Thanks to all of you who contributed your thoughts as to whether I should attend Living Beyond Breast Cancer's annual conference in Philadelphia. Every comment and opinion was helpful. You gave me much to think about.
Yesterday, though, I had the following conversation with my ten year old son.
Me: So...I have been offered a scholarship to attend a breast cancer conference in Philadelphia.
S. (lighting up): That's great!
Me: But the thing is, it's on November 1st, which means I would have to leave on October 31st and miss Hallowe'en.
S.: But this is a great opportunity! We can take lots of pictures. And there will be many other Hallowe'ens.
Me: OK. If you're sure...
S.: You should go!
Me: Wow. It's almost like you're proud of your mom...
S.: What do you mean 'almost'? I am proud.
Me: [Too moved to speak]
S.: And besides, you can trust Papa not to cut himself when he's carving the pumpkin. And I'm pretty sure we won't burn the house down....
So, my family has spoken and I have booked my trip.
It feels like I made the right decision.
Cross-posted to Mothers With Cancer.
7 comments:
HOORAY! HOORAY! Oh I wish I could hang with you! You will love Philly..gotta get a chessesteak!
Well, if they're promising not to burn the house down, I guess you can go... ;)
"you can trust Papa not to cut himself when he's carving the pumpkin" - if that is a consideration perhaps you ought to supervise the boys in this before you leave. ;-)
Laurie, I'm always amazed by your family's strength! I hope you have a phenomenal trip!
Hi Laurie,
I stumbled onto your blog about a month ago. I was excited to read about your success with Herceptin and chemo. We share similar stories...I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April, 2007, with 7 mets to my liver, at the age of 36. I am also HER2+, and after a mastectomy, I was treated with taxotere and herceptin. After 8 rounds (every 3 wks), I also had no evidence of disease! My last MRI was this past July, and again it showed my liver is clear. I continue to receive herceptin every 3 wks (for life), and take Tamoxifen (although I am only slightly ER+), but I am off chemo. After reading that you are still receiving Navelbine (I think that's what you're on), I'm wondering if I should be on something else too, if I should be more aggressive. Anyways, it has been great to read your posts, and I identify with the emotional ups and downs of living with the threat of reoccurance. I also live in Ontario, and have 3 young children. A great website that I have been following regularly is www.her2support.org. It is based in the States, but there are some Canadian members, and if you click on the message boards, you can read the posts, and I have learned so much more than I ever have from my oncologist! There are several other Stage IV women on the boards who have had complete responses to chemo, and it's great to read their (and your) stories, as it is apparently quite rare. You can contact me if you like at pdjanhunen@yahoo.com. Enjoy the conference, fill us all in when you get back!
Hi Laurie,
I hope you have a great great time at the conference! Your son's take on the situation is wonderful - you should be really proud of him, especially for saying something that will help you feel less guilt for going and missing Halloween. I hope you enjoy yourself very much,
Dee
i'm not sure i'm applying for the scholarships or not- one has to commit to the WHOLE thing. i am looking into it though. but regardless of that- i WILL be taking a train to philly that weekend to see you!
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