Getting by with a little help from my friends

Dear friends,

It's been a crazy month since I last posted!  I've moved back here to Blogger and I'll explain why in just a moment.  If you've been forwarded here from lyndanaranjo.com, you're in the right place.  While I was able to move my posts over, I lost all your lovely comments and I am sorry for that.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I hadn't been feeling well for several months and had been undergoing tests.  Around mid-December the pieces started to come together and over the holidays, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  This came as quite a shock for a number of reasons.  Mainly because my husband battled cancer last year and just finished his treatment at the end of October but also because I had had a pelvic exam in June and it was normal.  So when I began having issues of indigestion and stomach problems, ovarian cancer was not even a consideration until several months later.

I start chemotherapy this week and will receive 3 treatments, 3 weeks apart.  I'll then be scheduled for surgery and have another 3 chemo treatments after that.  I'm going to lose my hair, which I know is a small price to pay but ...  I believe 100% that I am going to beat this!  I'm already planning that by the summer, I'll be out in my garden taking photos.

Speaking of photos, my photography has been shelved for the rest of 2013.  My Etsy shop remains closed and I will not be updating my Facebook page.  I plan to blog when I'm able and will visit your blogs whenever I can.  You'll probably find me on Pinterest regularly too. And if you like, you can friend me on my personal Facebook (just leave a note in your friend request letting me know you read my blog, otherwise I may not accept the request!).  It's easy for me to update Facebook and Pinterest from my iPad.  Right now I spend a lot of time laying on the couch with a heating pad.  It's the only time I'm comfortable.

And that is why I decided to move back to Blogger.  While I was happy with having a self-hosted blog and website, it's not something I need at this time and it was a lot more work.  I just want to be able to blog now and again without thinking of backing up my site and dealing with the huge amount of spam that comes with self-hosting.  Blogger is much more simple and I need simple right now.

I also have a wonderful update for you!  Bobby saw his oncologist yesterday to get the results of his tests that he had over the holidays and he is cancer free!  He'll continue to be monitored every 6 months for 3 years and then annually for 2 years.  So if he can beat it, so can I!

Normally, I don't like to post without including a photo but this time I've had to make an exception.  I know I don't need to ask for your prayers and positive thoughts because they're already there and I'm so grateful to each and every one of you.  As my post title says, I'll get through this with a little help from my friends!

xoxo,
Lynda