I find that I come to this safe place - my safe place - to bear my soul and shed my tears during some of the toughest times. It is my way to cope, to attempt to lift some of the pain and heartache through pouring out my thoughts and emotions - and it helps build me back up through your caring and thoughtful words and messages. You will never know the depths of my gratitude for that. What I hope that others realize, is that I truly do have {many!} more good days than bad. I have had such a great year so far, filled with many great memories and fun times - despite all of the hard times and huge losses. It's just that I don't find myself coming to the blog as often when things are going so great. I am out living it up and packing as much into my days as possible. This passage sums it up best and truly resonates with my soul.... I realized I should try to take some time to write and share my thoughts on the good days too. I know that somehow this blog has come into the lives of so many others living with chronic disease, or those newly diagnosed and I want you all to know that life can truly be filled with so much joy and happiness despite the circumstances that we happen to be in with our health. The past few months have been packed with great times. Mike and I, along with Mike's Uncle Pat, joined my friend Kyle for the Susan G. Komen Mid-Michigan Ride for the Cure. Kyle and I completed the hilly 30 mile course, while Mike and Uncle Pat were rockstars completing the grueling 100 mile trek! It was a really fun day and I'm so grateful I was feeling well enough to do this. Thank you to everyone that donated to our team or cheered us on from afar. Mike and I have had a blast at a few of our friends weddings, we have been loving our new home & neighborhood (and renovated kitchen!), and staying busy with working a lot - while we each continue to take on new projects. {A quick little before & after shot of the kitchen. I put an entire album of pics on my facebook page if you want to see more of our remodel.} Two weekends ago, my wonderful friend Brinley and her sweet little Andrew came to visit from West Palm Beach. It had been over a year since I had seen them and our little reunion couldn't have been more perfect! We packed in so many fun things, enjoyed amazing fall weather, and shared tons of laughs - just like we always do when we are together. It seriously does my heart so much good when I am with them, and I couldn't be more grateful that they made the trip up here. (We missed you, Andy!) Here are just a few shots from our weekend together... Another cool thing that has happened recently is that I was asked to be included in a panel of some of the top cancer researchers and oncologists in Michigan, for Ambassador Magazine's cancer awareness issue. I was honored to be representing cancer patients on this panel of clinicians, and it was a very interesting conversation to be a part of. The magazine was recently published (with none other than Jennifer Aniston on the cover!) and I received my copy in the mail last week. Pretty cool, huh?! On the medical front, I have had my usual injections every 4 weeks and have continued to see Dr. F every 8 weeks. Things continue to look pretty good, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. We have scheduled my next round of scans, which will be the first week of December. I am hopeful that I will still be N.E.D (no evidence of disease) and can enjoy the holidays (and our recently planned trip to California!) to the fullest.
As we are in the midst of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I could (and probably should) devote an entire post to my thoughts about awareness vs. action, "Pink Washing" and all sorts of other thoughts about what is great and not so great about this month. But for now, I would just like to honor my amazing friend, Jen Smith who passed away last month. Take a minute to watch her video or check out her books to learn how to "live legendary" despite the hand that is dealt to you in life. Lastly, and definitely most important, I would please like to ask all of you amazing prayers warriors to extend those prayers to my Aunt Bev and her family. My mom's older sister, Bev has been dealing with lots of medical appointments and tests recently, and today underwent major surgery which also helped to confirm what she is dealing with. We know it is cancer, likely ovarian, and has spread throughout parts of her abdomen. After she recovers from this surgery, she will be starting chemotherapy. Please keep her, my Uncle Herm and cousins in your thoughts and prayers. I am also requesting prayers for my entire Daley family - my grandma, my mom and all of her siblings, and my cousins. It just seems like everyone has such serious things going on right now and major tragedies to deal with, and it breaks my heart for everyone. I'm just thankful we all have each other to help get through. xoxo, Meg
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What a crazy, busy, wonderful couple of weeks it has been. Between the Johnson's visit, 3 Day festivities, our friend Zak coming to visit, celebrating Mike's birthday, a family reunion and an extremely packed schedule for Meg Malley Photography - things have been super busy! We had such a good time having Brinley, Andy and Andrew here for a week. It is always so great to see them and to be able to spend so much time together. Mike and Andy are like partners in crime and always have a great time when they are together, and of course, Brin and I never have moments without lots of laughs and tons to talk about. It was so amazing to see how much little Andrew has changed since I visited them in Florida in February. He is a total cuddle bug who gives great hugs and kisses. He loves to pretend to cook, and carries his pots and pans everywhere he goes. He is active, smart, and full of smiles. The week flew by too fast and of course I miss them already, but I am so grateful that they were able to come visit. I love you guys! And then there was the Susan G. Komen 3 Day For A Cure....how do you even summarize this event? You truly need to experience it in order to appreciate how moving and special it is. I am so grateful that five of my wonderful friends (Brinley, Nikki, Becca, Chanell, and Janine) dedicated so much of their time and energy to training, fundraising, and completing this 60 mile, 3 day challenge. There has been quite a bit of controversy and drama with the Komen organization this year. On top of that, after my diagnosis, I learned that many women in the metastatic breast cancer community feel very upset with Komen due to the way that funds are dispersed, and the disparity regarding dollars allocated to metastatic research. Although I may dedicate an entire post to my feelings on these issues at some point, today is not that day. What I do want to share is that despite what anyone may say, I am grateful for what the Komen organization has done to raise awareness for this disease, and even if it's only one cent put towards metastatic research- I am grateful for it because every little bit helps. What I feel most proud about regarding the 3 Day event this year is that my friends know how I feel, they know what is important to me, and they went above and beyond to spread my message about metastatic breast cancer awareness throughout this 3 Day event. I often feel lost in the "celebration" at breast cancer events. I am not the same type of "survivor". Breast cancer is not in my rearview window. It's not in the past and it's not something that will ever be behind me. I live and breath it every day and often times I don't feel quite as celebratory as many of the women at these events that have beat their disease because they were fortunate enough to be diagnosed early. So, what did my friends do? They spread the word about metastatic disease everywhere along their 60 mile journey. They brought it out of the shadows even though it's not the perfect success story. They talked about it, displayed the words "Metastatic breast cancer" proudly on their tents and signs, and they raised awareness for the fact that thousands of women continue to live with this disease each and every day and that we have not been truly successful until a cure has been found for all of us! Not just those diagnosed early. Team Meghan Malley Rally got robbed in the tent decorating competition. They should have won with their awesome Olympic themed decor...."Going for gold for Metastatic Cancer"....I loved it! I was so proud of each of them (and all the other walkers!) and loved chasing them around and cheering them on all weekend long. They were amazing! A huge thank you to the friends and family that came out to our cheering station on Saturday. It was so nice to see you there, supporting the walkers, and supporting me by your presence. The MVP of the day goes to Momma Jan - best cheerleader around...hands down! Thank you Mom and Doug for all you did that day- I appreciate it more than you know. Love you! And a special, HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY to Becca Boo!!!! She celebrated the big 3-0 while walking all day long for this cause. What a great friend that is! I am exhausted just looking back on the pictures from that weekend. :) What an emotional 3 days it is and I can't thank everyone enough for being part of it. Whether you walked, cheered, donated, or kept the walkers in your thoughts and prayers that weekend - thank you so very much! After the Johnson fam left last Wednesday, our friend Zak came into town and we celebrated Mike's birthday, which was Saturday. It was a great weekend filled with lots of friends and family. HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my very best friend and the most incredible person I know. I am so very honored to be your wife and I look forward to celebrating many more birthday's with you in the future. Love you so much! Well, it has been 7 weeks since I received my great scan results and I was really hoping to make it until the next scans in January before I had to deal with any new speed bumps, medically speaking. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I have been noticing some changes with my left breast over the past few weeks - swelling, changes in shape, warm to the touch. I have learned by now that I need to trust my instincts about my own body so I got in to see my plastic surgeon, Dr M. as soon as I could. I saw him this morning and he is concerned. He doesn't know exactly what is going on and the cause of the swelling could be from a few different sources. To spare you all the details, many of which I am still trying to understand, this could be as minor as some blood accumulation due to some trauma that I wasn't aware of, all the way to something very serious such as a type of lymphoma that (VERY) rarely occurs after receiving breast implants. Needless to say, I am very worried. I don't want any complications. I don't want more surgery. I was finally starting to feel "normal" for awhile. I picked up more hours at the clinic and Meg Malley Photography is booming and keeping me so incredibly busy! I head to the hospital tomorrow for an ultrasound and needle aspiration of the fluid that is accumulating in the left side of my chest and breast. I will then have to wait for awhile until the results come back from the lab telling us what this is. I am praying that it will only require some simple intervention, such as Dr. M draining the fluid. I will be sure to keep you posted. Please keep me in your prayers that this is nothing serious and that life can continue as "normal". Hope everyone is doing well and enjoys a wonderful Labor Day weekend. We are headed up to Torch Lake with our friends and I can't wait for some R & R! xoxo, Meg How do you find the balance? Isn't that the age old question. Whether it applies to a stay at home mom trying to find time for her own passions, a hard working dad trying to make enough time for his family, or a cancer patient trying to live her life to the fullest...without burning herself out but also trying to pack a life time of plans into each day since she knows her time is likely going to be cut short. How much time do I dedicate to advocating for this disease and spreading awareness, while also just trying to live as normal of a life as possible. Finding the balance is something I struggle with each and every day. I have felt a little more overwhelmed than normal lately, and I am trying my best to not let it consume me, and to try to scale things down a bit. But, it's so hard when in the back of your mind is this constant voice whispering, "you better do this now, you don't know how much time you have," or "you really should go on that trip because this might be the last one you have," or "take as many pictures as you can of your friends since there will be a time when you won't be able to see them much - when you will be sick and can't hang out with them, and you will want these memories recorded." I often wonder if these haunting voices will ever leave my thoughts. Will there ever be a time when I don't have a twinge of sadness or fear living in the recesses of my mind, lurking in the shadows, reminding me of the sad reality of my disease. I am not sure if those feelings will ever really leave me, but I am grateful to now know that they aren't as powerful as they once were. I spent this past weekend up north with 8 of my best friends from high school (and two of their little babes), and once again, it was such a blast to spend so much time with my Beauts. Last year's girls weekend was great too but I distinctly remember how emotional I was and how much I was hurting inside, while at the same time smiling and laughing with my girls. I felt so devastated at the thought of losing my friends because of this disease. I thought that would be my last girls weekend. I was heartbroken to think that I wouldn't see their children grow up and that all of the plans we all had to grow into old ladies together would never become a reality for me. I didn't want to be a downer and share this with them, so I remember having a good, hard cry with my mom when I got home that Sunday. Although those thoughts haven't completely escaped me, and although there were times this weekend where I looked around at their beautiful faces and felt a deep sadness that I may not have as much time with them as I always thought, I am grateful that the blanket of grief wasn't as heavy this time. I have great hopes that there will be many girls weekends in my future and that I will have many more amazing times with the best friends anyone could ask for. (In our defense...this was our only group pic and it was first thing in the morning before Beth & Kel had to hit the road. Excuse the pj's, bed head, and under eye bags that required all of us wear sunglasses...even Alice! haha! Miss Mae was taking a little nap so she didn't make it in the group shot) I apologize if the thoughts and feelings I share with you are not always happy, upbeat and positive. But, I have felt a distinct shift in my mindset since last year. Sure, I shared my feelings a year ago but I think I often put on a happy face without even knowing it. Now that I have had more time to adjust to living with this illness, and my treatment has significantly calmed down, it has allowed me to see things in a different light, and I feel like I would be doing a disservice to not share how I really feel - the true struggles, the highs and lows of what my life is really like. I am naturally a happy and optimistic person but as we all know, life is not always like that and there are hard times too. Although I never intended on it, this blog has crossed paths with many people, many of which are women just like me, living with chronic disease, and if even one thing I share can help them realize they are not alone in their feelings, then it is worth it for me to reveal myself so freely. Not every survivor story is one of success, cures, and a happy ending. But this is real life, and it's my life. And all I can do it try to share it to help myself cope, and hopefully help someone else that is walking this road with me. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaking of "walking this road with me"...the Susan G. Komen 3 Day For A Cure is THIS WEEKEND! I am so grateful that my wonderful friends, Brinley, Becca, Nikki, Janine and Chanell are participating this year as part of Team Meghan Malley Rally. (And a special shout out to Stacy and Nancy for completing the 3 Day in Chicago last weekend! woohoo!) They are walking again this year to not only raise money for this cause, but to help spread awareness that this disease does affect young women, and that we need more research and funding for treatments and a CURE for metastatic (stage IV) disease. The Opening Ceremony is this Friday, August 17 at 6:30am at Oakland Mall in Troy. The walkers will walk over 20 miles on Friday through Troy, Clawson and Farmington. They will continue their walking all day on Saturday as they walk through the Plymouth/Northville area and they will end at the Closing Ceremony in Dearborn at the Ford World Headquarters with the ceremony beginning at 5pm after the walkers have completed 60 miles! If you came out to support the walkers last year, you know what an incredible event and experience this is. I would really love for you to come out and support Team Meghan Malley Rally again this year. I am once again hosting a cheering station on Saturday where we will have a tent with snacks, music and cold paper towels for the walkers to put on their necks. The route has changed slightly this year so our new location for the cheering station is at the Rusty Bucket in Northville from 11am - 3:30pm. If you can make it, try to wear your Team Meghan Malley Rally t-shirts from last year to show your support to our incredible walkers and if you would like to help out by coming early to set up, staying after to tear down, or volunteer to bring food or supplies (like ice and paper towels for the walkers to soak and put on their necks), please let me know and I will tell you what we need. The Rusty Bucket is located at 5 Mile and Sheldon in Northville - a map/directions can be found here. Please stop by to not only support our team, but all of the walkers that dedicate so much time and energy to this cause - many of whom are survivors themselves. We had an amazing turnout last year and I know it meant so much to all of the walkers, and especially to Team Meghan Malley Rally. For more general spectator information from the 3 Day site, click here. Just a little reminder of all the fun we had at the cheering station last year..... With the 3 Day rolling around, that means that my dear friend, Brinley and her wonderful family are coming to visit from West Palm Beach, Florida! Brinley, Andy and Andrew arrive this Wednesday and are staying for a full week. I cannot wait to see them! Brinley and her entire family have been such a huge source of love and support since day 1 and I am so grateful to have all of them in my life. I haven't seem them since Andrew's first birthday celebration weekend in February and I am so excited to have an entire week to spend with them!
I hope to see many of you on Saturday and if you can't make it, please keep the walkers in your thoughts and prayers for a successful, injury free event that not only raises lots of money but helps further educate countless women and men so fewer lives continue to be lost to this disease. Also feel free to leave them encouraging thoughts and messages on our Facebook pages as we post from the event this weekend. xoxo, Meghan Before I get to some of the latest news, there was someone that was a little upset over not being included in my previous post with all of the other 3 Day cheerleaders. I apologized repeatedly but he said he would only forgive me if he was featured front and center in this weeks post..... A big thank you to our pup for being the sweetest, furriest Team Malley supporter. This guy always knows how to make us smile and brighten our day. The Thursday before the amazing 3 Day For The Cure weekend, I went to chemo bright and early in the morning just as I always do. I was a little excited this time because I had been waiting for a couple weeks to see my oncologist and show him the shirt I proudly ordered online. I cracked up when I saw it one day and had to buy it! Well, Dr. F loved it too, and thought it was hilarious. He even had Mike take a pic with his personal iphone, and you know I had my camera on hand to capture a shot too! As a little gift, I gave Dr. F one of our Meghan Malley Rally t-shirts. I chose the green one because I figured as a breast cancer specialist, this guy probably owns more pink than he cares to admit. Dr. F really liked his shirt - he thanked me and we parted ways so I could head over to the infusion side of the building to begin chemo. Well, I couldn't believe it when about 10 minutes later, Dr. F showed up on the infusion side (which he NEVER does) and he was sporting his Meghan Malley Rally t-shirt over his shirt and tie! He said, "We have to do this right and get another pic!" All of the nurses and some of the other patients came around the corner to see what all the laughter was about and they got a total kick out of it too! We took some more pics and then I found out later from one of my nurses, that Dr. F wore his t-shirt all day long under his lab coat! What an awesome guy. So, when you say your prayers for me - please throw in a few extra ones for my homeboy, Dr. F! :) Speaking of my visit to Chemoland, I actually got some exciting news that week. Dr. F informed me that I don't have to make up the one chemo I missed earlier this summer due to my low counts. So...I will be done on September 1 as originally planned! YAY! I was very surprised and super excited because we had already planned our little family getaway to Florida for Labor Day weekend and it just wasn't going to be the same "end of chemo celebration" if I had to come back and have my last treatment on September 8. It just seems so crazy that I only have two rounds left - it is so odd how it seems like it's been a lifetime since this journey started, but somehow at the same time it has flown by in the blink of an eye. Not sure if that makes sense, but it's somehow the way it feels. We discussed a lot of other issues with Dr. F at chemo that week, most importantly the fact that all of my testing needs to be redone now that we are reaching our conclusion of the first line of attack against this monster C. Dr. F ordered a CT scan of my chest, abdomen and pelvis for Monday, August 29 and an MRI of my spine and full body bone scan on Tuesday, August 30. To say that I am anxious and nervous regarding what these tests will tell us, is putting it very lightly. You guys know me - I am optimistic, upbeat and very hopeful. But this will be the first time we have checked back on the status of these crazy cells, and it is nothing short of terrifying to think of the possibility that they have further infiltrated my body-which is always our #1 fear. Please start storming the heavens with prayer that this chemo has worked wonders for my body and that the tests do not reveal any further spread of this disease. I will go back to see Dr. F on September 8 to get all of my test results and will definitely update everyone at that time. Later that same day, I go back to see Dr. B, my breast surgeon at the Beaumont Breast Care Center. She will have all of my test results as well which will further guide some of our decisions during the mastectomy process. I haven't had the chance to update you all on another new doc who was recently added to our cast of characters. Dr. M is going to be my plastic surgeon and we met with him a few weeks ago. I will save all of that info for a later time to dedicate an entire post to what that process entails, but he will be the one initiating the reconstruction process on the day Dr. B performs my mastectomy. Anyways, on September 8 we will again meet with Dr. B to go over all the final details leading up to surgery and hopefully nail down a date for when my bilateral mastectomy will be taking place. Lots of important news, big decisions, and major surgeries coming up in the very new future! Aside from the great news about concluding chemo a week early, I was also over the moon with excitement that Brinley, Andy and Andrew came to visit for an entire week, from August 10-17. Of course, Brin was just a "little" busy with walking 60 miles over the weekend - so it was so nice to have them here for a few days before and after the 3 Day so Mike and I could spend some extra time with them. It is so amazing how someone can come into your life and you just instantly click with them - it doesn't take any effort - there are no awkward "getting to know you" moments - you just hit it off right from the start. That's exactly what happened between Brinley and I in the beginning of 2008 as we started our professional careers together at the Rehab Institute of Michigan. Even as I type the year "2008", it surprises me because it feels like we have been such close friends for so many years. Brin, Andy, Mike and I became fast friends and the time flew by so quickly before they moved back to Florida. Since they have moved, we have always made an effort to take trips to see each other, we spend countless hours on the phone each week, and text each other at least once every day. Since Brinley and Andy welcomed sweet little Andrew into their lives in February, Brin was home on maternity leave throughout the weeks leading up to my diagnosis - when I was having appointment after appointment, and test after test. I was so grateful that I knew I could call Brin after those appointments and she would be willing to take precious time out of caring for her newborn, listen, talk & try to calm my fears. I will never forget sitting alone in my car in the Beaumont Hospital parking deck after my breast biopsy, and sobbing on the phone to Brin telling her Dr. B just told me that she was worried I may have breast cancer. Or when I got the call at work the very next day, and Dr. B informed me that she was right, it was cancer. After calling Mike and my mom, I called Brinley and we cried together as I shared the news. Then again, a few weeks later when Dr. F called me at work to let me know the spine biopsy was positive and I did indeed have Stage IV cancer. I tried to stay at work to see my patients, but I just couldn't do it. I drove home and talked to Brin most of the way - telling her I didn't want to die - asking her to please watch out for Mike. These are not the type of conversations you share with just any friend, or someone you just happened to work with for a couple of years. I am so grateful to be blessed with so many amazing friends, but I just don't know how I could have gotten through all of those moments without Brinley. Although Brin lives in Florida, it has felt like she has been right here next to me, holding my hand, throughout each and every moment of the past five months. She is an incredible listener and knows exactly when I need to just vent without someone giving me answers or telling me everything will be okay. She has taken time each and every single day since I was diagnosed to send me a quick picture message - usually of adorable little Andrew. Receiving a picture message on your cell phone is usually no big deal to most people, but to me that single gesture means so much more. For five straight months those daily messages have always made me feel like Brin is always thinking of me, and is supporting me through this battle and that always brightens my day! Brin, there is no way I can possibly thank you enough for your incredible friendship over the years, and especially over the past few months. You have been there for me through it all, every single day, no matter what, no matter how busy your life might be. You have supported me 110% throughout this entire journey, during a time which is supposed to be the happiest and most exciting time of your life - as you became a mother to your beautiful son. During these first six months of Andrew's life, you have never made me feel like you didn't have time to be there for me or that you were too busy or overwhelmed as a new mom to listen - even though I know there were plenty of times when you could have easily felt that way. I cannot thank you and Andy enough for taking a week off from work and coming back up to Michigan to spend time with us. Mike and I absolutely loved having you guys here and I miss you so much already! Your friendship means the world to me and I love all three of you so very much! I was so excited to be able to capture some family pics while the Johnson's were here. These are a few of my faves from our afternoon at the park... Thank you Andy for capturing this beautiful image of Brin, Andrew and I. I absolutely adore it! What trip back to metro Detroit would be complete without a visit to Slows downtown?! Just think guys, if you move back we can go to Slows all the time!....and no 100⸰ humid weather in the summer, we can go to all the great concerts you miss, and Zumba's, and the gorgeous sand dunes in western Michigan, and.....I could go on and on. Just let me know when you want me to start the house hunting for you! ;) "Wherever we are, it is our friends that make our world." ♥
Well, things have continued to move at a non-stop pace in true Malley form since Brin and Andy left. Last weekend our good friend, Zak came to stay the weekend as we all went to celebrate a college buddy's wedding. Congrats Mike and Annita - we had a fabulous time at the wedding! This Thursday is Mike's birthday! I can't wait to spoil him for the day like he truly deserves....although the poor guy will have to start his bday party with me at chemo that morning. If you see my lovely hubby jogging through the neighborhood (like so many of you do), or run into him somewhere else this week, please wish him a wonderful happy birthday because no one deserves a little extra love and attention like he does! I love you so much Michael John Malley! xoxo, Meghan I am not even sure where to begin...this past weekend was one of the most incredible, emotional and inspirational experiences of my life. I have spent the last couple of days pondering how to write about the Susan G. Komen 3 Day For The Cure, and I have finally realized that there is just no possible way to put into words everything that this weekend entailed and how much it impacted me. As much as I may try, I could never accurately describe the emotions I felt during this weekend, and during the Opening Ceremony in particular- surrounded by my 9 friends of Team Meghan Malley Rally, Mom & Doug, Mike and Kyle - watching those left behind carry flags for their wives, mothers, daughters and friends that they lost - witnessing the incredibly strong & fierce survivors raise their joined hands in an act of victory and celebration - and starting the 60 mile journey together after a tearful team huddle. To be honest, the Opening Ceremony was more difficult and more emotional than I expected it to be - definitely the hardest part of the weekend to get through. It was extremely tough for me to stand in the midst of hundreds of women and men walking in memory of a loved one and wondering if one day my friends would be walking in my memory, rather than in my honor as a survivor. Although the start of this amazing weekend was quite overwhelming, it was also filled with encouragement, optimism and hope. 9 friends, 3 days, 60 miles, 1 goal...to find a cure for breast cancer! A group of incredible survivors surrounding the memorial flag honoring all of those that have lost their fight The most adorable member of Team Meghan Malley Rally - hands down! :) The girls were flexing those muscles to show off their new pink ribbon "tatoos" during Friday's lunch break The girls kicked Day 1's booty! After starting the walk together, Mike, Andy, Andrew and I then met the team for lunch and cheered them on as they started the second half of the day. They completed the day in great spirits, full of energy and inspiration. Brin stayed with us at night to take care of Andrew instead of camping, so it was wonderful to hear her stories from the first day - all of the fabulous people they met, the community of cheerleaders they encountered, and the walkers that asked to hear the story of who she was walking for. On Saturday, we headed out to Plymouth to host a cheering station at the Plymouth Cultural Center. We cheered on the amazing 3 Day walkers from 10:30 to 2:30pm and were joined by so many of our family and friends! It was so incredible to have all of you join us on Saturday, and I can't tell you enough how much that meant to me - to not only have you support me, but support all of the women and men that are fighting for a cure! Team Meghan Malley Rally looking as strong as ever during Saturday's lunch break! Many members of my old RIM gang...so thankful to have worked with such amazing people and that I am able to call all of them my friends My beautiful & incredibly supportive sorority sisters - love you girls! My biggest cheerleader! ♥ Taking part in that cheering station was truly an unforgettable experience. You would never believe how many people saw our t-shirts and said, "Oh I know Meghan, her team told me all about her!", or "How is Meghan doing?", "I am praying for Meghan". When people saw that I was standing right there, they proceeded to give me huge hugs, ask how I was doing, tell me to keep fighting, and let me know I am forever in their prayers. It was amazing to hear complete strangers tell me they read my blog or that they have heard about me from someone else they know. They knew all about me, my story, my diagnosis, my treatment schedule...it was amazing. I felt like I had a million people wrapping their arms around me in love and prayer and it was a feeling I will hold onto for the rest of my life. It was a truly special day! My fierce walker warriors were still going strong after 40 miles but they were definitely starting to have some aches, pains, and a few blisters pop up by the end of Saturday's walk. But they didn't complain. They continued to share with me the love and support offered by other participants of the 3 Day, the other survivors they met, and the overwhelming emotions they all felt throughout the day along their journey. The start of the last leg of their journey was accompanied by some light rain but that never even dampened their spirits. I met them for lunch on Sunday with the hopes to boost their spirits and give them some inspiration for the final few miles. I expected to find my friends exhausted and possibly in pain, definitely in need of a pep talk. They didn't even come close to needing it - they were filled with excitement, pride, and joy and ready to tackle those last few miles! I was totally amazed and couldn't wait to meet them at the finish line. We arrived at the Ford Motor Company World Headquarters on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the completion of this amazing 3 day, 60 mile journey. Team Meghan Malley Rally were total rockstars and finished this incredible feat in one piece, only a few blisters here and there, and wearing smiles from ear to ear! I couldn't have been more proud to have my name displayed across their shirts. I was also so touched to see more family and friends come down to the Closing Ceremony to be there with us. Everything always seems so much better when you are surrounded by so many family and friends and I can't say thank you enough for that! The Closing Ceremony was also an emotional one but I was very happy to also feel like it was celebratory and inspirational. I was so proud of my girls for taking part in this and Mike and I were totally inspired to participate in the 3 Day in one way or another from here on out! After the beautiful Closing Ceremony, we all headed over to Mom & Doug's house where we were joined by many, many more family and friends! It was so wonderful to walk out the back door and see the deck and yard filled with all of our loved ones. It was a perfect way to end this amazing weekend! A group of great friends and some of my favorite ladies! My sweet little buddy, Andrew. I had the best week snuggling this adorable guy...and how great is his bib that his momma, Brinley made! I love it! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you that in one way or another contributed to this incredible cause and unforgettable weekend! Thank you for your donations, your cheerleading, your hugs, your well wishes, your time.....the list goes on and on. I hope that I have thanked each of you personally when I have seen you, but if I haven't, please know how grateful I am for your support and the support you have shown Mike, Mom, Doug, Jeff and the rest of my family.
I can never thank the amazing Meghan Malley Rally 3 Day team enough for everything they did for me this summer...Brinley, Kara, Becca, Lindsay, Nancy, Stacy, Melanie, Amanda and Nikki. Your incredible efforts raised over $30,000 to find a cure for breast cancer!!! Through all the fundraising events and the actual 3 Day weekend, you guys have made me feel so loved and appreciated all at the same time making me smile, laugh and forget about this terrible disease for awhile. For that, I am grateful! You were total warriors during this event and I can't wait to walk 60 miles with you in the future! An extra special thank you to those wonderful family and friends that traveled this past weekend to be here to support us. Brinley, Andy and Andrew came all the way from Jensen Beach, Florida - Melanie and Ben from Cleveland - Amanda, Nick, Liz, Nancy, Chelsea, Beth, Ben, Joe and Lauren from Chicago - Aunt Clare, Beth and Brigetta from North Carolina - Jenny from Grand Rapids. I hope I am not forgetting anyone. The fact that you guys took time out of your busy lives to physically be here to give us hugs and show your support, seriously meant so much to Mike and I! We are so incredibly blessed to have all of you as our family and friends. Another special thank you to my mom's incredible friends, Barb and Roni for working their tails off in the kitchen all night on Sunday so that my mom could enjoy herself at the party and not stress about all the behind the scenes stuff. Your support of my mom means more to me than you will ever know - thank you so very much! Lastly, thank you to my AMAZING momma, Jan and my stepdad, Doug for all of their love, support and hard work this past weekend. For spending all weekend supporting the 3 Day team and other walkers, and for opening up their home to host TONS of our friends and family on Sunday. You guys are the best and we would be lost without you. The Susan G. Komen 3 Day For The Cure slogan couldn't touch any closer to home for me..."Everyone deserves a lifetime". I believe I not only deserve a lifetime but I have promised myself and Mike that I will go to the ends of the Earth to make sure I achieve that. I am so thankful for this incredible event which has provided me an extra dose of inspiration, motivation, and encouragement. Thank you so much to all of you for giving me hope! As my beautiful Godmother, Aunt Carol shared with me, "If you have faith, you have hope and if you have hope, you have everything!" ♥ Well, there are so many other things that have happened over the past week or so that I want to share...updates from my oncologist, meeting with my plastic surgeon, upcoming tests, meeting other young women with breast cancer, the Johnson's week long visit, and so much more! Check back frequently over the next couple of weeks because we have a lot going on that I want to keep everyone up to date about. I am off to get some more rest - haven't quite caught up from all the busy festivities over the past week! Have a great weekend everyone. xoxo, Meg ps. SAVE THE DATE: My fabulous friend, Patty has been planning an incredible benefit concert for us which will take place on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 at The Berkley Front in downtown Berkley from 4-10pm. The event will showcase some amazing local bands, there will be a silent auction and all sorts of other great things. Many more details to come but mark your calendars now! Please contact Patty Labella at 248-752-3104 or [email protected] if you have any items or services to donate for the silent auction or would like to help out in any other way. Check back to the blog soon for more updates! Wow, where to begin?! This has truly been one of the most amazing weeks of our lives! It's best you sit in a comfy chair, kick your feet up, and grab a snack or beverage while reading this because it's gonna be one long post. :) Last weekend began with some of our very best friends, Brinley, Andy, and baby Andrew coming to visit on Friday from West Palm Beach. We had a perfect weekend filled with lots of laughs, yummy food, and of course a million photos taken of Andrew by Aunt Meggie. Look at this face...how could I not?! I just love these little tootsies! Andrew grabbed his own toes for the first time this weekend and I was able to catch him in action. Brin, Andy & Andrew-I can't tell you enough how much your visit meant to me. It came at the perfect time and was exactly what I needed. There is nothing better to help lift your spirits and take your mind off of hard times as seeing wonderful friends and snuggling the cutest little guy ever! I miss you all so much already and can't wait to see you guys in August! Love you! After the Johnson's left, Monday night was the incredbile Coldstone Creamery fundraiser benefiting the "Meghan Malley Rally" team for Susan G. Komen's 3 Day for a Cure. True to Michigan form, you can never count on the weather around here and it turned out to be a super cold day. Well let me tell you, that did not stop anyone from coming out to get some ice cream for a great cause! My wonderful friend Sarah was the mastermind behind this entire event and many of my great friends on the 3 Day team were guest scoopers. They worked their booties off! The place was packed from 6pm until well after 9pm! It was incredible! One of my besties from high school, Jenny, drove all the way from Grand Rapids to come support us at Coldstone! Love you Jen! And 3 of my amazing friends from PT school (including Melis' 6 week old sweet baby girl), came out for some ice cream too! Sarah - thank you so much for setting all of this up and for working your tail off all night! You are the best girl! The adorable and hard working ladies of the 3 Day team that were scooping machines on Monday night! Love you guys! A huge thank you to Nikki, Lindsay, Stacy, Becca, Kara and Sarah for working so hard all night and raising a ton of money for such an important cause! I am so honored to have you guys doing this for the "Meghan Malley Rally" team. Thank you, thank you, thank you to each and every single person that packed that Coldstone on Monday night! It was so great to see new and old friends, community members, co-workers, former patients, and family members. I loved catching up with all of you and can't thank you enough for your support! This amazing event raised over $2,000 in tips alone for the 3 Day team and another $200 on top of that from 10% of all sales! What an incredibly successful night thanks to all of you! I promised myself and Mike that Tuesday would be spent doing nothing but resting from the past few days festivities, and gearing up for what we knew would be an incredible day on Wednesday at Waterford Kettering for the "Malley Rally Benefit Baseball Game". I don't even know where to begin to describe what an amazing day and evening this was! The entire Waterford Community came out in full force to support us, especially Mike, and it was the most heart warming thing I have ever seen. The Waterford Kettering parents, baseball players, teachers, and students truly rallied around us and showed Mike just how much he means to them. For those of you that don't know, Mike has been on a leave of absence from work for the last two weeks in order to help take care of me. So, his Kettering family has definitely been missing him - and they showed it! It was absolutely incredible to see how excited everyone was to see him - especially his baseball players. He has missed being with them, and coaching them, and he was equally as excited to see them on Wednesday! Literally, hundreds of people came out to support us and it was truly overwhelming! There was a touching opening ceremony, Mike threw out a ceremonial first pitch, former Detroit Red Wings goalie Manny Legace came out to support us, there was an adorable pink VIP tent set up for us, a fabulous "Malley's Munchies" snack bar, amazing raffle prizes, and many other fabulous touches throughout the event. They raised thousands of dollars in donations and gift cards in order to support us and the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for a Cure. It far exceeded our expectations and it was amazing! Not even the on and off rain and dreary weather could dampen our spirits or the heart with which the Kettering Captains played that day. A professional photographer was on hand to document the day and all the special touches. I can't wait to see his pictures and hopefully share them with you so you can truly see how incredible this was. Here are a few quick shots that I was able to capture and a few that others have shared with me. I wish I had one of the sea of pink shirts that surrounded the entire ballpark - it was truly amazing! Pre-game group shot with the Waterford Kettering Captains and the Lakeland Eagles, along with former Detroit Red Wing goaltender, Manny Legace (pictured on far right). Even Lakeland's team sported pink socks and wristbands and even raised money for the "Malley Rally"! Thank you Lakeland! Two of my beautiful aunts along with my mom supporting the "Malley Rally"....ps. Happy Birthday Aunt Carol! Thank you for sharing your special day with us! The awesome jersey's created by Triple Thread Custom Design & Apparel for the Waterford Kettering Captains Varsity team! They were also decked out in pink hats, belts and socks! We loved it! How do we even begin to say thank you to the Waterford Community for putting this together? Especially to Anne Nolan, Kim Mortimore and every other person that played a role in this event. There is no way to truly explain to you how much this touched our hearts. As a wife, I cannot thank you enough for doing this for Mike. Obviously, I have always known what an incredible teacher, coach, co-worker, and mentor he is to many. I have watched him work so hard for years - giving all he has to make an impact on his students and players. He has never complained of working long hours, or coming home late, or giving up his nights and weekends to coach nearly year round...because he truly loves it!!! He is so passionate about what he does and it has always been so obvious to me that everyone in the Kettering Community sees that and appreciates him so much. However, I don't think Mike has ever truly realized how much he is valued and loved - how much of an impact he has made on so many kids - how many lives he has touched, just by being the wonderful person that he is! The single best thing about the "Malley Rally" for me, was witnessing my amazing husband finally realize how incredible he is to so many people. I have truly never been more proud to be his wife. Mike, I love you very much and it is the greatest honor of my life to be known as your wife! ♥ After an amazing, yet long day at Kettering, we woke up around 6:45am on Thursday to head to an early morning chemo appointment at Karmanos. Unfortunately, we don't always get much choice about the appointment time so we were stuck with an early one this week. It happened to be a full house at Karmanos which meant we were there for a little over 4 hours! Needless to say, Mike & I were both pretty exhausted after that and slept most of Thursday away. On an extremely positive note, Dr. F always completes a thorough physical exam before each chemo treatment, which involves some measurements of my breast and the tumors that he can palpate. Although it is a rough measurement, it does allow him to have somewhat of a sense of progress or lack thereof. He was very pleased to report this week that everything seems to be heading in the right direction and the palpable tumor mass seems to be shrinking! Thank God! There is always a risk that you may not respond to the current chemo regimen, but so far it does appear that my body is responding well! We were thrilled with this news! Dr. F did acknowledge that from here on out, it becomes harder to feel any changes due to overall changes in the breast tissue with further chemo treatments. So, we will have to wait until all of my tests/scans are completed after my last chemo treatment, which is currently scheduled for September 1st. I responded amazingly well after my 2nd round of chemo, once Dr. F made a great call by taking me off a particular anti-nausea drug and switching it with something else. It made all the difference in the world. I didn't have any side effects that time, aside from fatigue, which is pretty unavoidable. No nausea, no lightheadedness, no body aches - it was such a nice change of pace! Keep your fingers crossed that I respond just as well to this 3rd round! So far, so good! After resting Thursday and Friday, I decided I might try to to make it down to the Race for the Cure in Detroit on Saturday morning. A great group of my girlfriends were all doing the race in honor of "Team Malley" and I had told them that I knew I would be too wiped out to go. Well, Saturday morning I woke up early and was feeling pretty good - so I surprised them at their meeting place before the race. It was wonderful to see everybody and head downtown with them for the opening ceremonies! It turned out to be a beautiful morning and the turnout at Comerica Park was incredible! We were also able to run into some other friends and family members which was great too. And to top it all off, our team was recorded numerous times with the local NBC news anchor, Guy Gordon, and should be seen on Local 4 News throughout the next few days! :) The amazing Team Malley before the Race for the Cure! I love you guys so much! Local 4 NBC anchor, Guy Gordon with Team Malley! We were even filmed for promo spots for the Race for the Cure! (Sorry you got cut out of this shot, Court!) Some great Kettering Crew co-workers of Mike's were also participating in Saturday's Race for the Cure! After leaving the event as the race started, I came home and crashed -nothing like a 4 hour nap to get some energy back. Wow - what a week it has truly been! I almost wish we could have sprinkled these amazing events throughout the next couple of months in order to continue boost our spirits throughout the summer. But, the incredible amount of love, support, and blessings we have received this week will be something that we can always look back on during hard times. The memories from this week will be sure to make us smile and reflect on all that we have to be grateful for....most importantly, YOU! We are so grateful to each and every one of you that shows us in one way or another, just how much you care about us. Through your prayers, your cards, your fundraising, your donations, your gifts, your meals, your presence....we are just continually blown away by it all and not one single gesture, large or small, goes unnoticed. We can never thank you all enough for everything you have done for us! We will never forget it and it will continue to help us get through the tough times that may lay ahead.
xoxo, Meghan |
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