Reflecting on 2024 Following an Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis

It is early December, my house is decorated, and I will be making my Chex Mixes soon. Add to that, cookies! But first, before my schedule gets crazy, I need to get organized with gifts and plans as well as reflect on the holidays in the weeks. I believe that reflections can be great gifts for my soul.

My last blog was about healing. My husband and I are still healing from a summer of challenging health concerns. I don’t want to wish my life away, but I was very glad we were at the end of the summer. Fall gave us a two-week trip to the beach where we truly did experience the blessings of healing. Sitting under the tent, walking the beach, bike rides, walks in our favorite beach town, lots of shopping and eating amazing seafood was truly life giving.

When we got back from the beach, fall was in the air, and we both were back in the reality of doctor appointments, CT scans, bloodwork, MRIs, and radiation. You must know that when you get a cancer diagnosis or have a heart attack, life is never the same. You are always fighting the fight.

My reflections are simple as I have been fighting ovarian cancer for almost 12 years. I know that I am blessed and am probably an anomaly given the life expectancy with this disease. I have had so many treatments, and I am constantly reminded that my time on Earth is compromised, but I celebrate the times I get a period of respite. This helps me remain resilient and positive. I think that, sometimes, I am even surprising my physicians, and I am OK with that! 

I look at my difficult days (yes, there are those days) and continue to know that my positive attitude needs to be the remedy for those days. I realize that I am lucky that I am still here.

The cookies will get baked, and the Chex mixes made. The final gifts will be purchased and wrapped. These tasks can be overwhelming, but I plan to celebrate every bit of flour that is mixed, Worcestershire Sauce measured, chocolate melted, Christmas paper cut and taped, and ribbons tied. I will celebrate all the things that make Christmas at my house. We do get gifts for our kids — mostly things they need — but we are trying to give the kind of gifts that leave memories. This includes making cookies together, skiing down a mountain as a family, sleepovers, games played, and dinners eaten together. Making memories and spending time with family are truly the greatest gifts ever. This Christmas will be even more special, as we will get to see and celebrate with all our children and grandchildren, located in three different states. We will be there!

As we begin to think about the holidays and New Year’s Eve, we are planning for the coming year. We want to travel, ski, celebrate a grandchild’s graduation, experience a total family vacation in North Carolina (22 people), and revisit the beach in September for two weeks together with my husband. We will work in the doctor appointments that we will need, though we are going to live our lives to the fullest. We do not know how much time we have, no one does, but we will celebrate 2025 the best that we can. I know it is cliché, but I have a quote from a movie that is posted above my computer. It reads:

“There are two ways to live your life —

One is as if though nothing is a miracle…

The other is as though everything is…”

Yes, that is what I believe. Life is a miracle.