#staceyupdate

Hi everyone, I just wanted to, first and foremost, say THANK YOU. Thank you for all of the wonderful meals that gave me something to look forward to during treatment (I'm very food motivated :) ), thank you for the help around the house that let me focus more on rest and spending time with my family, thank you for checking in, thank you for showing me that I was supported and lifted up by so many. It means so much to me and is one of the bright spots from those hazy months of treatment. I finished chemotherapy on 11/15/18 and radiation on 1/18/19, so I'm now done with active treatment. Next is monitoring every 3-6 months for the next several years, with my first scans happening around June. I'm continuing to get stronger, starting back with gentle yoga a few weeks ago, although I haven't returned to horseback riding again (although really, I'm just waiting for the weather to get warmer first :) ). My hair is coming back in and just this week I've started to forgo wearing hats in public. I'm trying to make sure I come away from this whole experience having learned something, and I think one of the lessons is that I need to prioritize my own health more than I did (after all, secure your own oxygen mask first before helping others). To that end, I'm exercising and meditating more, and keeping a closer eye on my stress levels (and trying to put in place better guardrails so I don't let it get so out of control again). I also didn't fully appreciate the value of a human connection, and I was so humbled and grateful for how many people showed up - virtually or physically - to care for and support us. While I'm still as introverted (and socially awkward) as always, I'm hoping I will in turn be a better friend to others and lend my own support and forge connections more readily, as this was so invaluable to me (after all, no man is an island). Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart - Stacey https://ift.tt/2T9Ie1C