Thank you - yes, YOU

Originally written in May 2025:

Dear Friends,

Wednesday was the last day of my breast cancer treatment! After surgery, chemo, radiation, and one year of immunotherapy - this is the end of a chapter. I wanted to write something, but it's a bit long, so if you lose steam...TLDR; I'm feeling REALLY FUCKING GRATEFUL!!!!

As you know by now, I'm not solely a rainbows and butterflies gal - I live in the winter, the mud, the dark (whether I like it or not) - but today is just going to be about the good stuff. The good stuff, really, being gratitude. In expressing it here, I hope to savor it and let it stick. And I hope you receive it, too.

So here goes...

Thank you to my husband. You loved me and celebrated me and believed in my worth and wholeness, even when I had a hard time doing those things for myself. (I believe in you too, you know, with all my heart.) You play a ridiculous amount of soccer, no matter what else is going on in the world and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you for making me laugh, your generosity, your honesty. I love you so much, more than ever.

Thank you to my kids. You never have to do anything more than exist for me to love you wildly and to give me ALL the motivation in the world to keep going, but you do way more than that. You are friendly, feisty, funny, deeply feeling humans. You inspire (and challenge!) me to expand my ways of thinking, being, and loving in the world.

Thank you to my dad. I'm so grateful that our relationship has grown in depth, honesty, and ease this past year. Go us! Thank you for loving me no matter what. Thank you to my in-laws. I'm always so touched that you read and respond to these emails, you give the best hugs (both of you) and are such a stabilizing force in our lives. The generosity and support we've received from each of you has sustained us, truly.

Thank you to my Aunt Jolie, a real-life fairy godmother/ superhero, who is a force of competence and joy, lifting all of us up. I truly aspire to be you when I grow.

Thank you to my mom, who I sense more and more is with me, loving and protecting me, seeing me through the hard times, and getting a kick out of how nutty my kids are. Thank you to my Aunt Debby, also a two-time cancer warrior, who was so smart and silly. I miss you both so much.

Thank you to our neighbor family. You make life fun, normal, connected, and complete, especially when crazy-scary shit is going down. You got my kids places. You were a place for my kids to land. I am so deeply grateful to share daily life with you.

Thank you to the helpers - doctors, nurses, medical personal, therapists, teachers, friends, healers. This time around I really tried to admit and ask for what I needed and soak it all in. You answered the call and so much more.

I'm grateful for the meals, the treats, the smoothies, the coffees, the teas, the laundry gift cards, the flower crown, the giant Stanley cup, the electric blanket. I'm grateful for the walks, the conversations - planned and unplanned. I'm grateful for the people who worried about me, the people who didn't worry about me, and the people who totally forgot I had cancer.

I am truly grateful for anyone who checked in, who gave me a hug, sent me a text, said a prayer, vibed a vibe, thought a kind thought about me - I felt those! They worked!

I'm thankful for the people who shared their worries and hardships with me, trusting me as a friend, partner, coach, or group facilitator. You give me purpose and it's a privilege to watch you find your own wisdom.

And here's the most vulnerable thank you. It's hard to say aloud and share, but it was an important part of my healing, so here goes:

I'm grateful for myself. My body and spirit were a bit broken and I'm grateful that I discovered that. I'm thankful I had the courage to look, to seek information and care. I'm grateful I made it through. I'm grateful for every cell of my body that has always been working to protect me. I'm grateful for how strong I was at times, how weak I was at others. I'm thankful for the ways my body and brain and heart are forever changed, even if it's really uncomfortable sometimes. I'm grateful to be who I am in this body, in this life.

Finally, thank YOU, reader, for reading this. Whether you are one of the people mentioned or if we've never met at all, sharing bits and pieces of my "journey" in this forum has been part of me getting better - so thank you.