Breast Cancer...WTF?

This is a blog I never thought I’d write.?I have been diagnosed with what looks like Stage I Breast Cancer (stages aren’t finalized until after the pathology report from the cancer they take out of you via surgery).?Talk about the unexpected and coming out of what feels like nowhere.?

I found out two days before Christmas and have been in a holding pattern for the past few weeks waiting on appointments. Note: NEVER get sick or be diagnosed right before Christmas – you have to wait an additional week for everything because zero appointments are scheduled between Christmas and New Year’s, giving you an extra week of anxiety.?We finally have a treatment plan, and my lymph node surgery is Jan 25, mastectomy is scheduled for Feb 1st.

2023 is not starting the way I had planned, but I’m grateful for the following:

• I live in the DMV area, which has some of the best medical specialists in the nation, if not the world. This area does not suffer from a lack of experts and while scheduling isn’t as quick as a Type-A -control-freak may want, it is not months and months out either.
• I have decent health insurance that will cover my treatment.
• I have two companies that are co-run by my work wives, Lisa Linden ( BOOST LLC ) and Katie Bilek ( govmates ), which will probably run even better in my absence.?We all know they do the real work anyway, along with the BOOST and govmates teams. ???I will forever be grateful to have the flexibility in my schedule to focus on my health without worrying about what’s going on in my email.
• Early detection is critical and I’m happy that I’ve stayed on top of my health (colonoscopy – clean, annual mammograms – thank goodness).?I found a lump in my right breast while on a work trip in December.?
• If you must get cancer, a nice boring, well studied cancer is the way to go.?Not like I had a choice, but I’m grateful to be a McNugget in the medical factory.?You never want to be the one that surgeons/medical teams remember (at least not for your illness!).
• My attitude, generally, is one of acceptance in that…what else is there??I’m focused on getting past this and putting it in the rear-view mirror.
• If I play my cards right, I hope to walk away with insurance-paid 22-year-old boobs and a tummy tuck.?Gotta look at the silver lining!

I wanted to be public with my announcement for several reasons – first, it is just who I am (I have no idea how to not be transparent and direct, probably to my detriment in some cases!), and second, because awareness is important.?Don’t put off going to those dreaded doctors’ visits or putting your health as a lower priority than the next growth strategy, next proposal, next acquisition.?

I look forward to having this behind me (although I’ve got at least 5-10 years of hormone therapy on the horizon) and focusing on the future with an extra dose of gratitude for all that I have. ?Now…go make that dreaded appointment and get it over with!