LET'S BEAT THIS THING
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let's beat this thing

Busy, Busy Bee...

4/7/2012

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Sorry for a bit of a hiatus...life sure has been busy around here lately.  The past two weeks have been jam packed with plans.  Mike threw me a wonderful 3oth birthday party on the 24th and we had the best time!  It is always so much fun when we are able to get so many of our family members and friends together at one time.  Thank you so much to my loving husband for planning everything, and thank you to all of you that were able to come out and celebrate with us!    
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The fun continued when we traveled to Chicago last weekend.  Our main reason for the visit was actually a medical appointment at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care. We spent almost 7 hours at the Block Center and I will definitely fill you all in on that very soon.  After spending all day Friday at our appointment, we spent that night and the rest of the weekend with our many friends that live in the city.  As always, we had a great time in Chicago and can't wait to visit again soon! 

This past Thursday was Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park!  For those of you that aren't from the D, you may not know what a huge deal this is.  Basically, the entire city turns into one huge party.  You may remember from this post, that I went to Opening Day for the first time last year when my big bro asked me to go with him.  I remember that it was just a few days after I got my port placed in my chest, and Jeff was being so protective in the bar before the game - making sure that no one would bump into me since I was so sore.  It's crazy to think of all that has happened since then.  

Mike and I were so excited that we not only got tickets to the game (thanks Uncle Ed!), but that we were going with Mike's cousins, Brian and Diana - who we adore.  Mike and I are really close with Brian and Diana and we always have the best time together.  It worked out perfect that Diana was visiting from NYC, and Mike had the day off for spring break.  
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We met up before the game with Jeff and some other friends at Coaches Corner before heading to the game to cheer the Tigers on for their first win of the season.  It was such a fun day! 
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I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter Sunday with your families.  I will never forget my Easter last year.  I spent the day in bed, suffering from a great deal of fatigue and extremely low blood pressure after my very first round of chemo.  The night before, all of my wonderful Beauts came over with dinner, made me laugh, and physically tucked me into my bed that night.  I am so grateful for how far I have come since then.  I am grateful that I will spend Easter with my family - not in my bed - and that I have enough energy to enjoy every moment of the day.  Happy Easter! 
xoxo, Meghan

ps. - I have been asked to be the Team New Balance Honorary Survivor at this years Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Lansing, Michigan.  The Mid-Michigan Komen affiliate is doing wonderful things for the greater Lansing community and I am happy to be a part of their event.  My hope in taking part in this is that by sharing my story to hundreds (maybe thousands!) of people when I take the stage at the opening ceremonies, I will help bring about increased awareness about the risks for younger women, and especially educate others on metastatic breast cancer.  If you would like to join us on April 29th at the State Capital, please click here to become a member of our team or to make a donation to this cause.  To learn more about the great work of the Mid-Michigan Komen affiliate, and to see yours truly in their video, click on this link.   
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Showered with Love...

4/14/2011

84 Comments

 
Hi everybody!  Sorry for being MIA there for a little bit.  I had a crazy, busy, wonderful weekend, followed by a pretty hectic week so far.  This past weekend was one of the best I have had in a long time.  It is not too often that a person gets the chance to be surrounded by so many friends and family members all at once...and to be showered in so much love!  Let me tell  you...it's an incredible feeling.  The weekend started out with the MUGA scan for my heart on Friday morning - no big whoop there.  I have been through so many other tests by now that this one was a walk in the park.  After the test Mike, Jeff and I headed down to the D to partake in the Tiger's Opening Day festivities.  We met up with other friends and hung out at an incredibly packed bar before heading over to Comerica Park.  Jeff was being so protective- making sure people weren't bumping into me- which I totally appreciated because my port was (and still is) pretty sore.  The clouds parted, the sun made an appearance, and the good ole' Tigers came away with a victory.  All in all, a great start to the weekend! 

Great day at the ballpark with the big brother :) 
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Saturday was such a blast, spent with some of my very best friends.  I am so incredibly blessed to have the most amazing group of girlfriends from high school.  There are ten of us "Beauts"  (sorry, but it's a top secret story as to how we got this nickname), and we have been best buddies since either elementary, junior high, or high school.  I have always known that the Beauts are such a special and unique group.  It dawned on me one day in college, that not many people still kept in touch with those they went to high school with - let alone still considered them their very best friends.  My Beauts have been there for me through thick and thin for over half my life and knowing they are in my corner right now brings me so much comfort and happiness!  Six of my Beauts (and one baby Beaut, Emma) came over to my house on Saturday to join me in bringing Julie's vision to life for our bedroom makeover!  I warned them that I would be photographing this, so none of you are allowed to get mad at me for posting these pics. :) 

Cutest painters in town!  Especially little Emma who was the project manager ♥
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We spent the day painting, gabbing, eating, laughing...and best of all, not thinking about cancer!  It was the best distraction ever!  My fabulous friend and fellow Beaut, Julie designed the most peaceful, restful, serene and stylish bedroom I have ever seen.  All of my Beauts chipped in to buy this amazing headboard for Mike & I as a surprise!  The room came together perfectly and Mike and I couldn't be more excited and thankful!  I wish I could truly capture how gorgeous it is in my images, but you really just need to be in the space, in person, to feel how tranquil and perfect it is.  Julie - Mike & I can never thank you enough for creating this special space for us.  I cannot believe all the thought and effort you put into it!  We are forever grateful and love you so much!  To my other Beauts - thank you for the beautiful headboard and for those of you that were able to be here (especially two from Chicago!)- thank you for devoting your Saturday to helping create this spectacular retreat for us!  I love you guys so much! 

A few quick "before" snapshots of the old, not stylish bedroom....
"After" images of our completely PERFECT sanctuary bedroom make-over, designed by the incredible Julie Doman of A2 home+made 
Isn't it gorgeous!  It actually isn't even complete yet.  We were waiting for this awesome console table to be delivered from West Elm and it finally arrived today!  It will go to the left of the bed (if you are facing the bed) and we will be able to put our new flat screen tv on it (thank you Domans!) in addition to using it as extra storage.  

As if all of this wasn't enough...Sunday was a truly fantastic day which our friend Gina dubbed a "Love Fest"!  We had over 80 people arrive to our home to share their love for Mike and I and our families.  It was completely overwhelming but wonderful at the same time!  We were showered with so much love, so many hugs, endless amounts of food, and given the most thoughtful and meaningful cards & gifts to help keep our spirits up and positive thoughts flowing throughout this journey.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to every single one of you that were able to come and for all of you that were here in spirit because you couldn't make it!  Thank you so much to Gina & Nichole for putting this together - it was perfect!  Another huge thank you to my wonderful friend Kyle for taking some great images which you can see here:  

The only time I got my camera out the entire day was to make sure I captured a photo of my momma and I.  All of you that know me, know that my mom has always been one of my very best friends.  She is the most supportive and loving mom a girl could ask for.  Every tear, every worry, every smile, every laugh, every ache and every pain I experience is shared equally with her.  What happens to me, happens to her.  It is because of her and how she raised me, that I have always faced any obstacle in my life with sheer determination and confidence that I will succeed.  Battling this cancer will be no different.  Love you lady!  
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As you can see, the weekend was unforgettable!  I have tried to ride out this wave of an emotional high for as long as possible, but unfortunately the frustration with the waiting game reared it's ugly head again this week.  I found out late on Monday that I have to wait until Friday morning to get the biopsy of my T12 vertebra.  The results of this biopsy will be in on Wednesday morning and will finally reveal how much disease we are dealing with.  Next Thursday, I am scheduled to meet with my oncologist (Dr. F) and begin chemo - but this plan is tentative depending on my biopsy results.  So, until we get the results next Wednesday...we wait.  We wait, but we enjoy every day and try to live life as normal as possible until then.  The best thing about this so far has been that it truly teaches you how to appreciate each and every moment you are given.  Sure, I let myself get upset and deal with my emotions - but I get over it and move on to enjoy the day, snuggle with my pup, and cherish every moment with Mike.  So enjoy the rest of your week and make the most of it!  

Thanks again for your constant love and support!  It means the world to us. 
xoxo, Meg
ps.  don't forget to support our 3 Day team by clicking here! 
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    My blog to keep you all 
    up  to date on how I am living this crazy, beautiful life while dealing with Stage IV breast cancer.


    The Cliffs Notes version of my life with breast cancer...I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer on March 23, 2011 just 2 days after turning 29 years old.  Shortly thereafter, we discovered the disease had spread to my spine, thus making it Stage IV, otherwise known as Metastatic Breast Cancer.  It's been a roller coaster of ups and downs ever since, but I'm just grateful to be here! 

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