WELCOME.
I originally started this site during my journey through breast cancer which began in November of 2017 with the primary goal of encouraging those currently facing a struggle. Not necessarily breast cancer, but any struggle. Life is hard. We need hope.
Then, in June of 2021 I found out that breast cancer had returned to my body and had spread to the lymph nodes in my chest (around my heart, lung and collarbone area) as well as to my femur, sacrum and spine. After six months of IV chemo, radiation treatments and femur surgery I was switched to oral chemo. I remained fairly stable for several months, until it returned again. This time a lymph node near my lung and trachea. A few months later, progression showed up in other lymph nodes in my chest and in my bones. As I write this, I'm back in active treatment. I still have hope. Lots of deep, life-changing hope. I'm so thankful for the many prayers that are being lifted for me and for our family. Please keep praying and trusting for healing.
UPDATES & JOURNAL
During my first bout with cancer, I started a "Medical Journal" on this site, where I documented my physical experiences of life with breast cancer to help those facing a similar diagnosis or those that might just be curious about what it's like. I chronicled my appointments, tests, chemotherapy treatments, hair loss and all the crazy in-betweens of cancer from Nov. 2017 to Jan. 2020. I've picked back up on that to some extent and continue to try to post updates about scans, treatments and how we are doing, etc. with the goal of keeping friends and family informed and to ask for your prayers. I'm terrible with my phone (keeping up with calls, texts, etc.) so hopefully this will help.
I originally started this site during my journey through breast cancer which began in November of 2017 with the primary goal of encouraging those currently facing a struggle. Not necessarily breast cancer, but any struggle. Life is hard. We need hope.
Then, in June of 2021 I found out that breast cancer had returned to my body and had spread to the lymph nodes in my chest (around my heart, lung and collarbone area) as well as to my femur, sacrum and spine. After six months of IV chemo, radiation treatments and femur surgery I was switched to oral chemo. I remained fairly stable for several months, until it returned again. This time a lymph node near my lung and trachea. A few months later, progression showed up in other lymph nodes in my chest and in my bones. As I write this, I'm back in active treatment. I still have hope. Lots of deep, life-changing hope. I'm so thankful for the many prayers that are being lifted for me and for our family. Please keep praying and trusting for healing.
UPDATES & JOURNAL
During my first bout with cancer, I started a "Medical Journal" on this site, where I documented my physical experiences of life with breast cancer to help those facing a similar diagnosis or those that might just be curious about what it's like. I chronicled my appointments, tests, chemotherapy treatments, hair loss and all the crazy in-betweens of cancer from Nov. 2017 to Jan. 2020. I've picked back up on that to some extent and continue to try to post updates about scans, treatments and how we are doing, etc. with the goal of keeping friends and family informed and to ask for your prayers. I'm terrible with my phone (keeping up with calls, texts, etc.) so hopefully this will help.
BLOG.
All of us are experiencing different levels of pain in our lives – whether it be physical, emotional, spiritual or some combination of the three. And what I’ve learned is that hurting is part of life in a broken world. However, it’s not ok to let that hurt take you hostage – to steal your peace and joy. Your circumstance may not change, but I promise you that the way you look at it doesn’t have to stay the same. Finding joy in the midst of a world falling apart, while difficult - is possible, within your reach and is so worth it.
All of us are experiencing different levels of pain in our lives – whether it be physical, emotional, spiritual or some combination of the three. And what I’ve learned is that hurting is part of life in a broken world. However, it’s not ok to let that hurt take you hostage – to steal your peace and joy. Your circumstance may not change, but I promise you that the way you look at it doesn’t have to stay the same. Finding joy in the midst of a world falling apart, while difficult - is possible, within your reach and is so worth it.
RESOURCES. NEW resources added! 2023
Now that I've been in this club for five years, I feel like it's my duty to stay abreast of news and resources (no pun intended.) Ha. And I'm currently working on sharing that information in a cohesive way on this site. This page will include links to information on everything from prevention to how to help your friends that have cancer. For those without cancer, there are things for you to know. Please, please take a few minutes out of your day to school yourself on the basics of breast cancer and then share your knowledge with a friend. If I had caught mine earlier, my life would probably look a whole lot different. I am so thankful to live in a time period where cancer research is changing lives every single day.
Now that I've been in this club for five years, I feel like it's my duty to stay abreast of news and resources (no pun intended.) Ha. And I'm currently working on sharing that information in a cohesive way on this site. This page will include links to information on everything from prevention to how to help your friends that have cancer. For those without cancer, there are things for you to know. Please, please take a few minutes out of your day to school yourself on the basics of breast cancer and then share your knowledge with a friend. If I had caught mine earlier, my life would probably look a whole lot different. I am so thankful to live in a time period where cancer research is changing lives every single day.
ON FAITH.
I start here, because for me, it all starts here, really. At some point I’ll come back to this and write about my birth story – how He’s had His hand on my life since before I was born. But that’s for another day. The point here is that I was raised in and have claimed Christianity all my life, however there were periods when I claimed it simply because of my upbringing. Other times it was in words only. The way I lived spoke so much louder than my beliefs. Then there were days of thinking I had to earn it (those were the worst). But in 2009 (while pregnant with my daughter), I sensed His love – the Real Thing. He broke into my world with such Love and Light that I couldn’t possibly stay the same. I started from scratch – reading the Bible and praying for Him to remove all of the damaging blocks {the beliefs, ideas, teachings, etc.} that I had come to accept as truth. This was a turning point. Since then, I've been through my fair share of difficult seasons, but ultimately I have come to know God and that has changed everything.
I have to admit that at times I have difficulty sharing this faith of mine in words. I’ll tell you why in a second, but first know that my attitude regarding this has changed through my current struggle. I see it now as keeping a lifesaving secret all to myself. Like I stole your oxygen mask on a plane going down. I wouldn’t want you to do that to me. But I also know that many people shut down at even the thought of the word Christian. There are so many negative things humanity has tied to that word, but if you strip that all away, it simply means follower of Jesus. And Jesus is Love. I am as messed up as the next guy, but I do hope to grow to be more and more loving – like the way He Loves. Legit, authentic Love. So please don't let a preconceived notion about Christianity or God steer you away from accepting my story. Know that it is one of Love, shared honestly, from the Truest part of who I am, heart and soul.
BULLETPROOF.
One day as I was getting dinner ready, I heard the Tauren Wells song, "Known", that mentions the word bulletproof. I thought, that’s a perfect description of the Hope I have in the face of this cancer thing. Then I had a disturbing thought: what if it wasn’t cancer. My mind rushed to my personal worst-case scenarios (the loss of a child being one of them). "Would you really still have that Hope, Allison? I mean cancer is really bad, but…" I honestly had to think on it for a while. Then it hit me: If I can’t have that Hope in the face of the worst disasters then what’s the point? Life is hard. Life on this side of heaven is REALLY hard. But I do know of people who have faced the unimaginable with the Grace and Hope that can only come from God Himself. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anguish and pain that the word “difficult” doesn’t even begin to touch. But if I can’t believe Him for the absolute best and through the absolute worst, then I can’t believe Him at all. He’s teaching me this. Faith is a journey. A process. It won’t be complete on this side of Eternity and thankfully, it doesn’t have to be. He loves me just how I am. Doubts, questions and all. He’s pretty amazing that way.
With all that being said, no matter what you believe, I hope that you will find a bit of inspiration in my journey of stumbles and struggles. But mostly of Joy. Radiant Joy. Thanks for reading.
I start here, because for me, it all starts here, really. At some point I’ll come back to this and write about my birth story – how He’s had His hand on my life since before I was born. But that’s for another day. The point here is that I was raised in and have claimed Christianity all my life, however there were periods when I claimed it simply because of my upbringing. Other times it was in words only. The way I lived spoke so much louder than my beliefs. Then there were days of thinking I had to earn it (those were the worst). But in 2009 (while pregnant with my daughter), I sensed His love – the Real Thing. He broke into my world with such Love and Light that I couldn’t possibly stay the same. I started from scratch – reading the Bible and praying for Him to remove all of the damaging blocks {the beliefs, ideas, teachings, etc.} that I had come to accept as truth. This was a turning point. Since then, I've been through my fair share of difficult seasons, but ultimately I have come to know God and that has changed everything.
I have to admit that at times I have difficulty sharing this faith of mine in words. I’ll tell you why in a second, but first know that my attitude regarding this has changed through my current struggle. I see it now as keeping a lifesaving secret all to myself. Like I stole your oxygen mask on a plane going down. I wouldn’t want you to do that to me. But I also know that many people shut down at even the thought of the word Christian. There are so many negative things humanity has tied to that word, but if you strip that all away, it simply means follower of Jesus. And Jesus is Love. I am as messed up as the next guy, but I do hope to grow to be more and more loving – like the way He Loves. Legit, authentic Love. So please don't let a preconceived notion about Christianity or God steer you away from accepting my story. Know that it is one of Love, shared honestly, from the Truest part of who I am, heart and soul.
BULLETPROOF.
One day as I was getting dinner ready, I heard the Tauren Wells song, "Known", that mentions the word bulletproof. I thought, that’s a perfect description of the Hope I have in the face of this cancer thing. Then I had a disturbing thought: what if it wasn’t cancer. My mind rushed to my personal worst-case scenarios (the loss of a child being one of them). "Would you really still have that Hope, Allison? I mean cancer is really bad, but…" I honestly had to think on it for a while. Then it hit me: If I can’t have that Hope in the face of the worst disasters then what’s the point? Life is hard. Life on this side of heaven is REALLY hard. But I do know of people who have faced the unimaginable with the Grace and Hope that can only come from God Himself. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anguish and pain that the word “difficult” doesn’t even begin to touch. But if I can’t believe Him for the absolute best and through the absolute worst, then I can’t believe Him at all. He’s teaching me this. Faith is a journey. A process. It won’t be complete on this side of Eternity and thankfully, it doesn’t have to be. He loves me just how I am. Doubts, questions and all. He’s pretty amazing that way.
With all that being said, no matter what you believe, I hope that you will find a bit of inspiration in my journey of stumbles and struggles. But mostly of Joy. Radiant Joy. Thanks for reading.
