Today Turned Out To Be A Good Day

If I start at the beginning of today.........I did not want to wake up or get up or get ready or go to the meeting with the surgeon. I felt exhausted and sick to my stomach. The question of "what will we hear?" loomed big in my mind and filled my air with fear.

Funny how we find ourselves able to wake up, get up, get ready and actually go......why? Because we have to. Because facing our fears is the only way we will find out the real story. And, maybe, just maybe.....the real story won't be as bad as the one we are afraid of.

So, I went.

I went to the Piper Breast Center.

I went to meet the surgeon who will take care of Sarah. I went to be an extra pair of ears and set of eyes. I went to be with my daughter and Dave. I went because there is no other place I wanted to be.


I was there first. Sarah and Dave were on their way. I was greeted by two lovely and kind ladies who made being there ok. One lady was Sybil and she took this picture of me. She also brought me some orange juice to drink in a pretty glass. It made me smile. The other lady was Judy and both their smiles brought a bit of sunshine into a day that felt a little dark.

Sarah had had a pedicure and manicure last night. She had Dave's and the boy's names put on her nails. Every finger and every toe is touched by love. Davey picked out the color for her toenails. It is a lovely, lovely bright blue. Now that makes me smile!

Sarah loved the nurse who came in to take her medical history. Her name was Karen. Sarah told her she was pretty and had soft hands. Sarah told her, "I just want to touch you." Sarah tells people what she is thinking. Isn't that nice? The world needs Sarah!

It was hard to wait. We all wanted the surgeon to come in and we didn't want her to come in. I looked at Sarah and saw agony. I saw my scared child....my beautiful scared child. I could only love her.

We heard a knock on the door. It was the doctor. Dr. Bretzke. The one who would tell us the story...the real story.

The real story is better than the one we were afraid of. We were afraid one of the cancers in her right breast was attached to the chest wall. It wasn't! It wasn't! It wasn't!

I could only stare at Dr. Bretzke. Sarah made a sound of exclamation and put her hands to her head. I watched her face flood with emotion and her eyes fill with tears. Dr. Bretzke kept talking.

I put my hand on Dr. Bretzke's knee and said, "Stop, we have to take a moment to feel this...to enjoy it..to celebrate it..........we have to!"

I had to breathe.

I had to touch Sarah.

This was not just information.

This was LIFE being given back to me........LIFE being given back to Sarah.......LIFE being given back to Dave.......LIFE being given back to Davey and Derek and Jackson and all the people who love Sarah.

Dr. Bretzke told us about the surgery she will be doing. It will be a simple mastectomy. A bilateral mastectomy. Sarah wants peace of mind. Sarah will have breast reconstructive surgery as well.



So, now we wait until probably Monday when Dr. Migliori, the plastic surgeon, will call and make an appointment for a consultation. If I start at the beginning of that day, I will want to get up, get ready and get going. That appointment will be like moving into the future.

I have a funny feeling I will be putting a picture of Sarah hugging Dr. Migliori on my blog sometime next week. What do you think?

Dr. Bretzke.....I liked your story today. I have hope and faith that the final chapter of this book we are writing won't be written for a long, long time. When you told us that you expect Sarah's cancer to be Stage 1 I wanted to hug you myself. I will someday. For now, hug my daughter. She is precious to me. And, I am putting her in your hands.

The goal of Piper Breast Center......is.....To return YOU to your life the best way we know!