Are You There Cancer? It's Me, Jennie.: 33 and Cancer-Free!: Monday, August 24, 2009

It's my birthday today. And while I still have two more cycles of chemo to endure, I am 33 and (detectable) cancer-free! It feels great to celebrate a new year...and boy, there has been A LOT of celebrating going on around here! I don't know about you but I like celebrating birthdays in a big way -- not just on the actual birthday but throughout the birthday week. I started celebrating this birthday on Friday and will continue until my next treatment on Wednesday. I'm happily exhausted from a weekend of dinners out, parties for the very young and the young at heart, crab feasts, barbecue by the pool, etc. There are photos to share of all of the festivities but since there are two more celebrations today, I'm going to wait to post everything tomorrow when it's all winding down.

Thank you to all of my great friends and family who helped me celebrate over the weekend and again today! You all mean the world to me and I so appreciate everything you've done for me -- not just this past weekend but throughout my life and especially over the last six months.

What's this all about?

So, what's with the title?

I have my friend Christy, the author of Twisted Toes and the owner of Food Matters, to thank for the title of this blog. She came up with the name shortly after I was told I had cancer and well before I knew exactly what I was dealing with. So, the title made sense since I knew I had something really bad in me but was still waiting for many more confirmations, clarifications, and/or a freakin' miracle to occur. Also, who can pass up the opportunity to give a shout out to Judy Blume? It just fit.

Why the teal and lime green text?

Teal and green are to ovarian cancer what pink is to breast cancer. The colors used in this blog are a nod to every woman who has battled this kind of cancer and to the work of the leading national ovarian cancer advocacy organizations. For more information about ovarian cancer or to make a donation to either organization, please see the last two links in the Links I Like section below.

Why no CaringBridge?

I know many folks like the CaringBridge but it just ain't my style. It's way too Hallmark for this girl. One of my main goals throughout this process is to maintain my sense of humor and something about that site is a little too Care Bears and not enough Comic Relief.

What should you expect?

Imagine if Anne Frank, Bridget Jones, and Kris Carr were to meet up in an Amesterdam cafe to share some *yummy* brownies and discuss a potential book collaboration. Wouldn't you want to be there to listen to their conversation? Well, I would. This blog is something like what I imagine their supposed collaboration would produce: a mixture of poignant reflections, funny observations, brief medical updates, and good tips. Oh, and while I don't have the *yummy* brownies to enjoy, I do take the occasional vicodin for chemo pain so there you go.

Also, a warning: You're gonna encounter some profanity as you read. I know the use of profanity is not ladylike or classy but neither is cancer and since I find its use extremely therapeutic these days, please cut me some slack.

Are You There Cancer? It's Me, Jennie.

33 and Cancer-Free!: Monday, August 24, 2009

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