More Blessings of Cancer and On to Treatment

As many of you know, I had surgery on February 29th to remove the remainder of my thyroid  due to my thyroid cancer. I got to show off our newest Annie & Isabel "Elizabeth" designer hospital gown which was really fun and made me feel good at a time that was kind of scary. (Speaking of our new Elizabeth gown....if anyone wants to purchase one, please email us at wecare@annieandisabel.com.  We don't have them on our website yet but we are fully stocked with them!)

Pre-Op with my Husband

Pre-Op with Sister and Mom

The surgery itself went really well and the recovery in the hospital was surprisingly not too bad….or maybe that was the drugs:-)

Smiling fresh out of surgery..yes..I think it was drugs:-)

Really, though, the pain was much less this time around, and I was able to eat pretty normal food within a couple of days which was great. It also didn't hurt being surrounded by my beautiful boys!

I just got the pathology back for this surgery, and there was a very small amount of cancer on the left side of my thyroid too. I did not expect that, but it was so small that it won’t change the treatment plan.

So now I am without a thyroid and am also not on any replacement medications for my thyroid. This is because, in order to receive treatment, I need to be depleted of thyroid hormones and become very hypothyroid. About a week and a half ago, I started to feel the effects of this. I have become a lot more tired and am now requiring naps during the day. If you know me, I am not the napping type of gal, but I am totally welcoming them now. My legs ache constantly and I just have an overwhelming feeling of heaviness. Each day seems to be a little worse. I joked with a few of my friends that this is kind of like a weird science experiment.  Maybe my kids should have entered me in the Science Fair! My body has lost a very vital organ and now with each day I wait to see what new symptoms I’ll experience.

I am writing this post now because I’m not sure that I will have the energy to do this in the next weeks and I don’t think my brain will be functioning quite as well. They say you will get “brain fog” from being hypothyroid. I’m hoping to avoid that, but I am already finding that sometimes I have a hard time remembering things (although I think that problem might have started well before my cancer diagnosis, …but now I can blame it on this..ha!)

The whole point of me writing this post is that I could really feel sorry for myself right now, and I’m not saying that I don’t sometimes, or that I haven’t cried, but I am always trying to find the blessings and positive things in this whole experience. I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the wonderful things that have come out of this. I share this with you because I hope that maybe you, too, can realize how precious our lives are and how important it is to sometimes step back, take some extra time,  and enjoy life. I know, before my diagnosis, I was so extremely busy with driving my kids around, working my job as a nurse, being a wife, and working on Annie & Isabel, that I hardly ever stopped to smell the flowers. I mentioned in my previous post about a friend telling me that “Cancer is not a gift but it brings many gifts with it”….well here are some of the latest gifts I have received from this diagnosis and I hope it helps you to also look for the blessings in your lives.

I have been given the gift of connecting individually with each of my children every morning. In this last week, I have not gotten out of bed before 9am. My husband has thankfully been home to run the house. Every morning, on their own, each of my children has come in to talk to me and snuggle. It is so sweet that they do this, and it shows me how much they care and love me. It is such a wonderful thing to connect with each of them in the morning and share some love before they start their days. It's also fun to start the day with a few laughs, and an ipad that distorts photos does just the trick.

Here is a cute picture of my boys just so you don't think I am raising aliens!!

I never found that extra time before because, frankly, it was hard enough just running around to get out the door on time. I have already grown closer to each of my precious boys and I can tell they have grown even closer to me. I will ALWAYS cherish this part of my experience and plan to make more time for this when I am well. You CAN'T turn back time but you CAN make the most of each minute you have now.

Another gift I have received is the gift of napping with my Daniel. In the past, I only loved naps for my children so that I could have ME time. Don’t get me wrong…that “me” time is important, but napping is such a short period in a child's life,  so why not join them every once in awhile? Daniel used to fight me on taking naps, but now it is something we both look forward to. He has the cutest little smile as we jump in bed together and snuggle up. I can tell how much he is absorbing all my love for him. One afternoon after our nap he told me, “taking naps together is actually kind of fun!” My heart was so full at that moment and I’m pretty sure his was too. I hope he will always remember this time as I know I will never forget it!

Getting Ready For Nap

Sweet Dreams

Another gift I have been given is to appreciate my health! I may never completely have the energy I had prior to my cancer diagnosis, but I will definitely value having a healthy body that allows me to get through everything I need to do in a day. I also want to mention that while cancer has temporarily taken my health and energy, it will never take away my spirit, and that is what is going to keep me going, to regain my strength and appreciate my health and life as I have never done before. I posted this picture on my personal facebook page a week ago but wanted to share it here too. For me, it is a visual of what I think about this whole cancer experience and I will proudly show off my scar because there is no reason to hide a badge of courage and strength.

Cancer May Scar My Skin But Not My Spirit

So the next phase for me is treatment. In 2-4 weeks I will have my whole body scanned to see if there is any spread of the cancer anywhere and then I will be given what is called a radioactive iodine treatment. The dose of the treatment depends on what the scan looks like and it is basically a pill that I will swallow. This isn’t any old pill though. Once I swallow this pill I become radioactive!! Doesn’t that sound super hero-ish? I think I will tell my kids that I will be turning into Superwoman!! The pill I will swallow is so radioactive that I will have to sit in the very back of the car to be driven home from my appointment. Also, if I were to go to the airport in the next few months or even up to the next year, there is a good chance I might set off alarms due to my radioactivity. Pretty cool huh….NOT!!

After I come home from this appointment, I will be isolated in a room by myself for one week because I cannot expose anyone to the radioactivity…especially my children. I’m not going to be feeling very good, so having to stay in a room for a week is probably not going to be such a big deal but emotionally it is going to be tough. When I am feeling down I plan to watch this.....God love my boys:

Thank goodness for technology because I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t see or talk to my family and friends. I plan to utilize face time/skype, facebook, twitter and the good ole telephone to stay in touch!! So…if you live in the area and see a bright light glowing at night…it’s probably me:-) I am on the road to being CANCER FREE!!



"Cancer Is Not a Gift, But It Brings Many Gifts With It"

So I am getting closer to my surgery to remove the second half of my thyroid and I am so looking forward to having that date behind me. It’s funny….I keep wishing for the days leading up to surgery to go by quickly, yet as each day passes, I also get more nervous. I am not the kind of person that likes to wait for things to happen. I would like to get it done and know what the future holds for me. I want to have a plan, conquer it and move forward. The waiting, however, has given me some precious time to think . I have learned a lot in these last few weeks of having cancer.

I’ve been told so many times that I am lucky to have Thyroid Cancer. It is one of the most curable cancers you can have. Don’t get me wrong, because I do feel grateful that my cancer is the “lucky” cancer but, then I think to myself, there is NO lucky cancer! Cancer just plain sucks. It is an unwelcome disruption in my life. It has made me cry a lot. It has caused a lot of stress. I’ve dealt with some insomnia that I was lucky enough to never have experienced before my cancer diagnosis. Cancer has made my children worry about me when really the only thing they should be worrying about is doing their homework, having fun and being kids. Although my husband doesn’t say it, I know it has been hard on him too. It’s been hard on my entire family. It is going to cause me to have more surgery, pain, exhaustion and an isolation period, away from my family when I will be “glowing” from radioactivity. The lucky cancer is going to cause me to have countless blood draws, scans and doctor appointments for the rest of my life with always the possibility that I will have a reccurrence and more surgeries….. and the list goes on. I could dwell on all of these negative things but then I think about all the positive things that have come out of this diagnosis and there ARE many.

Through Annie & Isabel, I had the pleasure of meeting a woman who has been battling cancer for over 20 years. In fact, I wrote a blog post about her because she was so inspiring to me and now, her strength is something that is helping me on a personal level. Her name is Molly and she has fought her cancer with grace, humor and strength. She is definitely someone to look up to when you need a boost. So I wrote to her after my diagnosis, and she told me something that really struck me and I’ve found to be so true. She said, “Cancer is not a gift, but it brings many gifts with it.” You may wonder….how can cancer bring any gifts? When I was first diagnosed, I would never have understood how cancer could bring ANY gifts. There is nothing good about the word cancer, yet it has indeed brought so many gifts.

The greatest gift I have received from this diagnosis is a huge appreciation for my life, my children, my husband, my family, and my friends. I’ve always known I have an amazing family but, with this cancer diagnosis, I am reminded of what a gift they are.

Prior to cancer, I took so much for granted but now I try to listen to my children more, listen to them talk, laugh, scream, cry, and even fight. I appreciate my husband so much more. I feel blessed that I chose to marry him over 16 years ago….the best decision of my life.

My parents, whom I know felt so sad to hear I had cancer, have been with me every step of the way for doctors appointments, taking me out to fatten me up, watching the kids and just loving me.

I can’t even begin to tell you how lucky I am to have my sister, Selena. She has had her own heart wrenching problems recently and, yet, she is ready to take on cancer with me and do whatever it takes to make sure things are done right. She is the best sister, advocate, and friend and her love is unconditional. She is such a wonderful gift to me and I appreciate her more than ever.

A recent doctor visit - bye bye thyroid!

I’m still not perfect and I know I will continue to take some things for granted, but I feel so much more love for my family since my cancer diagnosis because I now know, first hand, how fragile our lives can be.

I have learned that the best medicine is laughing. Doesn’t laughing always make you feel better?? My kids do a good job of helping in that department. If you have a good joke, send it my way. I’ll take all the laughing I can get now. I’ve also learned that turning the music up in the car and singing with the kids does a body good! I mean...it doesn't get any better than singing Rock 'N' Roll Lifestyle from the band "Cake" right??  (Sorry if you get a little dizzy watching this....that's what happens when you let a kid do the video recording!!)



I have been given the gift of such a huge community that has truly surrounded me in love. I cannot thank everyone enough for all the well wishes, cards, thoughts, prayers, hugs, encouragement, family dinners etc., etc ., etc.!! I feel so blessed to have such an amazing amount of support because it has made this whole cancer diagnosis so much easier for me. You know the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child??” I have come to realize that it also takes a village to kick cancer’s butt! I am one of the lucky ones because I have a huge village of supporters.

As I gear up for surgery on the 29th I’m thinking good, positive thoughts. With my own strength and the strength of those around me I will get through this challenge and I WILL WIN!! I’m not going to say that I won’t be a little scared throughout this process, because I am, but I think CANCER might want to give a second thought to who it is messing with here!! I am ready for the fight and I have a whole army of people who are standing behind me for this battle.

Last weekend, my parents watched our boys and my husband and I were able to get away to our favorite beach destination, Santa Cruz. There is an older roller coaster there that I have grown up riding. Joe and I got on that roller coaster, for once with no kids in tow. We screamed and laughed as we rode over the old rails of the roller coaster. We felt so good and alive!

So here I am on my daily life roller coaster now and I want to remember to scream and laugh and enjoy the blessings of the ride that my life has dealt me.

LET THE GIVEAWAYS BEGIN..........WHO INSPIRES YOU?

In the spirit of the holiday season, we would like to introduce our "HOSPITAL BAG ESSENTIALS" giveaway campaign that will run for the next two weeks! We have partnered with some of our favorite brands and purchased other products that we feel are necessary in making any hospital visit more comfortable.  As nurses, we know what you REALLY need and we can't wait to share these items with you.

We will be giving away TWO Annie & Isabel hospital gowns throughout this campaign.  What better way to kick off the fun than with a FREE Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown....THE most important item in your hospital bag.

If you know anything about our company, you know that all our hospital gowns are named after women who have inspired us.  We want to know who has inspired you.

To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is tell us about a person who inspires you on our Facebook wall.  Sometimes pictures help to tell your story, so we invite you to include a picture with your post if you so choose, but it is not required.

Now for the fun part.....the person with the most likes on their story will win the Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown.  We will ask our followers to vote on their favorite post and encourage you to invite your Facebook friends to help you win by liking your story.

This contest will end on Thursday, December 8th at midnight PST.  Good Luck and we can't wait to hear your stories!!

READY, SET.........GO ----> FACEBOOK

and remember.......