Comments on: The M-Word http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/living-with-breast-cancer/the-m-word/ Blogs from the editors and contributors of Chatelaine magazine Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:04:10 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: leanne coppen http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/living-with-breast-cancer/the-m-word/comment-page-1/#comment-43725 leanne coppen Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:08:22 +0000 http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/?p=5797#comment-43725 JULES - you'll see in my next post how much your comment affected me -- though the dragons-at-the-gate connection is only half the story. Basically I could relate to pretty much every single word you wrote. I hope everyone reads your comment. It's the comments that make this blog a community and not just a place for me to rant and rave and share my borderline insanity. Thank-you. LISA -- you must hear this a lot but you sound very brave. And still a little shell-shocked -- and I say that as one who is still completely shell-shocked. I would like you to write another comment with more of your story if you feel comfortable doing that. What is your treatment plan, how are you managing, what kind of cancer do you have, how do you commuicate this with your boys, any tips, anything at all. You are already a ways down this road I'm about to embark on and frankly anything you can tell me about the terrain would be deeply appreciated because I'm scared as hell. I'm so glad I checked back for comments on earlier posts and found you two. Thank you both so much. leanne JULES – you’ll see in my next post how much your comment affected me — though the dragons-at-the-gate connection is only half the story. Basically I could relate to pretty much every single word you wrote. I hope everyone reads your comment. It’s the comments that make this blog a community and not just a place for me to rant and rave and share my borderline insanity. Thank-you.

LISA — you must hear this a lot but you sound very brave. And still a little shell-shocked — and I say that as one who is still completely shell-shocked. I would like you to write another comment with more of your story if you feel comfortable doing that. What is your treatment plan, how are you managing, what kind of cancer do you have, how do you commuicate this with your boys, any tips, anything at all. You are already a ways down this road I’m about to embark on and frankly anything you can tell me about the terrain would be deeply appreciated because I’m scared as hell.

I’m so glad I checked back for comments on earlier posts and found you two. Thank you both so much.

leanne

]]> By: Lisa Dunn http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/living-with-breast-cancer/the-m-word/comment-page-1/#comment-43662 Lisa Dunn Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:58:52 +0000 http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/?p=5797#comment-43662 Leanne: I stumbled across your blog tonight while looking for information on cancer. I am 36 and was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer in February - it had already spread to my bones and liver when they found it. I have two little boys and wonder every day how this could have happened. My little boys need a mom to help them grow up, and they are what inspire me to keep fighting. This is horrible news that you have received, but fight it with everything you have. You are not alone; embrace the support of others and it will help carry you forward. Lisa Leanne:

I stumbled across your blog tonight while looking for information on cancer. I am 36 and was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer in February – it had already spread to my bones and liver when they found it. I have two little boys and wonder every day how this could have happened. My little boys need a mom to help them grow up, and they are what inspire me to keep fighting. This is horrible news that you have received, but fight it with everything you have. You are not alone; embrace the support of others and it will help carry you forward.

Lisa

]]> By: julie spurr http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/living-with-breast-cancer/the-m-word/comment-page-1/#comment-43346 julie spurr Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:43:36 +0000 http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/?p=5797#comment-43346 Oh CRAP! Leanne-This is not the way it was supposed to happen! You have been my twinkling, shining cyber-star-illuminating this crappy-ass journey I’ve been on. When I was first diagnosed, I stumbled across your blog during all those blind, numb hours spent researching this awful C thing on the internets. I found mostly stuff that terrified me and I found you…and your clear-as-bell voice that has never failed to make me smile or give some order & hope in this chaos –your words have been glowing fireflies lighting the trail. My Family & my friends have been wonderful ..but sometimes on this path, you just feel sooo alone…. those who have walked it- KNOW what it’s like….whenever things have gotten really tough for me, I’ve checked in with you and feel like I have a sister and if you could do it, I could do it too….thank you for putting yourself out there….you have helped me find my way….. I never in a million years dreamed this would happen to me….never ever expected that the monster would be inside me. Cancer was so not in my plans-I’ve been fighting to have my life back since last October…I may win this battle, but my innocence and my fertility have been sacrificed to the dragon. I am deeply thankful for everyday and every kindness and I know what every wish will be from here on out and now that I’ve met fear for real-I know what not be afraid of…and what to be - so I’m training and arming myself for the next battle, whenever it may come…next time I will be waiting outside the gate, sword drawn.(although let’s hope it’s more like laser blasters) My perception of the world has been forever altered …the bad stuff that used to only happen to other people, has now happened to me….and people all around me-some I’d never even met before-reached out and cared for me and helped me get this far….and now I understand the power of the word “survivor”& know it’s not something one does alone….and now when something bad happens to other people, it’s like it happens to me too……so this unhappy diagnosis of yours, my dear, has struck me to the core as I’m sure it has all the people in your sphere and my heart breaks with and for all of you. However, there is another aspect to this interconnectedness -it means that my strength, our strength, is your strength… & we all want you to win… Your husband your baby your family your friends and all of your sisters out here in cyberspace - we all want you to win…so rest a bit and then power up, girl & kick its ass… we’re all right here, backing you up….. Love & Peace & Strength jules Oh CRAP!

Leanne-This is not the way it was supposed to happen!

You have been my twinkling, shining cyber-star-illuminating this crappy-ass journey I’ve been on. When I was first diagnosed, I stumbled across your blog during all those blind, numb hours spent researching this awful C thing on the internets. I found mostly stuff that terrified me and I found you…and your clear-as-bell voice that has never failed to make me smile or give some order & hope in this chaos –your words have been glowing fireflies lighting the trail. My Family & my friends have been wonderful ..but sometimes on this path, you just feel sooo alone…. those who have walked it- KNOW what it’s like….whenever things have gotten really tough for me, I’ve checked in with you and feel like I have a sister and if you could do it, I could do it too….thank you for putting yourself out there….you have helped me find my way…..

I never in a million years dreamed this would happen to me….never ever expected that the monster would be inside me. Cancer was so not in my plans-I’ve been fighting to have my life back since last October…I may win this battle, but my innocence and my fertility have been sacrificed to the dragon. I am deeply thankful for everyday and every kindness and I know what every wish will be from here on out and now that I’ve met fear for real-I know what not be afraid of…and what to be – so I’m training and arming myself for the next battle, whenever it may come…next time I will be waiting outside the gate, sword drawn.(although let’s hope it’s more like laser blasters)

My perception of the world has been forever altered …the bad stuff that used to only happen to other people, has now happened to me….and people all around me-some I’d never even met before-reached out and cared for me and helped me get this far….and now I understand the power of the word “survivor”& know it’s not something one does alone….and now when something bad happens to other people, it’s like it happens to me too……so this unhappy diagnosis of yours, my dear, has struck me to the core as I’m sure it has all the people in your sphere and my heart breaks with and for all of you.

However, there is another aspect to this interconnectedness -it means that my strength, our strength, is your strength… & we all want you to win…

Your husband your baby your family your friends and all of your sisters out here in cyberspace – we all want you to win…so rest a bit and then power up, girl & kick its ass…

we’re all right here, backing you up…..

Love & Peace & Strength
jules

]]> By: l. http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/living-with-breast-cancer/the-m-word/comment-page-1/#comment-43231 l. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:00:57 +0000 http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/?p=5797#comment-43231 I sometimes wonder what I'd do without this blog. Being able to write about this hell, in all its incarnations, helps me cut it down to size, put it in perspective, & shape it into something I can fight, instead of this shapeless mass of fear and darkness. And then being able to read these comments helps me so much -- knowing that there are others in the "sisterhood" reading this and reaching out to me (or even just friends of the sisterhood shouting their support from the sidelines) takes me out of the sometimes unbearably isolating place in which this cancer seems to want to imprison me. My friends and family read these comments and then comment to me about the things you all say to support me -- so this dialogue becomes a much bigger, stronger force than any of you may realize. And boy do I need a FORCE on my side! Gemini, your soldier-on-the-beach reminded me of something else: in childbirth I remember actually being able to feel my flesh tearing (yeouch I can't stand the memory of it!) and in a moment of clarity I realized that the only way to end the unspeakable pain was to push through it - tear my flesh a little more - and deliver that baby. That was about bringing life into the world, this is about taking my life back. I can do this. I'm sometimes sure of that, sometimes almost but not quite sure. But it's going to take a lot of kicking and pushing and fighting. Please, all of you stay with me -- I need all the help I can get. love, leanne (I will post an update tomorrow but tonight I need some rest.) I sometimes wonder what I’d do without this blog.

Being able to write about this hell, in all its incarnations, helps me cut it down to size, put it in perspective, & shape it into something I can fight, instead of this shapeless mass of fear and darkness.

And then being able to read these comments helps me so much — knowing that there are others in the “sisterhood” reading this and reaching out to me (or even just friends of the sisterhood shouting their support from the sidelines) takes me out of the sometimes unbearably isolating place in which this cancer seems to want to imprison me. My friends and family read these comments and then comment to me about the things you all say to support me — so this dialogue becomes a much bigger, stronger force than any of you may realize. And boy do I need a FORCE on my side!

Gemini, your soldier-on-the-beach reminded me of something else: in childbirth I remember actually being able to feel my flesh tearing (yeouch I can’t stand the memory of it!) and in a moment of clarity I realized that the only way to end the unspeakable pain was to push through it – tear my flesh a little more – and deliver that baby. That was about bringing life into the world, this is about taking my life back.

I can do this. I’m sometimes sure of that, sometimes almost but not quite sure. But it’s going to take a lot of kicking and pushing and fighting.

Please, all of you stay with me — I need all the help I can get.
love,
leanne

(I will post an update tomorrow but tonight I need some rest.)

]]> By: Carol W. http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/living-with-breast-cancer/the-m-word/comment-page-1/#comment-43223 Carol W. Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:46:27 +0000 http://blog.en.chatelaine.com/?p=5797#comment-43223 Leanne, I'm sooo sorry. This (more than) stinks. I wish there were more for me to say but it sounds like you've already got your kung-fu, Jason Bourne cancer fighting, evil bashing super heros on the job! Give 'em hell. Leanne, I’m sooo sorry. This (more than) stinks. I wish there were more for me to say but it sounds like you’ve already got your kung-fu, Jason Bourne cancer fighting, evil bashing super heros on the job! Give ‘em hell.

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