My Journey with Triple Positive Breast Cancer

  One of my fears, upon hearing "you have cancer" for the second time, was that my cancer would be wasted. I know, I know, how do you waste cancer? Well, if I don't use my own experience to help others, or if I don't allow God to use my cancer to glorify Him, then it's wasted. The number of lessons I've learned since my breast cancer diagnosis is seriously mind-blowing. To say that I'm not the same person would be a rather ginormous understatement, so allow me to share a few! When you receive a dire diagnosis such as breast cancer, you realize something rather quickly; you want more time. You don't necessarily want to plan a grand tour of the world, or cross items off your bucket list, though these are not bad ideas and some patients find them helpful in giving them hope, but what most patients want is just more "normal time." You want more time to laugh with your loved ones around the supper table, to go shopping at Winners with your bestie,...

Ken and I enjoy driving to the office using country backroads. I took this photo last Friday,  when I wasn't sure if he'd be returning to the office. (No worries, it's all safe and good - Marigan is driving... actually, if you've driven with Marigan you know it's neither safe nor good! 😉) If you've ever had imaging done where you were required to hold your breath, you know how good it feels when they say, "And breathe." Until the next time you have to hold your breath, that is. 😒 This past week has had moments of breath-holding and moments of relief. We have felt the power of prayer and thank you for your support. 💗 I apologize for the radio silence; this week had been booked off for a vacation way back in December of 2023. Obviously, this was not the week we had anticipated!  I plan to create another blog specifically for Ken, so this post will be short.   If I had to leave a review for the past couple of weeks... As I mentioned in the last blog po...

  Hello, family and friends!  Welcome to the inaugural version of The Makus Year in Review letter,  otherwise known as Life Was Too Busy Before Christmas to get the Letter Out. 🫣(Besides, the year wasn’t over! 🤷)  Our sunroom, aka. Blood Money Build (built with funds from my Critical Illness Insurance payout), was completed in January and has become the most used room in the house. When we planned the sunroom, we thought building it as a private addition to the master bedroom was a good idea and still do, though the need for guests to traipse through our bedroom is slightly awkward. 🤨(Yes, I always usually make my bed…now.) The bird feeders outside the windows host diverse bird species including Pileated, Hairy, and Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, and the usual passirines.(And yes, they all have names, such as Robert Junior, the Downy Woodpecker. 🤭) Combined with the antics of Freddy the squirrel, and Joey and Zoey the Mule Deer, we are well entertained! K...

So this is 50? Hmmm, can I take a rain check? No, I'm not afraid of getting older; I hope I get very old! I'd just prefer to go back a year or two, maybe four? Yes, 2021 sounds delightful. Well, not really, but better than 2025; so far, it's been a real downer.  So why was this birthday so awful, you ask? Well, February 19, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day we found out my husband has Stage 4 appendiceal carcinoma which is just a fancy way of saying he has cancer that started in his appendix, then burst and spewed cancer cells all over his abdominal cavity, where they promptly began to multiply like Mennonites. (Says the Mennonite mother of only 3.)  I'll get to the details later, but suffice it to say, The Big C is back.  We thought we'd banished him (I call him Carson Noma), but he's a sneaky little fellow. Ken noticed some tummy discomfort in mid-October, but because he was on call and didn't want to burden his colleagues, he just kept working. ...

  I really enjoy bird-watching and was delighted  when this  House Finch stopped by. "Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.  And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?" Matthew 6:26 It's been over five months since I last posted, and way past time to catch you up! As I mentioned at the end of my last blog post, I have been kept rather busy with various medical appointments. Let's dive in, there's a lot of time to cover! I had a hearing test on July 12. Before chemo, I had my hearing tested, as multiple really bad ear infections in my teen years resulted in burst eardrums and scarring. At that time, I was in the "a hearing aid might be helpful" group. Unfortunately, after my second chemo infusion, my family noticed a marked reduction in my hearing, as did I. "Pardon me, pardon me, pardon me?" got old rather quickly. The recent test demonstrated that my hearing was ...

Last Wednesday was my "Alive Day!" 🎉 Alive Day: The anniversary of a day that you came close to death. Very popular with military veterans. It is usually not celebrated openly but serves as a day of reflection. (From the Urban Dictionary, not usually my first choice for information, but 🤷🏻‍♀️ ) The day could also be called  "I'm Still Here Day" or "Happy Surgerversary Day;" I'm still undecided. All I know is that one year ago today, at this time I had just arrived home from ICU, after fighting for my life. (Dramatic much?) If you missed that part, you can read about it  here,   here,  and  here.   People use various dates as their "Cancerversary," such as the day they were diagnosed (Friday the 13th, May 2022) the day they met with their surgeon for the first time, (June 1, 2022), or whatever other date they find meaningful. And yes, of course, I've been celebrating all the dates! But today feels different. I'm feeling all the...