Bringing Tidings - 1

Bringing Tidings

I’m a Brene Brown follower. If you haven’t heard of her, listen to her Ted talk from several years ago, or Google her. She says, “Those who tell the truth about their stories are the real ‘badasses.’Show up and be seen – without the anger. Dare, fall, be true, begin again.”

Maya Angelo wrote, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

I was diagnosed with Stage 1, Grade 3, Triple Negative, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (bad, but good that it's not in the lymph nodes and surrounding tissue), on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2012. When I found my lump, 10 days earlier, I decided I was going to make my journey public, and I was going to be brutally honest, and hopefully vulnerable.  I blog at: folkladysadventures.blogspot.com.

I know we can’t improve or change our situations, until we “go there.” We must have pain, struggle, tough emotions, tears. And as much as I don’t want to say this, I will – Cancer has changed my life. Cancer sucks; yet it is life-transforming – not only for the one with cancer, but for those who know and love that person. And in my case, this is good – but nonetheless horrible! I’m here to be that “badass,” to tell my story, to be true to me and to you.

On September 12, 2013, I wrote,

A year ago tomorrow morning, 9:30am, Dr. Dayton pulled Scott and me into her office and said, "I'm sorry Ronda, it's bad news, you have breast cancer." I covered my face with my hands, cried, shook, cried. I was stunned, in complete shock like never before. She said, "You can do this." Scott said, "We can do this." Dr. Dayton made a quick call, and within minutes I was in the office across from hers talking to the surgeon who would remove a portion of my left breast.