Inspiring Teenager Smiles Through Her Challenges ~ The Story of Ellie

In December of this last year we received an email from Erin, who is the mother of a 17 year old daughter named Ellie. Ellie was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor when she was younger and has had many complications. In the last year alone, she has endured 13 brain surgeries. She also had surgery to her back due to a mass which left her with a paralyzed leg. She has spent far too many days in the hospital. Throughout all of this, her mother explained that Ellie has always kept a positive attitude and can mostly be found with a big, beautiful smile on her face.

Ellie with her mother

The reason Erin was writing to us was because Ellie had found our website and had been saving up to purchase one of our hospital gowns. Erin hoped that we might make her a part of our "Feel Better Campaign" as she was not yet able to purchase one of our hospital gowns, and she knew this would brighten her daughter's time in the hospital. At the time of her email to us, Ellie was hospitalized and about to undergo more surgery.

We couldn't think of a better person to receive one of our "Feel Better" hospital gowns to, so it was an easy decision for us. We sent her our "Annie" designer hospital gown and a few days later we received another email from Ellie's mother that made us both cry. The email contained step by step pictures of Ellie opening the hospital gown that we sent to her. Looking at the pictures made us feel like we were right there with her as she was opening up our gift...... and it was powerful! You can see for yourself in this short Flipagram video:



We have always known our hospital gowns can make a big difference in the life of anyone that has to spend time in the hospital and Ellie confirmed this, once again, for us. She is yet another reminder of why we started this business and why we continue to move forward with Annie & Isabel.

Ellie in her "Annie" hospital gown

After Ellie received her "Annie" hospital gown she wrote us a very nice thank you note and we have included some of that here so you can see what a sweet, thoughtful person she is:

"Most teenagers are worried about how perfect their hair and make-up look, or which party they will attend over the weekend. For me, it's a little different. I just want my hair to grow back completely so I can do different things to it. Forget weekend parties, I just pray to stay out of the hospital for the weekend. You see, in the last year or so I've had over 13 brain surgeries, 55+ spinal taps, at least 15 hospital admissions, countless nights in the PICU, and several ER visits & ambulance rides. I've been diagnosed with multiple serious chronic illnesses throughout the last few years. As a teenager it's been hard spending more time in the hospital then at home. Nurses and doctors are more of my friends than people my own age. But it's also taught me so much. I can't wait for the day when I'm able to attend college and follow my dream of becoming a pediatric oncology nurse. My passion is helping people and I love volunteering in any way possible when my health allows me. I frequently have surgeries or am in the hospital for extended stays. I try personalizing my room and bed up a bit, but to have a gown of my own just means so much! Anna & Selena, thank you SO, SO much for choosing me as your feel better campaign recipient. I truly an so honored, and grateful to be part of something so amazing. I can't thank you enough for the smiles and the happy tears you have brought to me at such a hard time. You are both wonderful people with amazing personalities and I just really can't put into words how much all of this means to me!!! Thank you, truly thank you!! ~ Ellie" 

We gave Ellie a small gift, but the truth is, she has given us a much greater gift. She has shown us how to stay positive in the face of so many obstacles, to live life to the fullest, and to always dream big. We are the ones honored to have Ellie as a "Feel Better Campaign" recipient and we can't thank Ellie and her mother enough for reaching out to us. Ellie's fighting spirit, huge heart, and positive attitude have touched us deeply.

Now we need YOUR help! Ellie has recently been re-admitted to the hospital and could use some good thoughts and prayers.

We would love if you could write some words of encouragement on our Facebook post as Ellie follows along. Ellie is always one to smile, even when she is feeling down, but let's help make that smile much bigger by letting her know there are people thinking about her! It just takes two easy steps:

1. "LIKE" our Facebook post because we feel like each LIKE is the same as giving sweet Ellie a nice big hug!

2. COMMENT on our Facebook post so she can read each message and feel the love and support surrounding her.

You all have always pulled through for our Annie & Isabel warriors so I can't wait to see us all do it again and imagine Ellie smiling with each message! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts (and Ellie's too).

Living Life After Cancer

It is hard to believe it has been two years since I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It seems like just yesterday that I received that call from my doctor telling me I had cancer. Not a day has gone by since that phone call that I don’t think about my cancer and how it has changed me. It has been a very long, hard, journey and, for the first time in these last two years, I can honestly say that I finally feel good and am happy with where I am at.

It’s interesting with these “cancerversaries” because, on the one hand, I am excited to have another healthy year under my belt and I want to celebrate that milestone. On the other hand, in the weeks prior to my cancer anniversaries, all the emotions and feelings of my diagnosis, and what I went through, start to swirl back, causing a bit of anxiety which, in turn, make me want to just get past that anniversary date.  Last year was much worse because it was all so fresh in my mind and I still wasn’t feeling great.  This year my anxiety is not as intense but it is still lurking in my consciousness. I’m hoping with each year that passes, this anxiousness will ease.

When I was diagnosed with cancer it was quite shocking. I felt like a million bucks at the time and I couldn’t understand how this could happen to me. With the help of my family and friends, however, I became determined to kick the crap out of this cancer.......and I did.  What I didn’t realize at the time was that, for me, going through the surgeries and treatment for thyroid cancer was going to be the easiest part of this journey. The aftermath of cancer and the medications I needed to take, and still need to take, to keep the cancer from coming back, proved to be a much greater challenge for me. I had periods of feeling really angry inside because I started to wonder if I was ever going to feel good again. For over a year and a half, I woke up almost every day feeling achy and tired. It was a struggle going out looking good on the outside but not feeling so great on the inside. I had a huge amount of guilt because I felt that I should be grateful for being cancer free, and don’t get me wrong, because I was.  I was also depressed because I was in a constant state of fatigue. Running errands, figuring out what to make for dinner, going shopping, making dinner, driving my four boys to the gazillions of activities they had going on, and trying to make it through my 12 hour shifts as a nurse in a busy emergency room  all were so overwhelming. The guilt of telling my kids I didn’t want to go outside and play with them, because I felt achy and just needed to sit on the couch, made me feel like such a failure sometimes. Deep down I knew my kids were just fine but I yearned to go out, run and play with them.

In the beginning of this journey, I really felt strongly that cancer was going to make me a better, stronger person. I definitely appreciated my family, friends and health a whole lot more than I did prior to my diagnosis. As the days, weeks, and months passed by, and I still did not feel like my old energetic, fun self, I began to question whether this cancer really was making me a better person. I certainly didn’t feel strong. Frankly, it really pissed me off that I might never feel good again. It angered me that I couldn’t control how I felt. I had to rely on a medication to give me the energy that my thyroid used to do on its own but I was required to take more of that very medication to keep the cancer away. That, in turn, made me feel bad. I started asking myself, is this really making me a better person??

I began to wonder if I just needed to come to terms with the “new me”. I even hoped that I would forget what it felt like to feel good because then maybe I could deal with the fatigue better. Maybe if I could just get used to it, the thoughts of my fatigue would not consume me. The problem was that I couldn’t just get used to feeling achy and feeling like my brain was in a fog all the time. It just all felt frustrating and I came very close to telling my doctor that I didn’t think I could deal with the way I felt for much longer.

Fortunately, a wonderful thing happened to me.  I was given the great news that I was still cancer free after my one year testing and, because of this, my doctor allowed me to back off of my medications a little bit.  Over the next 4 months I began to feel less achy and have a whole lot more energy. I felt like the fog was finally lifting and I was getting glimpses of my old energetic self and what an amazing feeling that was! Now, two years after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, I have days where I hardly think about my cancer because I often feel “normal”.   It is a beautiful feeling and something I definitely do not take for granted.

So am I a better, stronger person because of this cancer diagnosis? This journey continues to teach me a lot about myself. I am much more grateful for each day.....the good, the bad, AND the ugly days. I might complain sometimes but I am always able to put myself in check.....because I had cancer. I am painfully aware that there are so many others diagnosed with cancer traveling much tougher roads which sometimes lead to death. I don’t take life for granted......because I had cancer. I see hundreds of acutely and chronically ill patients every day in my job and I now know what it means to not feel great for a lengthy period of time. I will never take my good health for granted.....because I had cancer. I often see Facebook posts about how sad it is that the weekend is over and it is only the start of the long new week.  I used to feel the same way, but those types of posts really bug me now. I love EVERY day of the week...especially Monday......because I had cancer.  Life is fragile and things can change in an instant.  I know...... because I had cancer. So, YES, I am a better, stronger person who is extremely grateful to be healthy and I feel blessed to wake up each day and find the beauty in each waking hour.....because I had cancer.

Photo by Brenda Bisharat Photography

Newest Feel Better Campaign Recipient, Tim, Needs Our Prayers

Every once in awhile we ask our community to pull together and wrap our arms around someone in need of our thoughts and prayers. So far, you always come through. This is the reason why we always boast that we have the best fans ever. WE NEED YOU ALL AGAIN!!

Tim is our latest "Feel Better Campaign" recipient. Tim is a 35 year old young man who, a couple of weeks ago, had everything going for him. He serves our country in the United States Air Force and also works in a job he loves, as a firefighter. He loves serving others and helping people in need.

He has a beautiful wife, Lacey, and three precious boys.

In the course of one week, Tim's life changed drastically and he is now fighting for his life. Last week, Tim was having some abdominal pain, so he went to the ER. What he thought might be a bad virus turned out to be much more serious. He ended up requiring emergency surgery and was told he had cancer that had spread throughout his abdomen. 

Tim and his family need our help! We are asking you to help us make this post go viral so we can send Tim a ton of thoughts and prayers in hopes that he can be provided with the strength to win this battle. He has way too much to live for…….

 and these sweet boys need their daddy.

We donated one of our men's camouflage gowns to Tim so that he can fight this battle in style and with dignity. By the looks of this picture, we don't think cancer stands a chance against Tim!

So…help us make his story go viral on Facebook!!

1.  "SHARE" this post on Facebook to help spread Tim's story so we can get more people sending good thoughts and prayers his way.

2.  "LIKE" this post on Facebook. Let's show Tim just how many people are thinking about him.

3.  Leave a message for Tim on our Facebook post. He and his family are following us on Facebook and each message we send to him will help give Tim the strength to battle cancer and kick it's butt!

4. Lastly, Tim and his family are going to incur a lot of medical and travel expenses. Thoughts and prayers are what mean the most to them at this time, but if you are inclined and would like to help with his expenses, please visit his donation site where you can also learn more about his story and receive updates from his family and friends:

Tim's Donation Site

Fight hard Tim!! We are sending you prayers of strength, courage, and hope and there are a whole lot of other people doing the same. Your boys need you back home reminding them how fun yard work can be!!

Passing Along The Love

One of the privileges of having a business like Annie & Isabel is that we often have the opportunity to "meet" very brave, giving, and loving women. Less than a week ago, we received an email from Emily. She wrote to us about her sixty-six year old mother, who was struggling with Alzheimers, and had recently become bed bound.

Dressing her mother in regular clothing was becoming difficult and Emily wanted her to have something stylish to wear. Fashion and style were always important to her mother and she didn't want her mother to have to sacrifice that now. Emily thought that Annie & Isabel hospital gowns would be the perfect solution, so she purchased two gowns for her mom.  We sent them out the next day. We then received this sad, yet beautiful, email from Emily:

"Unfortunately mom passed away Saturday morning before she got the chance to put on her gown (she only wore the drab one from the facility for a couple of hours, though. They kept her in her usual fashionable wardrobe almost until the end). Fortunately, and most importantly, it was very peaceful and my dad and I were there to hold her hand."

Emily is seated next to her mother 

"I was wondering if I could turn around and send the gowns back to you all so that you could donate them to 1-2 deserving women who need them now. The refund isn't important but getting them into the hands of women who need them is and I would love to help you all out with that."

What a beautiful way to honor her mother by passing on the comfort, style and dignity provided by our gowns to other deserving women.

At the same time that we were corresponding with Emily, coincidentally, we received an email from another woman, Kaitlyn, who told us about her sister, Jaime, who is dealing with a recent diagnosis of cervical cancer that has spread significantly.  Jaime is going to be having surgery, radiation and possibly chemotherapy soon. Kaitlyn wrote to us saying:

 "I feel ashamed asking for something from a total stranger but my sister saw your site and really wanted something comfortable and pretty to wear during her hospital duration. Would you be able to give her a gown as I can't afford one and neither can she?"

Jaime is having extensive surgery today and, thanks to the generosity and giving spirit of Emily, Jaime will be recovering in our Anita gown.

Jaime is described by her sister as one of the most selfless people she knows. She has been married for 12 years to her high school sweetheart and has two small children that are 7 and 5 years old who mean the world to her. She always thinks of others before herself and has been known to give other children Christmas presents when their parents couldn't afford them. Kaitlyn wrote, "She is a strong person and I know she will fight this."

We would love it if you would send good thoughts and prayers for Jaime that she has a successful surgery today and that she can fight and win this battle. We would also love it if you could keep Emily and her family in your thoughts as they celebrate her mother's life and deal with a huge loss in their own lives.

May we all learn from these beautiful women and their selfless acts of kindness. It only takes a small act to make a big difference in someone's life. We challenge you all to do something selfless this week and make a difference in someone's life.  Good works can have a trickle down effect.

A Year Ago I Was Diagnosed With Cancer And Today....I'm A Survivor!!

Today I am a one year cancer survivor! One year ago, to the day, I received some pretty bad news from my doctor. I was told I had thyroid cancer. It is a day I remember quite vividly....kind of like how those of us that have had children can so vividly remember the birth of each of our children...only this memory is not a happy one. I remember the exact time my surgeon called me to deliver the news.....6:30 pm. I remember the shock I felt inside as he delivered the news over the phone and hearing those words "You have cancer." I remember hearing my surgeon tell me that I would need a second surgery and then treatment to rid my body of this cancer and the helpless feeling of not knowing what that would feel like.

I remember not being able to control my emotions and completely losing it in front of my sweet boys and husband the second I hung up the phone. Lastly, I remember the calls I made to  my parents, sister and brother, who were all out of town, and listening to the shock in their voices as they discovered their daughter and sister would have to fight cancer.  I cried a lot that day...more than I had ever cried in my adult life! It's a day I would love to forget, but, I can't, because it changed my life forever. It also changed the lives of those in my family forever. Some of these changes have been hard to accept but many of the changes have been gifts, and that is what I hold onto and celebrate.

While I was crying one year ago, I am jumping up for joy and celebrating today!! I am FINALLY feeling pretty good and, so far, all tests I've had show no evidence of cancer. My biggest tests are coming up in March but I'm optimistic!! Cancer has taught me many things and the aftermath of cancer and the treatment to keep it away continues to challenge me. I will never let it get the best of me, though, because I am a fighter. I AM A SURVIVOR!

My talented friend, Lara Kiniris, who has an amazing company called The Calligraphy Girl, made the cancer ribbon at the top of this post in honor of my one year survivor anniversary. The ribbon contains words that describe my journey with thyroid cancer over this past year. Some of these words include: Faith, Hope, Love, Fight, Live, Breathe, Kick Cancer's Butt, Support, Livestrong, Overcome, Stand Up 2 Cancer, Struggle, Radioactive, Isolation, Family, I Am Blessed, and Survivor, among many other words. I feel so lucky to have this beautiful ribbon because it will remind me of the journey I've had with cancer and how blessed I am to live each day of my life....a true gift!

Some people might think it is strange to celebrate the anniversary of being diagnosed with cancer. For me, however, it is not a celebration of a diagnosis but rather a celebration of life. I am celebrating making it through a tough journey. I am celebrating feeling good. I am celebrating a new appreciation for my family, friends and my health. I am celebrating being a SURVIVOR!!

"The Free Dictionary" defines "survivor" as follows: "to carry on despite hardships or trauma; persevere. To live, persist." I prefer my personal definition of "survivor" which is: "A person who has looked cancer in the eye, has kicked it's butt with the love and support of family and friends, and has learned to enjoy every second, minute, and day of her life to the fullest!!" You are looking at one happy woman who is ready to celebrate many more years of being a survivor! Happy One Year Cancer Survivor Anniversary to Me:-)

~Anna

THANK YOU ~ The Magic of Facebook

We just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU....to our Facebook fans, Twitter followers, friends and customers.  You truly are the BEST fans and you motivate us to keep doing what we do every day. 

This last week we posted the story of Jen Roper, a young wife and mom of five beautiful children, who was undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumor.  We asked you to help us by sending her good thoughts and prayers and "liking" and "sharing" our Facebook post to rally even more thoughts, prayers, and loving comments from all over the country via Facebook.   When we post things like this we always keep our fingers crossed because we know in order for a post to have a chance of going "viral" our core Facebook fans must "like" and "share" it and  BOY DID YOU EVER!!!!  Here is the current status of this post:

The "likes" and comments keep coming in!!!!  Go to our FACEBOOK page now and you will see that there will be even more "likes" and comments.  In addition...this facebook post was shared by 129 people which also continues to grow.  The blog post we did about Jen has had thousands of views by people in over 10 countries!

This makes us so happy because anyone who has gone through a difficult time knows that having a tremendous amount of support, even from strangers, makes a big difference.  Jen has already expressed thanks for your support and as she recovers from this surgery and gears up for chemotherapy and radiation, to get rid of the small amount of her brain tumor that is left, we would love if you keep the thoughts and prayers coming her way.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.  You have helped make a family feel loved and supported.....and that means a lot:-)  You can follow Jen's journey via her blog - The Roper's.

 

The Answer Is.....Thyroid Cancer + An Update on My Journey with Cancer

Did you know that the month of September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month?  I'm guessing you probably don't know this, unless, like I, you have had thyroid cancer.  There is reason to give thyroid cancer some thought.  Did you know that thyroid cancer is the fastest increasing cancer in both men and women?  Since my diagnosis, I have met so many people that have had thyroid cancer and I find that alarming!!  The good news is that most types of thyroid cancer, while not an easy cancer to deal with, are very curable when found early, and especially when found in people under the age of 45 years.  I want to encourage you all to do your own "neck check" to look for unusual bumps or swelling in the area of your thyroid (which is just below your adams apple).  Here is a good process for doing your own neck check:

I feel lucky that one of my doctors noticed that my thyroid was enlarged over four years ago. At the time, I would have never thought to check my neck.  While it took four years to determine I had cancer, it appears that the cancer didn't spread anywhere and, since I am under the age of 45, I was considered to have stage one cancer. That brings me to how I am doing today.......

The last time I blogged about my thyroid cancer, I had just finished treatment and proclaimed that I had kicked cancer's butt.  Now, almost six months later, I still believe that I have kicked cancer's butt, however, it has not been the easiest of roads.  Like most thyroid cancer patients, I was initially told by my endocrinologist and surgeon that thyroid cancer is very curable and that I was lucky because it was caught early.  Those things were very true and wonderful but I translated that into thinking that I would get through my surgeries and treatment, be started on hormone replacement medication, start to feel normal again, and move on with my life with the exception of a lot more doctors appointments and tests in my future.  Over the last few months, I have realized that this is not the case.  The thing my doctors did not prepare me for was the tremendous impact that losing my thyroid would take on my body.  I did not realize that by taking synthetic thyroid hormones I would feel nothing like how I had felt when my own precious thyroid was working.  The thyroid gland controls our metabolism and is responsible for giving us the energy we need to function each day.....among a lot of other things.  The end result is that I am left with an increased amount of fatigue on an almost daily basis.  I am doing so much better than I was just a few months ago and, occasionally, I forget that I ever had cancer.  I still have a ways to go before I feel close to "normal".  I am learning to accept the "new" me and I still hope to feel even better in the next few months.  Sometimes, however, it is just hard and I find myself missing my "old" energetic self.

I would never choose to have cancer in a million years but I continue to be grateful for the lessons cancer has taught me:

Be Thankful For Each New Day 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday......there is not a bad day of the week.  Each new day we have is a blessing and we should live it to the fullest.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

When I finished my cancer treatment and began to gain some energy, I could feel myself getting sucked right back into the daily grind of life.  It's kind of unavoidable when you have four boys to cart all over the place.  Cancer has kept me in check, though, because I say, "hey....I had cancer....this is not worth stressing over."Sometimes a little timeout in life can really help too:-)

My youngest experiencing timeout at OfficeMax:-)

Give to Others

I had so much support when I was going through treatment for my thyroid cancer and it reminded me of the importance of giving to others.  I feel blessed that I get to work in an Emergency Department because it gives me the opportunity to give to others every day that I work.  I don't take my role as a nurse for granted and I look for ways that I can make a difference in other's lives both inside and outside of work.  Cancer has given me a refreshed energy to be more compassionate and sympathetic to others.

Don't Take Anything for Granted

After realizing how much I took my healthy self for granted and the energy I used to have, I now see the importance of slowing down, enjoying my life, my family, my precious boys, and the beauty of the world around me.......and having a little fun while I'm at it!

Be a Good Friend to Someone
I have always valued my friendships but having cancer made me realize the importance of friendships.  I am blessed with some amazing friends and I want to remember to cherish these relationships.  A true friend is someone who is by your side in good times and bad.

True friends help even when it requires a little dirty work

Family is Important
Cancer didn't teach me this lesson because I've always known this and have been blessed to have an amazing family my whole life.  Cancer did make me realize, however, that having a close, loving family makes getting through tough times a whole lot easier.

I am still healing from this cancer and it has forever changed me, but in the long run.....I am going to be a better person for it.  At the end of this month,  I will have my first big tests to determine if this cancer is gone and then more tests will be done at the one year mark.  I would love it if you could send some good thoughts my way as I am a little anxious about this since thyroid cancer has a high recurrence rate but I'm thinking positive thoughts and looking forward to a healthy future!!!

So, for me........please check your necks!!

BYE BYE CANCER

Yes….Good Bye Cancer!!! I am officially done with treatment and isolation and boy does that feel good. I have been waiting for this day for over three months and I can’t tell you how good it feels to have my surgeries and treatment behind me. The radioactive iodine treatment that I received will continue to do its job for several months but I’m going to go ahead and say that I have kicked cancer’s butt!! I am still working on gaining all my energy back and that will take weeks, if not a few months, to feel completely back to normal but, with all the bad stuff behind me, I can deal with being tired and achy a little while longer. Yes, there is always a chance of a recurrence, but that is not something I am going to think about. I believe that it is so important to be positive so that is how I plan to live from here on out.

I could never have gotten through this journey without so many special people in my life. One of the most special of these is my husband, Joe. Cancer can cause a lot of stress in a family and Joe took on the reigns of our household without complaint and he did it well!! Not many husbands could switch gears and single handedly take on four active kid’s schedules, assume housekeeping 101, while also working their day job. He did just that and, in addition, provided me with so much love, support and encouragement through every step of this long journey. He is amazing and I love him so much.

I’ve already talked in previous posts about my wonderful parents, sister and family. They have helped me immensely and mean the world to me. I have always known I have the best parents and I realize it even more after going through cancer. I am also lucky to have THE best sister ever. My sister, Selena, is my best friend and I love her dearly. She also had to run Annie & Isabel by herself and we had our best month in sales to date during that time...so she was busy....in a good way!!!

I want to thank each and every one of you for joining me on this journey and especially for helping me get through each step from surgery #1 ~ to surgery #2 ~ to treatment and isolation. You have all been my biggest cheerleaders and have helped both me and my family tremendously in remaining positive and recognizing the good things that have come from this experience. We were so blessed by all of you in so many different ways:

• We have had dinners brought to our home from friends from the week I was diagnosed until now and that has been a huge blessing. It’s been one BIG thing that we haven’t had to worry about.

• I have received so many beautiful cards in the mail. I never realized how much a card received via snail mail could lift my spirits and make me smile until going through this cancer diagnosis.

• I had one dear friend, Anne, invite me over for a girls chick flick day when I was too tired to do much else but lay on the couch.  She treated me to a lunch that met my special diet guidelines and made my day!

The two of us on a more energetic day!

·   One of my co-workers baked me three loaves of bread that met my special diet restrictions to get me through the period of time that I was required to be on a strict diet. 

• I had numerous families take my children out to do fun things like bowling and going to dinner and plays.

• While I was in isolation, I had several surrogate moms to give my little ones hugs! I know they appreciated that.

·  I received this beautiful quilt made by my mother-in-law to comfort me during my recoveries and this banner, made by a friend, to remind me what my job was...to Kick Cancer's Butt!

• I was blessed by two friends who are teachers that had their children write me notes of encouragement. I cried both times because of how wonderful it felt to hear from children who were so thoughtful to reach out and write to me.

• Several times I found fun gifts left on our doorstep to brighten our family’s day (and to fatten me up after losing some weight after surgery).

• My three best friends from high school all got together to come see me. Two of them had to fly in from out of state. We hadn’t been together at one time in over 8 years and while I felt so tired that day….they gave me more energy and laughter than I had had in a long time!

• I received several small little gifts that I wore and used throughout my journey that reminded me to keep up the good fight with a smile on my face.

• I received a prayer blanket from a dear relative who I hadn’t corresponded with in years. It was a special blanket that was prayed on while being made and given a special blessing by the monsignor of their church. I used this on my bed while I was in isolation and it was so comforting.

• We had several families provide rides for our children to and from school and sporting activities

• I'm so amazed at the friendships that we've made through Annie & Isabel from far and near. This gorgeous painting was left on my doorstep, while in isolation, by local realtor and artist Tim Collom. It brought tears to my eyes because it's my family's favorite vacation spot and I've only just met Tim this year. He shared something so precious with me...his gift of art. It will remind me of the love and support of friends as I look at this painting for years to come.

• I had several friends who knew exactly what to do to make me laugh, including this special gift from my friend Amy when I was about to become radioactive. Only from a good nurse friend like Amy can you get a gift in "biohazard wrapping" to lift your spirits.

· Another great friend researched and explained the low iodine diet I was required to do prior to treatment. She helped me get organized and prepare ahead of time which took a huge weight off my shoulders!!

• I received hundreds of notes of encouragement via email and twitter and each and every note boosted me tremendously. Even Real Housewife of New Jersey Teresa Giudice read my story and sent out this thoughtful tweet!

·  I received an abundance of flowers to brighten up my days.

These are only a few of the beautiful arrangements I received

• Thank you to Facebook and all my friends on Facebook too! I know some people think Facebook is a waste of time but I have to say that the notes, likes and comments I received via Facebook kept my spirits up and made me smile so much. Facebook was my savior during my isolation period. I have been in awe and humbled by the amount of support I have received through this social network.

I don’t share all this with you to brag about all the neat things that were sent our way or were done for me and our family. I share all these things with you to show you how much of an integral part of this journey you all were in helping me win this battle. I have always felt so blessed and lucky to have so many people standing alongside me in this fight against cancer.

When I first blogged about my thyroid cancer diagnosis I said that cancer didn’t stand a chance against me and that I was going to “Kick Cancer’s Butt”. I did Kick Cancer’s Butt but the support that you all provided to me made it so much easier that I would now say that I didn’t kick cancer’s butt but, rather, WE Kicked Cancer’s Butt!!! Thank YOU so much!

So Here Are My Parting Words To You Cancer:

1. Thank you for making me a better person.

2. It has NOT been fun.

3. I have, indeed, Kicked Your Butt!!

4. Now stay away because I have an amazing life to go live.

~Anna

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!!