teeth into, to find out what happenes to the lady of the story and what transpires in her life journey.

 

So until tomorrow - Blog ya later alligators.  

Is It Breast Cancer "Part Two"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pze_mdbOK8

 

After speaking with the internal medicine nurse, it took her a few moments to realize that it would be another two days before she would know what lay ahead of her - maybe.  A new matter had been brought to her attention to add to her already distressed mind - she would need to correct an insurance problem.  This would be the deciding factor as to whether or not she would be able to go back to the clinic, that had been following her since 2008 and knew everything medically about her, or would she have to find a new health care provider.

She did her best to contact the insurance company, on her cell phone, as she worked through that Wednesday morning helping a local company deliver flowers for pre-Valentine’s Day, but found the ability to multi-task, while on the road, proved dangerous when she was lost in a community and nearly ran into the back of a parked car. As much as she just wanted to drive to the nearest emergency room for an answer, she had found the ability to convince herself that it was easier to stay calm and refrained from any spontaneous decisions until she got home that afternoon to rectify the insurance dilemma.

Immediately after her last delivery was made, she went straight home to contact Tri-care. From 2:30pm to 5:05pm it was a constant repeating of the problem as she was transferred from agent to agent, within the insurance company, all asking the same question, “Can I help you?” and all revealing the same answer, “Your online payments had not been set up correctly causing your coverage to lapse,” and there was nothing they could do to fix it. She found herself feeling a mounting sense of desperation as she spoke with a representative that refused to let her speak with a supervisor. Her words become uncontrolled as they left her mouth. She made it very clear that if her condition was indeed breast cancer and she couldn’t be treated by her doctor - because of a paperwork glitch - she was going to have someone’s ass for it and that she was not making anything threats - it was a promise. It didn’t matter how much strength she could try to muster up, her ability to remain composed was lost when she stood up and slammed the phone down on the table. She had been gripped with tremendous trepidation

“WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS!?” She screamed at the top of her lungs into the silence of the room as she abruptly sat back down. Her boys had been home that day and knew that she was very upset by the events that were unfolding. They never asked if she was ok as they knew she would regain her composure, if they left her alone - she would find a way to make things right. She got herself back together before making one last phone call that would be to a Tri-care supervisor who had the ability to make modifications to a policy depending on the type of situation.

Recalling the date and place when she had sat in an office of a Tri-care representative at the Naval Academy on the morning of Nov 2, 2012, she went on to explain that on that day she had sign the waiver to keep her primary care manager, in spite of the insurance company wanting her to have a shorter commute. During that meeting, she had also been talked into setting up auto payments to take the burden off her shoulders when it came to remembering payment dates and amounts, while being asked as she filled out the required paper work, about the best music for a bride to come down the aisle on her wedding day.   

As she continued to speak with a Tri-care supervisor on the phone, she was finally given a solution. That if the person she had filed the paper work with would provide either a copy of the payment request form or a notice of missing document letter, they would reinstated her to full coverage status. A sense of hope came over her briefly taking the anxiety of the unknown medical situation out of her conscious mind - temporarily.

With her financial situation already grim, recovering from this type of error would be a costly blow - the price would be a one year suspension and reduction of coverage. Meaning full payment out of pocket costs to another provider, because she was no longer in Prime status and had been reduced to basic coverage. She knew it was her fault for assuming that someone had done their job correctly and not following up to confirm her assumption.

She knew the representative in the office, that she went to in November, very well and knew that there was only one way to get to the bottom of the problem - go back to Naval Academy to get an answer, but that would have to wait until her lunch break the next day, as she still had to finish her second day of flower deliveries.  

Her night consisted of constant jumbling of thoughts that ranged from rage to fear and everything in-between.  The clock on her nightstand ticked away, one minute at a time, making the unknown feel like a nightmare and the bad guy was lurking to strike when she least expected it. The only solution was that she knew the representative at the Navy Academy would remember her and all would be resolved – If only it was that simple.

 

To be continued….

"Is It Breast Cancer?" Part One

 

She stood in the driveway that cool, dusky early Friday morning, teetering on a fine line between, going over the edge, and snapped. Fearing the worst and hoping for the best, she asked her husband - "What do I do?" He looked at her with his best face to keep her spirits positive, but his eyes revealed a soul that was remembering her battle with lymphoma that she had faced in 1994 - and survived. He was scared what the tests would reveal and all he wanted was to jump in his truck, go to work, hope that all of this was nothing more than a muscle injury and that tomorrow - life would go back to normal. Breast cancer were the two words that had the ability to shake this man to tears as his birth mother had succumbed to this dreadful disease before he had ever had the opportunity to meet the woman who had given him life.

As he got into his truck, she kissed him, a little longer than normal, allowing herself to feel the softness of his lips. She stood in the driveway, a little longer than normal, as she watch him heading off to work. She closed her eyes and took in the smell of the morning air, a little longer than normal, enjoying a moment of quiet before the city would awake. She was doing everything and anything to capture the moments before the unknown would be revealed.

***

Two days earlier she began experiencing significant pain in her left breast and after doing a self-examination, while standing in the shower, she never expected to find the large rock like mass beneath the skin. "How is this possible? I felt fine yesterday?" She said softly through her tears. Images of her family and special moments presented themselves in her memories as her slideshow of life and how blessed she has been. "Please God; please don't take me from my family. I can't leave them, not now...not ever." The sounds of the hot water beating off her skin, masked the sounds of her deepening sorrow. She felt completely broken. There were no doctors she could call until the next day, which meant she was going to have to do her best to remain calm and try to get through the evening hours until the arrival of a new day.

That night, as she lay on the bed trembling, her husband lay down beside her and held her tightly in his arms. With the exception of the exchange of the words - I love you - which they have said to each other every night before falling asleep - no other words were spoken. She did her best to contain her tears, trying to be strong for him, but the growing lump in her throat made hiding her fears extremely difficult. As she lay there watching him fall asleep, eventually her fears turned to exhaustion, and she found the ability to close her eyes, letting the warmth of his skin next to hers, help her relax and fall asleep as well.

The next morning began like any day before her discovery. Breakfasts were made, lunch money handed out, and everyone was on their way to school and work, leaving her home alone to watch the hands on the clock over the mantel, as they slowly reached nine o'clock. She called her doctor’s office to inform them of her discovery and what should she do, only to be told they would have to call her back. She had always had the ability to stay strong for those hurting around her, but when left alone, this body of strength was weak as a broken soul could be.

With her head in her hands, she sat at her dining room table in the warmth of the golden rays of the sun that shown brightly through the picture window and the cordless phone placed within her reach. Ten minutes after her call, the phone rang – it was one of the nurses from the internal medicine clinic. There was a growing urgency and concern in her voice as she explained the situation and what needed to be done before she could come into the clinic on Friday. Panic raced rapidly through her mind, body and soul while the nurse went into detail as she did her best to calmly explain the situation at hand - that was beginning to feel like a total nightmare.  

 

To be continued…

Guardian "Angel Rose"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/114619287/breast-cancer-angel-ornament-angel-rose