Breast Cancer Awareness

"I walk around my neighborhood and continued to do so when I was going through treatment. There were days when I was very weak and didn't go far. One street has a very slight incline that I had never even noticed before. One day I was walking and had to stop because I was out of breath going up that tiny incline. To this day, I remember when I get to that spot and am thankful to be healthy and able to exercise. I have so many favorite Bible verses. ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength’ Philippians 4:13 is one of them and one that I held onto during my treatment. A sweet friend of mine made a cute scripture journal that I put Bible verses in after I was diagnosed. I filled it with scripture that encouraged me and read it regularly.…I knew before my treatment, during and continue to believe now that God is in control. I knew that whatever I went through, He was with me and would get me through it. That didn't make it easier, but I had a peace knowing that I wasn't alone. My friends and family were supportive and I knew that they were praying for me also. I didn't wear a wig when I lost my hair because a wig didn't seem right for me. I wore hats and scarves and had quite a collection. As I neared the end of treatment my hair was coming in a little, but not much. I finally realized that my hair was not coming back. I had a little bit of wispy hair that I referred to as baby monkey hair. I decided to look into wigs and found one that made me cry because it made me look normal and not like a cancer patient. I have been wearing wigs ever since. They look so natural and have even fooled hairdressers.

"...It was pretty limiting based on a family’s income. So, when synthetic wigs came, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven! They are so much more affordable...I look back on it and I feel like I lost 2016. That’s the year I had the surgeries and the chemo was brutal. I lost 35 pounds and had 30-35 days of radiation. I am now cancer free, but the reality of breast cancer is that it’s not uncommon to have re-occurrences. That’s been my biggest struggle is not getting hung up on fear and letting that lead me into depression. Cancer is like the gift that keeps on giving, I have numbness in my fingers and toes and problems with my eyes. I haven’t worn makeup in years and believe me, I was the one that wouldn’t go to 7-11 without makeup on! You just adjust and be grateful that you are vertical. That’s what I tell people, I’m just happy that I’m healthy and vertical...I’ve worn wigs for decades and am grateful they’ve become stylish and affordable. I still wish my hair would come back but it’s not meant to be. I’m more focused and grateful that I’m cancer free.”

"...because I realized that life has so much to offer if you only will see it. Sometimes it is right in front of you but you are too busy looking at all the things that went wrong or the things that made you unhappy. So as soon as the condition of my skin allowed me to put on my make up again, I did and tried to look my best in order to go out and get my life back. Everybody told me: you will lose your hair temporarily. It will grow back after you finish the chemotherapy and the radiations. So, I was confident that this wig was temporary too. Of course I felt sad when they shaved the last remaining few hairs off my head in order to put on the wig. At first, I was very insecure. I thought everybody could see I was wearing a wig. But after a few weeks in which people told me how good I looked and they didn't notice it was a wig I was wearing, I got my confidence back. I was shocked to learn after almost a year without my hair growing back, that I now had alopecia. The dermatologist did think that my own hair wouldn't grow back anymore. And so I landed in ‘wig world’ …I searched the internet for sites with good modern wigs, also suitable for completely bald heads. With lace fonts, handmade, and a completely smooth material inside the wig. And all this for a reasonable price. I was very lucky to find what I was looking for at the site of wigs.com. I now have 2 wigs from Raquel Welch. A medium long hair one and a short hair one. I chose Heat Stylable Synthetic fibres. They stay in shape and are easy to wash and wear…I can change my look whenever I want. And though nobody notices the fact I am wearing a wig....I couldn't care less if they did notice. I am looking good."