My friend. My sister.

I'd like to dedicate today's entry to my friend Britt who today went through surgery to remove a cancerous lump from her breast. When she called me with the news I remembered exactly how frightening the world was when I was told I had breast cancer. Your heart stops and you go into a numbness that you can't explain. "This can't be happening," you say to yourself. But it is. And when all is said and done, you've become a master in your illness and the true challenge begins: Moving on. There are so many things that can go wrong, so many factors that affect your life now, that you find yourself looking in so many directions until you go dizzy. And if you are like me, always anticipating and trying to be prepared for the future, the task is overwhelming. The options, the choices, the not-one-answer-fits-all routine, all is confusing and not helpful. Why did I chose to do a double mastectomy? Why other women don't? How does this affect the future – MY future? There are no standard answers. To me, it made sense to get rid of it all. To other women, breast conservation was a viable option. At the end, we are all left with the consequences of our own decisions. My reconstruction process has been going on since the mastectomy: two years in May. It is still ongoing. Last week I had a second hand of ink. Tattooing ink... And as much as I'd like to say I am going a little crazy getting a tattoo, the truth is that this is the cherry on the top of the reconstruction process. One more treatment and I will be officially done. At least for a decade or so, because the implants are not for life... But, as with anything else, at that point I will just have to do what I have to do and move on. So, despite the sour taste of surgeries and unexpected side effects, Britt, we only have one choice: To push through. You are my sister now, not just a friend. We will have each other to support and to cheer. We will compare notes and ask questions. We will overcome this challenge, no matter what, no matter when. Together we are stronger. Together we will survive.