Race for the Cure....

This Saturday, I will be running in my first Komen Global Race for the Cure! I'm actually very excited about it! I've been training for it for awhile now and for the first time in my entire life, I feel good about my running ability! (That's ironic!) Can't wait to post the results!

About a month ago, Andrea Roane of channel 9 news (Washington DC) came out to my house and interviewed me. Andrea Roane is the spokesperson for Buddy Check 9 and is very passionate about awareness and early detection. Andrea has been covering breast cancer stories for over 15 years and she does a lot of coverage on the Race for the Cure. I'm so thankful that she gave me the opportunity to share my story!

People may or may not know this about me but I'm very shy!!! When I was young, I was painfully shy. I've come out of my cocoon a little bit as I've gotten older. Sometimes I fear that others might perceive me as maybe unfriendly or stuck up. But that is not the case at all, I'm just too scared to talk! lol! No, really I do not like to draw attention to myself. I would be perfectly content to be the wallflower at every social event! I like being quiet. To say the least after the interview, I was sick to my stomach with nerves for weeks!!! You know the butterfly feeling, well it lasted for weeks! I really wanted to crawl into a hole and hide! I didn't even tell a whole lot of people about the interview. But once it aired and some people I knew saw it, I knew I had to overcome my fears and share the piece! Well, I didn't have the choice not to share it, it was on TV...ha ha! But I was thinking that I could get by with out anybody I know seeing it. Well, I posted it on Facebook! You know sometimes it's either all or nothing. Nothing wasn't an option so why not spread it like wild fire! ;-)

Why do I get so nervous about things? Why am I so shy? I feared silly things like what did I look like, was my house presentable, did I speak properly, were the kids going to behave, the list goes on and on. I'm reminded myself that I am who I am and I can't change that. And besides that, it's really not about me. It's about the bigger picture, to help bring more awareness to this awful disease. I did the piece not to be on TV but in hopes that I would help other women (and men too) to be their own health advocate. I know it sounds so cliche but I also hoped to inspire others to try to maintain a positive outlook no matter what, to make the best of what you do have and not dwell on the stuff that just sucks! It's healthy to acknowledge the stuff the sucks, have a good cry once in awhile but don't let it rob you of the good things.

I don't know how long I will be here on this earth. But I do know that each day is a gift from God and while I'm here I'm going to enjoy every minute of it! I've been put in this circumstance for a reason. A reason that we may never understand but He does. God has a plan! I trust him!


Watch the clip! And thanks for the LOVE and support!
WUSA9.com Washington, DC One Young Mother's Battle Against Breast Cancer

I have so much to say, so much to do.....

Picture taken 4-17-10

3 year survivor and counting....I hope the cancer doesn't stop me......

It's that time a year again, where it marks the anniversary of my diagnosis! So many emotions to deal with. I'm so happy to be alive and well! I thank God for his grace and mercy in my life! I'm sad and still grieving of my life before cancer. I'm celebrating a new life after cancer. I feel accomplished in the the things that I have done over the past 3 years. I'm disappointed in the things that I still haven't done or changed. I'm scared of what the future holds. I'm excited about the future!

I love my children so much! I want to hold and hug them all the time and never let go! But I know that I have too, they need to go to school and have play dates. I get mad at myself when I get frustrated with them. I scream inside my head......"don't be mean to them, you don't want them to hate you when you are gone" and the very next second, "you still have to parent them, that's your job and you're not going to do them any service if you give in or let them do whatever they want, it's your job to be there mother here and now!" Do you see this constant battle in my head. UGH!! I just hope that I am doing a good job.

I think about writing all the time, whether it's here on my blog or in the kid's journals, or in Alex's journal. I need to do it more. I'm want to make that commitment to myself. I want to them to know me. I want them to know that I love them.

~Jual

Snow Much Fun!

Wow! We have had the snow storm of all snow storms. We have had 20+ inches in this area and have been stuck in the house for a week. No school, no work! Boredom has set in but I just have to remind myself that it is truly a blessing!!! How often to do we have the whole family together in one house for a week at a time. Nothing to do, no where to go!! It's great!!!!! So, I'm going to turn my frown upside down and enjoy this time...soon enough we will be back to the daily grind, rushing around from here to there! I'm thankful for the snow!

Challenges and Surprises!

2010 has been a great year so far! I had a follow up PET scan on Dec. 30. It had been 6 months since my last scan. In those six months, I had surgery to remove my ovaries. Well, it seems to be working! My PET scan report is an improvement from the one done in June!! Literally jumping for JOY!!

I started a new adventure. I challenged myself to run a 5K. I'm not a runner! I mean, I can run but never did long distance or got the breathing thing down. Well, my first 5k was a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. I trained by running a few days a week on my treadmill in my basement. I never ran more than 1.5 miles at a time. So the big day came and I was terrified!!! My only goal was to run the race. I did not want to walk at all! I honestly DID NOT think I was going to be able to run the whole 3.2 miles. The race started, I took it easy. I wanted to try to keep an easy pace. I ran and ran and ran! To my surprise, I ran the entire race and in 32:30 minutes! WOW!! I really was on top of the world! So, I signed up for another race. I continued my training. This next race was on Jan. 3, it was called something like BRATZ FROZEN 5K! And it was freezing, temperature were in the single digits with winds of like 2o mph. It was a very bad idea!!! My goals was to just run it again. Well, I couldn't run the whole thing. The winds were so bad at one point, I started to walk to catch my breath. I walked for about 5 to 10 seconds. A nice young lady ran by me and said, oh you can do it...keep it up! So, I was pushed into running again. I finished the race. In a shocking discovery, I ran the race in 29:36 minutes. I took almost 2 minutes off my previous time! WOW! I'm really proud of myself. Is that ok to say? But despite the accomplishments of my 2 races, I honestly don't think I will continue to run. But never say never...we will see!