Wow...it's been a while!

I am so disturbed that time has flown by so quickly since my last blog post. Where did it got? I'll tell you where: down to Minneapolis and then on to Dallas for four days, back to Minneapolis and home! I am still catching up after taking seven other women to the 9th Annual Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer. It was an incredible, educational, emotionally charged experience. There were about 800 young women diagnosed with breast cancer who attended along with husbands, mothers, and friends. Honestly, it was an indescribable experience. The whole time I was there, I kept imagining what it would have been like to go to that Conference when I was newly diagnosed and in treatment. Everywhere you looked, there were young, beautiful women proudly sporting their bald heads, not in the minority like in "real life". For me, that time was long ago, but I remember it well: the isolation, the fear, the sadness, the desperation...I could go on and on. Walking into a hotel filled with survivors just like me back then would have been comparable to flying to the moon. I truly hope for the women that attended that they felt comfort and respite, and enjoyed finding their place among survivors just like them as well as those just like me who have lived longer than we dared to hope. I sincerely hope they are taking that crowd home with them in their hearts and minds so they don't feel so alone when they are in their darkest moments.

It was also wonderful to celebrate with those fabulous women! Nobody laughs harder, smiles bigger, or dances funkier than a breast cancer survivor. Pure joy was flowing throughout the Conference, and it was magical. I am grateful for the gift that each and every one of those women gave me, whether I had a chance to speak with them or not. I am grateful for the Young Survival Coalition, and all of its marvelous volunteers who work so hard on a daily basis to meet the needs of young women around the world. The strength and dedication of each and every one of them absolutely blows me away, and is not to be underestimated. I am proud to be a part of such a special and important cause, and I know the effects of this Conference will be crashing onto me like waves on a beach for a long time to come.

I am tired, I am still catching up, but I am reflecting as well. And I am so very, very grateful for it all.

We found Spring in Dallas, TX!!!!