my breast cancer journey: As the GPS lady says..... " You have reached your destination"

Watch this video first to get you in the mood to sing and dance along with me!

This is my LAST blog. I wanted to write you to give you all a final update since I wrote some time ago. I've had a few scares and several trips to doctors and a surgeon since my last post but am happy to report that All is Well !! Yesterday I was back at the cancer clinic to see my oncologist, Dr. Powell, and she was delighted with my progress and recent test reports. She had a little present for me....it was the best

letter I received in a LONG time:

My ticket back to Ascension Collegiate!!! I have " medical clearance to return to work full time in September 2013"

Needless to say I was literally walking on sunshine. It was exactly a year ago on Tuesday that Glenn had taken a similar picture of me coming out of the cancer clinic after my last radiation treatment. We stopped at the new memorial honoring breast cancer patients and I took a moment to silently honor those women who had not been as fortunate as me. In praying for them and their families I also took time to Thank God for getting me to this point and for carrying me on my darkest days and asked Him to be by the sides of all the women currently on their journeys and for the ones yet to walk it.

Next it was time to celebrate and Glenn & I enjoyed the rest of the day together, vowing to move forward and spend the rest of our lives enjoying every day together as a family and doing whatever good we could to help others.

I dont want to be long winded in this entry but I do have a couple of things that I want to say. I know I have a husband and kids who love me beyond expression, but I have to say I have never felt as loved as I have over the past two years. I have spoken many times about how overwhelmed and blessed we felt by the outpouring of support and I want to reiterate it again, as I can never say thanks often enough to everyone. You all have raised me up in so many ways and whether it was through a visit, a call, an email, a text, a meal, a bouquet, a completed chore , a prayer or any other offer of help ..... It was because of you that I am sitting here today. Some of you know the intimate details of the journey and I know you are celebrating with me today since you saw the darkest days and ugliest parts of what breast cancer did to me. I have been honored to have been called an inspiration and am fulfilled to know that I have been able to personally help six other women who have walked the same road since I was diagnosed.

I have found an inner strength I never knew I had. On one particular down day I called my sister Linda crying . She put it all in perspective and said this:

" If ten years ago someone said to you, in ten years time you will be diagnosed with breast cancer, will have a mastectomy, go through 5 months of chemo, 25 daily treatments of radiation and then have your husband have a workplace accident, have surgery, and find out he can never work again, have your son have heart ablation surgery, have your mom end up in ICU seven times in that same , be told she probably wouldn't leave the hospital, have your father in law in ICU as well and then have a a large cyst , your ovary & fallopian tube removed - you would have replied "I'll never make it through that".... but you did KIM"

Well now when you put it like that I guess I can honestly say I am a survivor! But never would have been without your support my friends.

I hope no one takes this the wrong way but many of you have said people find it hard knowing what to say to someone who has breast cancer. I want to give you some advice ... this is SOLELY FROM MY OWN OPINION and others may not feel this way.... dont say " it's only hair...it will grow back anyway"! or " sure you don't need your breasts anyway ... youre not having anymore children"...instead say over and over and over again.." You'll be ok, all will be well". Those are the only two phrases I needed or wanted to hear.

So today as I sit writing this I feel as if I am closing a chapter on my book of life ...I plan to do no edits or revisions and in retrospect I dont know if I would have changed anything other than the pain that my husband, kids, mom and in laws, along with the rest of the family& friends endured watching me go through this. But today I am a better person. I told Dr. Powell I feel more alive than I ever did before I had cancer. Ive gotten to meet so many people that I would have never gotten to know if this had not happened to me. I have learned to worry less about things and to not sweaet the small stuff. I have learned to embrace each day and become closer to my God. I have discovered a courage and tenancity that I didnt know existed. I once sadid that when I became a mom I became a better teacher. I now believe that this whole experience will allow me to offer support, encouragement & inspiration to my future students whose mom, sister, aunt or grandmother is affected by breast cancer. I am offically on holidays now and am planning a trip to Nova Scotia to visit my sweet neice Charlotte (after all I promised her I would visit when my hair grew back... and I dont break promises) and then on to Montreal where I will meet my long time friend Daphne and spend some days with her in Trois Riviers before I meet up with Emily in Quebec City ( she is going there on Sunday for 3 weeks at a university to do a french immersion camp). Im hoping to have some real fun doing "back to school shopping" ... I must be the only teacher who can't wait for Septemebr to come. Dr. Powell told me yesterday that I looked like I would go back to school today if I could....well not really but I am sooooo looking forward to September. Last Saturday night I was at a bar on George Street with some friends from Alberta. We had some food and drinks and had a great time listening to Luke and the rest of the boys in Grteeley's Reel entertain the crowd. When the night was over the bill arrived.... it was all Zeroes....must be a mistake I thought but then I was instructed to turn it over and read a note......it said "Mrs. Welsh , it's sooooo good to see you, Love Melissa. " She had taken care of the bill. She was a former student of mine whom I had taught about 6 or 7 years ago...... now you thinks that didn't make my heart swell..... what a beautiful gesture ... the waitress said you must be a good teacher....oh how I cant wait to get back in my classroom again.

I shall be eternally grateful to you , my "Breast Friends." God Bless you all and may your days be filled with health happiness and most of all a Zest for life! And one last piece of advice.....if you see something you like, and got the money for it, buy it & if not ....put it on your Visa!!!!!!!!!! ( just joking...dont put yourself in debt for goodness sake!)

Heres some more of my favorite recent pics