Changing things up.

As you probably noticed, the picture I had on my header is of my mom. She is currently battling breast cancer. My sister, Jenn, (http://fybphotography.com/) took the picture of her and the pictures proved to be very inspirational. It gave us all the push to fight even harder, including my mom. I used that picture as my blog header because my mom is the reason why I got tested and why I know what I know. If it weren't for her (though it sucks she has cancer) getting cancer, I would have never even suspected I could be at risk. I would have continued on the same path and probably waited until I was 40 to receive my first mammogram. Thank goodness I know, thanks to my mom and the fight she has ahead of her. She took the news very hard that I was positive but I think she realizes now, that me knowing is so much better than not knowing and going down the same road she is right now. She'll begin a very aggressive round of chemo and then have radiation. I am an adult and it is terribly hard to see your mom struggle through something like that, which is why I cannot allow that to happen to my kids, knowingly. If my mom had the choice years ago, I am sure she'd do the same thing.

 Here are several of the "moments" that my talented sister captured of mom.

Though my mom was the reason I got tested, she isn't the reason I am fighting this and taking drastic measures to prevent cancer, which is why I took down the picture. I've changed focus from digesting the news to taking action. My kids and my husband are the reason that I know I have to take this all seriously and do what I can to prevent it from happening. My family is everything to me. Picking them up from their respective places (school and babysitter) are the highlight of my day. Spending every minute with them is what makes me happy. Dan, Sean, Carter, and I have so much fun. I love everything about my life and I want to keep it that way. Now that I know more about the mastectomy, I've realized it is a lot more than I originally suspected. It is going to be hard, it is going to be painful, and emotionally challenging. But, at this point I don't feel like I have a choice. I have an appointment with the plastic surgeon on Thurs and that will be the first step in this process. Am I scared? Yes. Will I do it anyway? Yes. I'll do it so I can be a mommy and wife to the most important people in my life for a long, long time.