HAHAHAHA nice try, but I WON

WEGO HEALTH Day 27 If you wrote a book about your life, your community, your condition, or your Health Activism – what would you title it? Come up with 5 working titles for these books about your life. See if you can focus on a different aspect of your life for each title and even include a quick synopsis of the book if you have time. Then maybe get to work writing the whole thing someday!
“BLAHAHAAHAH nice try but I won”. This book would be all about how I caught that dirty cancer early and won. What it was like to have the satisfaction to kick cancer to the curb. It would be about how self breast checks and mammo with doctor follows ups are the key to early detection.

“Oh no you didn’t”. This would be about how I can not believe that cancer had the idea it could mess with me. About how I have battled a lot in my life but I am still standing. Cancer hit like a bitch and I am a city girl so I fight back with a vengeance.

“Mia Familiga” would purely be about how hard my family fought with me. How they helped, cried (only when allowed) and laughed. More importantly they got tattoos and feed me yummy Sunday dinners. It would be about my friends who are really my sisters and how they are what got me through this.

“Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer” would be all about the money my events have raised. It would focus on my Bravery Bags with Jill and how we want to really help those battling cancer.

“Ding Dong the witch is dead” would be written by my Anthony. He is a great writer and I just know will write my bio some day. He is also the one who is just like me so I know this will be filled with humor. He loves SDBC and all it stands for so I know will focus on that. I also know he will take credit for it all. He will leave his siblings out and make me out to be a witch not a princess. And for that I will haunt his ass!!

Shut up and squat

WEGO health Day 26 ….What’s a day that you wish you could have used a pain-free pass (either in the future or the past)?  How would being pain or worry-free impact that day

One day, just one?? Ugh I am such a greedy girl! I want every day physical pain free,  I like being a pain in the ass. I think I will skip the emotional pain that takes way too much therapy!!

I haven’t had a day were I could pin point. It seems like every surgery brought some intense pain but I fought through that. I can however scream about my work outs. I want to do box jumps, thanks to my hysterectomy they suck and not in a good way. It is physically hard to jump up, all those muscles need to be retaught. I want to do pushups, you know the real deal not pansy ones!! But  find it physically difficult to do them badass. If only the pain would go away then. Or when I want to do a full burpee, I do love a burpee. It would be just great to actually work out like the old days, remember those MC? Where the boys in the yard would watch us? Not cause we are so hot but because they are so impressed with what we were doing. Do not tell me I will get there, I get that part. Accepting it is the hard part. I hate waiting and I hate losing that UMPH!  Where do you think I learned to keep that tiara so steady?? It isn’t easy to squat, pushup, or do jumping jacks with that thing on!

Upstate/Downstate

Rocking my shirt XO Downstate AM

WEGO Health Day 25….We don’t stop learning when we leave the classroom. Share something you learned from another Health Activist (Share their name/blog/website!).

I met downstate Anne Marie when I was searching for blogs to help me with my diagnosis. I hit on Chemobrain . When I found her I was so excited, her name was Anne Mare (ok I will give her the “e”). I never really loved my name I wanted to be Tracy, Tammy, Shelley-yes I wanted a “Y”!! So I have this thing with Anne Maries:), they make me happy. Plus, she was a New Yorker.
We chatted away and had a lot in common. We talked not just about our stupid dumb breast cancer but our heritage too. Grandmothers, mothers, and friends! It was a great connection, Then she said “I want to talk to you about Komen”. My gut sank, ugh she is a Komen hater and I am a Komen lover, looks like this friendship is over. I watched her tweet about the reason, blog about it and every time I cringed a little. Here is the thing we talked it out yes but she did not hold our differences against our friendship. Instead she said what she wanted and I said my peace. That was it. The thing is she taught me to check the grassroots groups. I hesitated at first but then found Cancer Connects.

Had Anne Marie not taught me about these smaller groups I never would have looked into Cancer Connects. I am so happy she did. I am proud to their fund raising princess. They are here for cancer patients when insurance isn't. They provide not only mentoring but therapy that eases the journey just a little. I can not want to for the Kick it to Cancer event that is the start of this beautiful relationship!

So thank you Downstate AM, had you not given me your thoughts I would never have found such a wonderful group to work with! Thanks for teaching me to think bigger yet look to the smaller groups.

Words and blogs and mastectomy OOHHH MYYY



http://pinterest.com/amero/

WEGO Day 24…….Wordless Wednesday, Create a Pinterest board for your health focus.  Pin 3 things. Share the image.

Here are the papers you need to fill out, UGH

“I wish this gizmo could track my condition!” Write about which device, application, program, etc. you wish helped to track your health. Day 23 WEGO HEALTH


No matter which doctor you go to you have about 10 pages of paperwork. Questions that you have answered a million times, one that are ridiculous they are almost hard to answer. Are you pregnant? Seriously, I not only have nothing to catch the swimmers in but nothing to hold them in. Do you breast feed? UMMMM only if the baby likes silicone. Have you had a mammo gram? Yeah we covered that a few times. The best are list your surgeries with dates. Not only can I never remember the dates but there is never enough space for all of them Wouldn’t it be great if we had a barcode? The office could just scan it and have all your info right there. You could go online type in the numbers to you code and see your results, NO WAITING!!! You could enter any questions and they would be answered. Plus, you wouldn’t forget important info, like you have expanders in and can not get a MRI!!! All your meds would be listed and when you need a refill. If you have an upcoming doctor appointment BAM it is there. Shit you could even list what you ate so the doctors would know. This would save on their paperwork too, no more hauling those folders. This is a green solution for sure. Yes, I know some may not want to get branded but really once you have had your breasts removed, uterus/cervix/tubes/ovaries all ripped out you lose this sense of modesty and you just want to not fill out another piece of paper. Not to mention I had 4 kids, you have no idea how big my file is at my doctors. They literally need a forklift to carry it. I see a future for tattoo artist here no doubt!

I got needs you know

Write about the things you couldn’t live without – list 10 things you need or love most. WEGO Day 22
 

I just love a good list one you can cross things off and feel like WOW I got shit done. I have this talk with my kids all the time needs versus wants. I guess this list will have to be based on needs, damn it all to hell a want list is much more fun. No doubt through stupid dumb breast cancer this list has altered but I have always been a breast health advocate, the irony is that I got breast cancer. I really thought I had a deal with the breast goddess, I guess the deal was my advocacy was going to be pumped up.  You know I am going to start this with a song. These are a few of my favorite things (now that’s a nice jingle for the morning!)
  1. The obvious a CURE, I feel so typical for writing that but it is the truth. How is it that we can find a way for a man to sustain an erection, but can’t cure a disease that is killing people even children. There has to be more advances.
 2. My kids to see a world where there isn’t hatred. I want them to be empowered by love so they can thrive! I hate having to explain evil to them
3. The image of the pink ribbon is great, I support it. But it isn’t what cancer is. It isn’t all pretty and tied up nicely It is painful and scared. I want people to see what is behind that ribbon, the real faces of cancer.
 4. A pair of Christian Louboutin’s. That has NOT changed through this whole process. And yes it is frivolous and will not solve a damn thing but it makes me happy.
 5. Woman need to really do self breast checks!!! Stop telling your doctor that you did it and actually feel them breasts. The best way to stop breast cancer is early prevention, the key to early prevention is staying breast healthy. I am living proof of this.
  6. I need my dad to be happy. I feel like he is finally after losing my mom 40 years ago, doing just that. I am so thankful for Deb, cause shit I was going to have to take care of his old butt and I have 4 kids!!
 7. People need to stop judging someone else’s journey to their own. We all struggle in different ways but we all want the same result, to LIVE life. I mean can’t we just help one another instead of making it a completion???
 8. I have a need to help those battling cancer now. Yes research is vital but what can we do about those sitting in chemo, going into surgery?? That is why Jill and I created Bravery Bags, we want to show those battling that there are actual survivors supporting them.
9. I need an oompa lumpa. I mean come on there were suffering on their island and need love. I would love for them to clean my house, do the laundry, go run errands and I would love them for that! (Sorry coffee is just sinking in and I don’t want to be serious right now)
 10. Wouldn’t it be great if we could find the route of cancer and stop it before it started?? I know we have the genetic testing but what about those who have tested negative (MEEEEEEE that is me!!). I need answers to why I got breast cancer. Stress?? Environment?? Hormone’s??? There is an answer out there, we just need to find it. Maybe just maybe the answer is on one of my kids, would that be an irony of the fabulous kind??


I would like to point out that not once I said I need to be a princess, not once!! Maybe because I already am.

Every rose has its thorn

Pinktacular rose

WEGO Day 21…..“The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.” – Mulan
True or false? When do you bloom best?

I hope you enjoy sitting there singing that hair band song. I have gotten so much crap for putting myself out here the way I did. I lost friends who can not understand why I would expose myself like this. People have told me that I cant talk about cancer because I didn’t have the “real cancer”, damn then why the hell did I get a mastectomy??? Through this I have made enemies with people I do not even know because they think the pink ribbon is breast cancer awareness, not my scared chest. They are the thorns in my rose!

I have made women who would never get a mammo not only get one but follow up. That is almost as important as going, anyone can get one but how many come back. The images I have shown have helped so many see what it was going to be like. Isn't that so important to take the scary out of what is beyond scary enough? I am getting men and women alike to do self breast exams, men already love coping a feel but now they are doing it for health reasons. Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer has raised $25,500.00 to date for breast cancer, there is the real pink ribbon. Making Caring Kids is what our community needs, letting the kids be apart of real volunteer service. This is getting them to be proactive in making a difference. Joining with Cancer Connects and Jill to help people battling the beast brings this whole journey into what I was meant to do. This is my rose, this is how I bloom.

Honestly these metaphors are killing me! I am such not the English major. Although there are princesses in England…..