Team Buna

Many Facebook posts, blog posts, texts and emails going all around about resolutions, fun family pics, etc. of New Year’s fun, refreshing words of feelings of change, and sad sentiments of those who’ve struggled over some rough months and hope for a better new year, etc. It’s a lot to think about. But, when I look at our year past, our year to come and look at our crazy team of support around us, I say….

“2015…BRING IT ON!”

Why? My mind reels with one million reasons as to why I know we’re gonna continue to kick cancer’s butt. In fact, in the months ahead, I’m confindent we’re gonna kick the whole year of 2015’s butt! No need to mess around here. So here it is. Without further adieu…

TOP 10 REASON’S I’M READY TO KICK 2015’s BUTT & TAKE NAMES:

(In no particular order)

-1-

We’ve kicked the mess out of cancer’s butt thus far, shrinking both my cancerous lymphnodes and stage 3 tumor from an inoperable “palm-sized” mass to a broken up, very operable lump. I call that a success!

-2-

I’ve just had two fantastic weeks with my fam! I hadn’t felt this good in a very, very long time, and I made the most of it. I played, played, and played some more and got to be “Mommy”. The best part: Nobody stopped me! (Getting my hands dirty in a big bowl of meatballs and sauce never felt so good!)

-3-

I pretty much have the Army, the Navy, and the Marines behind me when it comes to support. Between our Booster.com t-shirt campaigns, youcaring.com site, meals sent, cards and care packages sent to our family during chemo treatments and Christmas time alike, as well as the many prayers and novenas said, we feel blessed beyond measure. There’s no possible way we could ever thank you enough!

-4-

I’ve got the cutest kids in the whole wide world to come home to, and they love me very much! Sorry if you’re kids are cute, too. I don’t mean to offend. Every mom is biased. I realize this. But seriously…

-5-

My hubbie loves me like crazy and would take a bullet for all of us. He’s totally chivalrous, a crazy hard worker, one of the most faith-filled people I’ve ever met. I know that if there’s anything I really need, I just gotta ask (even when I know he really doesn’t want to). He loves me.

(And The Dude is taking notes!)

-6-

I’ve got the most supportive extended family at my side every step of the way. Without them, I don’t know how we’d be doing this. They are “my village”. This is the crazy crew who I’m entrusting my children to on a regular basis. Ha! Ha! We’re all on the crazy train. Choo choo! All aboard!

(Repeat pics, but, I can’t resist. “Gettin’ Wiggy With It’ was a Definite 2014 Highlight!!)

Click Here for “Gettin’ Wiggy With It” Post

-7-

I’m 1/3 of the way through my treatments. 1st “third” = 6 rounds of chemo down! (Check!); Next two “thirds” = a few surgeries, 6 weeks of daily radiation and my single targeted chemo treatment taken once every 3 weeks through to the end of the summer. Baby steps. Chemo is said to be the hardest part. Get ‘er done!

-8-

I am in the hands of ridiculously amazing doctors! The “man behind the curtain” for all that has happened thus far in my treatments (and will continue to orchestrate it all as my Oncologist, Dr. Jay Saux (aka: “the pirate docta”), just so happens to be AMA-ZA-ZA-ZING. (I owe him my life, literally. That’s a whole different blog post. Can’t start crying today. Love that guy!)

I’ve also handpicked only the best as my surgeons, Dr.Stolier (Mastectomy) & Dr.Sullivan (Reconstruction). Seriously, I can’t get better than that. You don’t mess around when it comes to cancer. We want the best and we got ’em. No stone left unturned here. My radiologist, Dr.Woods, comes highly recommended as well. And what’s even more fantastic, they’re all some of the nicest, kindest, most sincere people I’ve ever met in the medical world. That’s a pretty big deal when your life is on the line.

-9-

I’m heading into my first major surgery (Mastectomy & Reconstruction) in just a few days: Tuesday, January 6th. That’s “King’s Day”. So for all you local New Orleanians, when you say your grace while eatin’ your king cake, say an extra prayer for me, would ya? I gotta say, I kinda was freakin’ out about this whole surgery, body change, scars, etc. I’m sure I’m not done with the nerves. But, it’s a transformation that I gotta go through and I know that. If God brings me to it, He’ll bring me through it, right? Basically I look at it like this:

and, to be honest…

Ha! Ha! No mama’s “got time for ‘dat!”

and….. finally…….

-10-

I’m powered up and ready for 2015 because I just had the greatest jam session ever. A “Jam Session for Jesus“. Did I lose you? Here me out. I grew up singing. I grew up in the theater. I grew up loving the arts. It was a common ground in my family. It was something we shared. …. But when push came to shove and our family hit rock bottom, grasping for anything to hold on to keep from drowning, we grabbed for God. We were part of a prayer group that turned into something bigger. The group met once a week in the St. Paul’s School Theater and we had the ultimate “jam sessions” every Sunday night to praise and worship as our prayer. It rocked and I don’t know if I fully appreciated it then (I know I didn’t), but it made me who I am today.

We had another one, the first in a very long time just days after this Christmas and prayed for all of the intentions from the prayer wall on this blog and many more. It felt amazing. I woke up the next morning and every morning since feeling better than I’ve felt since my diagnosis. Thank you to my two brothers who were up there singing with me, to all the other musicians and vocalists, to my mom for organizing everything, to all of my other family and friends alike who made it, and to all of you who were there in spirit. It was a “Holy Spirit shake down for sure.

God is good… all the time.