After being laid off in December of 2008 I decided to make a career change and go into nursing, something I have wanted to do for years. I was accepted into a program and after a grueling year graduated and passed the “Nursing Boards” to officially become a Licensed Practical Nurse in August of 2010. I was extremely excited for a new chapter in my life to begin with my new career as a nurse. I had recently accepted a position at my dream job to provide Hospice and Palliative Care; however it appears that my next chapter is going to be as a patient.
I was diagnosed with Gastric Cancer on December 29th. The past week and a half have been head-spinning to say the least. As of this moment the plan is to treat it very aggressively, which I will be doing at MGH. I won't bore you with all of the details now (but I might later so consider yourself warned), but the next week and a half are going to be crazy.
I am so very grateful for the people I have in my life and I know it will be a huge factor in getting me and my family though the next few months. I’ve always considered myself a pretty tough cookie and rest assured I’m going to put up a good fight. I truly believe in the power of positive thinking and that laughter is the best medicine. I know that I’m in the best position I can be because I am so fortunate to be surrounded by an amazingly wonderful family, truly remarkable friends, and great neighbors.
I will do my best to keep everyone updated as to what is going on. I’ve already realized that trying to call everyone to keep current is tremendously draining. Between FB, Gmail, etc. it was getting to be a bit much. My hopes are that with this blog I’ll have one central location to be able to keep you updated. To be quite honest, I think that being able to write my thoughts out will also be very therapeutic for me.
For now please know that me and my boys appreciate all of the love and support we are receiving.
Hugs and Kisses,
Barbara
