A Little Life Update: The Good, The Hard, & The Next Chapter 💛

It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve sat down to write a real update, and honestly, so much has happened.

The biggest news first… my surgery results came back with the best news we could have hoped for: no evidence of residual cancer and no cancer found in my lymph nodes.

After walking through cancer for the second time, months of chemotherapy, countless appointments, and more uncertainty than I’d like to admit, hearing those words felt like I could finally take a deep breath.

And while I wish I could say the rest has been smooth sailing… real life has looked a little more complicated.

Recovery from surgery has come with some unexpected bumps in the road, including cording and a seroma that have made this healing process slower and more uncomfortable than I expected.

It’s a strange place to be mentally — feeling incredibly grateful for the outcome, while also feeling frustrated that my body still has more healing to do.

Right now, the goal is to be ready for radiation around six weeks after surgery, although there is some flexibility and it can safely be pushed a little longer if my body needs more time.

If I’m being completely honest… I am just ready for this chapter to be behind me.

I’m ready to stop scheduling my life around appointments.
I’m ready to stop thinking about drains, scans, medications, side effects, and recovery timelines.

I’m ready to be a person again outside of cancer.

But this experience has also reminded me of something I’ve had to learn over and over again: healing is not a straight line.

Sometimes healing looks like celebrating a clear pathology report.

Sometimes healing looks like doing stretches for cording, managing swelling, and reminding yourself that your body has been through a lot.

Both things can exist at the same time.

So for now, I’m taking it one day at a time, celebrating the huge victories, giving myself grace through the frustrating parts, and focusing on getting my body ready for this final stretch of treatment.

Radiation is next.

And then — hopefully — I get to start closing this chapter.

Thank you for being here, for checking in, for reading these updates, and for allowing me to be honest about the beautiful and messy parts of healing.

I truly cannot wait to get back to creating, sharing, and writing more regularly.

But for now, my job is simple:

Heal. 💛