With the holidays upon us once again, we find that we are, as always, thankful for all the blessings, all the friendships, and all the love that you send us, day in and day out, all year long. As many of you know, metastatic breast cancer has been a major part of our life these past two years, but we now understand the challenging “what-ifs” of the disease.
What if the next scan shows more progression? What if we can’t afford care? What if I lose my insurance? What if… ?
Still, what if we let go of all that pain, sadness, and anger—just for a minute—without ignoring the reality that they can return any time. What if—for an instant—we let joy, love, hope, and happiness take over?
This past year, we expanded our knowledge about Lobular Breast Cancer. I (Nikoo) attended an in-person medical conference in Pittsburgh and felt like a new person afterward, armed with more knowledge and knowing that there are brilliant researchers working on this disease. The two of us also got involved with advocacy—patient-to-patient and caregiver-to-caregiver.
Eighteen months post-diagnosis, my prognosis is measured in three-month windows. Scan to scan. Still, our mantra is to wish for peace for all human beings and to count our blessings.
As always and because of life’s necessities, we’re writing and have a new novel scheduled for release in March. And our new online bookstore is fully operational through our website.
Our wish for you this holiday season is that your blessings overwhelm your shadows, that your good ‘what ifs’ overcome the bad, and that your lives overflow with peace and contentment.