It’s time for a status report. In my last post, I announced I had been diagnosed with Stage One breast cancer. That’s still true. I was diagnosed. And I wrote about having the tumor removed surgically. ‘Tis true. The beastie is gone. After extensive meetings with my surgeon, my imaging doctor and two oncologists, I decided to take the prudent way and go with the chemo/radiation protocol to reduce the chance of the tumor returning.

So, I’ve passed my first real milestone: I finished my twelve chemo treatments. Before I get into that, I have to confess two things. I almost feel like a charlatan because I officially entered treatment cancer free. The surgeon removed the tumor, and it hadn’t spread. The cancer team quickly disavowed my comment about being a charlatan. “You had cancer. We don’t want you to have cancer again.”

The second thing I have to confess is that chemo was easy. I had a very light infusion which followed an infusion every week of an anti-nausea drug. Let me tell you. That drug is magic. Terry laughed and said “Remember, better living through chemistry?” He too was right. The only side effect is hair loss. (Full body loss.) And before you ask, I don’t know when it will begin growing back. I don’t know what it will look like, curly/straight, etc. I know it will grow back, though, so having no hair is only a problem during the really cold days of January. Oh wait, I got six caps for Christmas. I’m set.

Believe it or not, there were several lighthearted moments in the cancer center. Halloween was a hoot. I walked in to register wearing my red nose. Got a couple of good giggles and not a few stares. Groucho Marx checked me in. A troll took me to the lab for blood work. Many of the nurses dressed as either clowns or witches. One caused more stares than my red nose. She was dressed all in white with angel wings. I thought that might be just a wee bit too much since some of the patients might meet their angels sooner rather than later.

You ask what else have I been doing. After the first month, I was able to return to writing and editing my next novel, Grandpa’s Keys. I have four or five chapters before I finish the draft. Most of the novel is already polished and waiting for me to complete proofreading. I work on it every night, so I can safely say the end of this is in sight.

Writer/book conference season has begun. I went to my first one over the weekend, the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference, where I met up with nearly 100 friends. I decided on a political statement for my head gear. I wore my pink pussy hat, the one worn at the initial Women’s March on Washington. There was one this year, but my commitment to RRWC kept me off a bus trip to D.C. Times haven’t changed all that much. This year’s march, though, was a shadow of the 2017 march, but when even one woman shows up to protest, she represents all women.

I’m looking forward to finishing my book, launching it, beginning the next one, hitting more conferences and festivals. I’m ready to be out and about among my fellow writer peeps. I hope to see you somewhere along the line. Stay well and look for my book announcements.