SAN ANTONIO – Week 3 after chemo and I’m bald, my hair was coming out by the handfuls so we had a BBQ and shaved my head. I let my daughter Macey and son Jeffery each shave half my head. It was important to me that my kids saw this as a celebration one step closer to being done. I thought that when my hair on my head would fall out that all the rest of my hair would fall out but so far I still have eyebrows yeah, but I still have to shave my legs ugh.
The party was really fun the kids went swimming, had food and a lot of laughs. It really made losing my hair not a big deal at all. I really don’t mind going out without anything on but it’s not good because my head would burn during the day and it’s really cold at night. I received some free head coverings from the American cancer society and I went to a mastectomy store in San Antonio and purchased some as well. Then my friend surprised me with a dozen different hats, you really find that your friends pull together for you.
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So today was my first day out and for the most part I had on a hat but I found some I liked and tried them on. I have to say I was not uncomfortable but I think some of the customers were shocked and really didn’t know how to act and that surprised me.
Just so everyone knows if you see me you can ask me any question you want it won’t bother me. I feel like people look at me with pity and that is frustrating because I feel great. Well as good as you can feel when you are taking chemo. I don’t feel like I got the short stick or why me because that doesn’t do me any good. What I do think is ok I’m stronger than this cancer so let’s get to kicking butt. That’s me but my friends and family I think have a harder time with this then I do. Like I said before the first 2 days was hard then I realized why be upset over something I can’t change, as long as I open my eyes every morning and find something to smile and laugh about life is good.
So today was my second dose of chemo and my blood work was great. I’m finding out if your blood counts are off then you have to wait for your chemo. I’m going to add a picture of me and my nurse, she’s really sweet and helpful. Now I thought I would wear hats after we shaved my head but I’d rather go bald, I don’t mind the looks, in fact I was in the self-checkout and several people were staring so when I was finished I looked at them and said those gosh darn kids put Nair in my shampoo, then I turned around and walked out. I thought it was funny, like I said I just have fun with this. The one thing I’m finding out is that you do get sunburned easy, I was at my son’s football game and I’m a loud mom so I stand and yell. Well I got home with a pink head but it was so worth it. Now most people think you just sit at home or change your life well not me I had girl’s night on Saturday. Thanks to great people I had a blast and was treated with so much respect and not one person looked sideways at me.
You have to try and live a normal life if you allow cancer to make the rules then cancer rules your life. I don’t know what my outcome will be but I believe everything happens for a reason. I’m going to set up a Facebook page for people with cancer who want to exercise, have lunch or just hang out. Not for anything but just living life with people who understand what you’re going through. I’m not ashamed of being bald it doesn’t bother me at all but I know that is not the case for some women. I would love to help other women feel better about not having hair or just at the outlook in general. I’m proud to be a fighter because anyone who fights cancer should be proud of every step. Every hair I lose is one step closer to killing the cancer.
So I’m one week out from my second chemo and I feel great. I now know what side effects will really hit me and what to do to counter act them before they are really bad. So the two days after chemo I was in bed predominately and slept mostly. The second day however I made myself get up at 5:30 pm and attend the burning of the J at my kid’s school. It was homecoming week and my daughter Macey is in the marching band and was playing for the ceremony.
On Friday I was still feeling the effects but I was up and about trying to maintain my normal routine. I went to football since it was a home game here and loved watching the kids play their hearts out. Then the band marched after the game since they did a homecoming ceremony during half time that was so cool, they had graduates from 1965 that came.
Anyway back to the subject the marching band played after the game and so many people stayed to watch them and they did so very good all I can say is I’m a very proud parent of my daughter and all the additional kidos that may not be mine but I claim as well. I guess to end this week off by saying if you are feeling bad force yourself to get up I promise it helps because once I made myself get up yeah I was still somewhat nauseas even with meds and I have a continued headache that is only dulled with my prescription but getting out makes the pain less. I’m not saying the symptoms leave but it helps to keep busy living life with a big smile on my face laughing and joking with my friends is the best medication you can have. If you’re out there fighting and your alone just message me I always have room in my group to add another good soul. You never have too many friends but you find that some are really family. It may not be by blood but true friends fill your soul with happiness. So I guess we will see what next week brings.
Whoever you are if you are reading my story the main thing I want you to take from this is you never know what the person you’re looking at is going through but we all can use a smiling face. If you’re going through a hard time be it cancer or just struggles in your daily life I found that I cannot change all things but I can change how I look at the situation. You can look at it and see all the bad or you can look at it and see the positive, you may not know right now what the positive is but you will when its time. Everything happens for a reason, it is to make us stronger on the other side.
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and KSAT is taking this opportunity to shine the spotlight on the fight against breast cancer.
KSAT is honoring Leslie and thousands of other local women and their families who bravely battle this disease together throughout the month, sharing her story and the stories of so many others.