Happy Family Times

Most of the stories here seem to start this way and this is true of my story too!

My cancer diagnosis was devastating. It had never occurred to me that I might not “be here” to see my young children grow up. Many, many people helped us through this terrible time. Our extended families rallied around, friends were there for us, and our church family stood with us through the darkest times.

Just when I thought I had a cure, and this was all over, I developed lymphedema.  What a blow! However by this time we were much more savvy health consumers and our first stop was the Internet. Websites, like this one, helped us figure out what we needed to do. Having these resources was very important because my doctors were of very little help with this problem.

Happily I got the right information, was able to find an excellent therapist and am in treatment now -- and how learning to live well with the lymphedema.

These events have made me aware of how fragile life can be and I have rearranged my priorities. Now I make the compromises that are necessary to create more quality family time. This includes no longer maintaining the housekeeping standards of my mother and  fortunately she understands. 

Hopefully my children they will forget the dust bunnies under the beds and instead will cherish the memories of happy holiday traditions and the other good times we shared together.

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Category: Living well with Lymphedema