I know there are a lot of dates and numbers that I keep sending your way…so I thought it might be time for a quick recap of what is scheduled over the next few weeks:

November 2nd is my last big treatment…and that is two weeks from tomorrow.  Only 14 days and 17 hours away.

November 14th is my surgery day, which is 4 weeks from yesterday…it will be here sooner than we think. I will take about a week off work post-surgery, but then life should become a bit more normal for me. And I’m looking forward to it!

Radiation treatments will start 6-8 weeks after my surgery, so by the middle of January I will have started the treatments, and by the end of February, I will be done. The sooner the better, if you ask me 🙂

Last weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving, and I have a lot for which to be thankful.

I was able to enjoy a fabulous Saturday afternoon in Wine Country with people who are near and dear to my heart. And you just can’t beat being able to sit outside in short sleeves enjoying wine, cheese and charcuterie…in October!

Our afternoon in Wine Country was followed the next day with an awesome Thanksgiving Dinner with the Frampton-Racanelli clan. It was a classic meal with all the fixin’s…turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy…all of my faves…and yes, there were some healthy veggies too!

Another reason that I am thankful is that I received a gift from a very special person. In past posts I have mentioned my “big sister” Andrea. Andrea’s mom, Sandra, has made me many presents over the years. All of them have been incredibly thoughtful but this latest gift may have made my eyes tear up…just a little. Sandra knitted me my very own Wonder Woman shawl to keep me warm during my treatments (the shawl also came with a set of hand knit “implants” in the event I needed them post-surgery!). I received this wonderful gift made with love in time to keep me warm for my last icy Docetaxel infusion.

And maybe it’s strange that I am also thankful that I had my Round 6 treatment this week. However this is the last round with the really nasty chemo drug, Docetaxel. I had the treatment on Thursday, and now I am waiting for the side-effects to kick in. I am grateful that this should be the last time that I have to experience these severe aches and pains. I just have to get through the next few days, and hopefully I can avoid another trip to my local Emergency Room!

As we head into Breast Cancer Awareness Month (otherwise known as October!) I wanted to share an image that my friend Colleen sent to me last week. She said she saw the logo and immediately thought of me. This brought a smile to my face and reminded me, once again, of how lucky I am to have such amazing family and friends who are so incredibly supportive.

The image also made me think about how lucky I am to have been diagnosed with this particular form of cancer. It is because of the decades-worth of awareness, fundraising and research specifically for breast cancer that my prospects for survival are so good. Other forms of cancer, such as lung cancer, have nowhere near the same survival rate. To put this in perspective, the 5-year net survival rate for breast cancer is 87%. For lung cancer, it is 17%. Those numbers pretty much say it all. It is for this reason that I chose to fundraise last month on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society which supports adults and children afflicted with all cancers across the spectrum.

That said, this does not mean that I do not appreciate the efforts that are dedicated to a specific cancer. More than 80,000 people participated this morning in the CIBC Run for the Cure events across Canada. These events will raise approximately $17 million this year in support of breast cancer. Gord and I participated in the Toronto event, but I left all the fundraising to Gord this time…and he did a great job, raising over $2,000 in donations!

Today’s event had both runners and walkers, and as we were heading back to the car after the run, I stopped in front of Princess Margaret Hospital, a place where I spend a lot of time these days. I took a few photos of the thousands of people who took time out of their lives to participate in today’s event. It is because of people like them who have participated and raised funds over the last three decades that will allow me to bring that 87% survival rate even higher. All I can say is Thank You.