Life Updates: The Sequel

Spoiler alert: We are cancer free!

As regular readers will know, the first of the month is normally reserved for my “Friends First” series. This month we are going to take a little break from the series – partly because I didn’t have anyone lined up when the sh** hit the fan earlier this month, and partly so that I can give you a follow-up from my previous life updates post.

After that post went live, our family received the biggest outpouring of love via social media. A day or two later, we put out the call on social media for anyone who wanted to paint their toenails blue (or wear blue) and send us a picture to include in a collage, with the idea being that we were collectively kicking colon cancer in the butt. I am so happy to say that the response was completely overwhelming – we ended up with over 75 photos from friends all over the country – nay, all over the world! A huge chunk of these people have never even met my mom, but know and love her via the internet. You can see the finished collage above – isn’t the internet a cool place?

Momma’s surgery went smoothly and, while recovery has been going slower than she would like (although she would like to have been back to her normal lightening speed a week ago), she has been doing great.

And the best news? She had her follow-up appointment with the surgeon this past Friday and was officially declared cancer free – they were able to remove all of it and there are no traces in her lymph nodes!

To say we are relieved would be an understatement. She will be under close watch the rest of her life, but regular colonoscopies will allow the doctors to catch anything new early and take care of it on the spot. It has been a long month, but we are so blessed that this did not last any longer – so many people are not nearly as lucky. We aren’t exaggerating when we say that colonoscopies save lives, friends.

Thank you all again for your prayers, love, and support this past few weeks. The love our family has been shown has truly meant the world to us. We send it all right back to you.

xoxo,

-S

For helpful information on colon cancer, screening and how family history plays a role, visit www.ccalliance.org.