It Was A Very Good Year...

Susan: 

Shannon continued to amaze our family with her strength, faith, and sheer will to live. In December of 2010, Shannon changed the focus of her blog, www.shoeaddictsurviving.wordpress.com, to shoeaddictthriving.blogspot.com. Everything about Shannon and her attitude was about thriving.

 

During this time period Shannon took two cake decorating classes, shopped for and refurbished antiques, painted rooms in her house, and created a space for Ben that she called his "Man Cave". Shannon bought new furniture for several rooms in her house. She participated in friends' birthday parties, weddings, and lived life as if there was a tomorrow. During this time she also taught a Discipleship Class on Sunday mornings with her husband Ben at our church. To say I was proud of her would be a gross understatement. I loved watching my girl thrive. 

 

There of course were times that Shannon would have to be taken out to the car to sit, or sit on the store floor for a few minutes to compose herself. But she didn’t let her cancer stop her. She continued to work at the Pentagon, enduring a hard commute for even a healthy person. 

This was a year in my memory that I draw so much strength from. I like to think about my determined and strong girl. Her new focus blog, started on December 30, 2010 and stopped with her last blog post on February 23, 2011. It was on February 28th that Shannon got the shocking news that her cancer had returned and spread with 5 new tumors. Shannon did not blog anymore after this but I do have her journal where she documents some of what she felt and writes in her unique style about the way the medical world looks at you when bad news is being delivered. 

For the next bit of time I am going to feature posts from Shannon’s blog from the time she felt she was thriving. You will be nothing short of entertained. Shannon had a gift for writing and my thought is that it should be included in this blog as well.

Cycle 2 -- Halfway Through It

Shannon:
August 15, 2009

So it is the 10th day of Cycle 2 and I am more than halfway through my shots. My ”bio-hazard” container is starting to look crowded and I am feeling pretty good. I have definite mixed feelings at this time in the cycle. The ingredients of my feelings are equal parts of the following:

• Relief that I pretty much halfway through this cycle.
• Weariness that I have 8 more shots
• Trepidation that I am only 4 shots away from the dreaded stomach shots.
• Peace and joy because it is really not so bad, I feel good, and God has my back.

I am also happy that Thursday was the last day of my physical therapy appointments. I have graduated and I have been using the sleeve without any problems to go to the driving range. Me and hubby went up to the Par 3 course in Severna Park and played a game to prepare for our real game on Saturday. I did worse than what I wanted but I guess not so bad overall. Ben came in 10 over par and I came in 11 over the ladies’ par. I will beat him someday. Of course I did not count any of the “practice” shots that I needed to take.

My first score card

I have discovered in the course of wearing my new golf shoes that my left foot is bigger than my right. By the 7th hole of the course I was quite finished. My two littlest toes on my left foot were falling asleep because that shoe was too tight, my hand was cramping because of my gauntlet, and bugs were starting to bite me. Now anyone who knows me well knows that I do not “do” nature… or discomfort in general. I just don’t see the point in not being completely comfortable unless it is for the most fabulous shoe one could ever imagine.

So Saturday has rolled around and with it – the real game of golf. I woke up in fighting mode ready to go. My husband tried to kiss me right before we left for the course, but I didn’t allow it lest he think I wasn’t serious competition. We met my dad down at Annapolis Roads Golf Course and got geared up. Out we went to our very first hole, a par 4. I got an 8…so much for being serious competition. I did not do as well on a real golf course as I did on Thursday. I ended up 18 over par. Ben was 7 over. I can’t prove it, but I am pretty sure he cheated.

My second score card was not so pretty...

Going along with my determinedly positive attitude I decided my handicap is 18 and so I actually played par golf and beat Ben by 7 strokes. I win!

Learning Golf -- And Other Excuses for New Shoes

Shannon:

August 11, 2009

Make fun of me and I'll get you.

Upon the occasion of receiving my compression sleeve my husband commemorated said event by buying me my very own set of golf clubs. Now I am not the most athletic of women, but in my determination to be a vivacious individual with a positive outlook on life I am willing to give it a go. Saturday and Sunday we went to the driving range so that I could learn how to swing the golf club, and in theory hit the ball while doing it. I would like to emphasize the “in theory” of the previous statement. After I geared up with my compression sleeve and gauntlet, I lined up my feet and shoulders, adjusted my grip on the club, concentrated on moving my arms according to my husband’s directions, and swung with all my might.

Much to my chagrin the ball was still sitting perkily on the tee winking up at me…I swear the malicious little thing was laughing at me. Thus I learned my very first lesson of golf: you don’t watch your club, you watch the ball.

I think I can apply that little lesson to my treatments. If the treatment in it’s entirty is the club and the cycle I am in is the ball…I just need to keep my eye on the ball. I can’t think, “I am only starting my second month and this goes for two years.” I need to instead look at the cycle for what it is. I am already on day 5 and I only have 9 more days of this drug, 4 days of the second, and then I am back on my 10 days of rest. It really doesn’t seem so bad after all when I look at it like that. But back to golf.

So after a couple/few swings without connecting with anything, I kept my head down and actually hit the ball! It was a glorious feeling of accomplishment. Sure the ball sliced all the way to the right and only landed about 15 feet away, but I actually hit it. I actually started to get the hang of it, and the more I concentrated on the ball instead of everything else the better I hit it. The second night we went to the driving range went much better. I was consistent and hit the ball straight. I just can’t hit the ball very far. I think the best compliment was from my silence prone husband on the way home when he said, “You weren’t as bad as I thought you would be.” He just warms my heart.

So with two “lessons” under my belt I am going golfing on a nine hole course this coming weekend. I of course need golf clothes. A brilliant smile has lit my face as I realize that golf has given me a perfect excuse to buy new shoes. My grin widens as another thought hits me. “I wonder what else I can start learning that I have to buy new shoes for?” and then “Could I talk Ben into ballroom dancing?” I gathered myself and went to Dick’s Sporting Goods in order to get some golf shoes. I quickly discovered that the smallest women’s size golf shoe was a size 6 and so I was ushered over to where the children’s section was. There were four boys shoes and one girls shoe. I have no clue how to convert a woman’s 5.5 shoe size into a child’s size so the salesman brought out a range of shoes. I was a size 3. So now I am the proud owner of one pair of girl’s size 3 white golf shoes with pink polka dots. At least they match my clubs.

Don’t let the bumps in life’s road derail you from trying and learning new things. Take on the challenges and adventures that come your way and always do it with style.

Cycle Two -- Shoe Swap

Shannon:

August 6, 2009

I went to Franklin Square Hospital today to pick up all my drugs and supplies to start my second cycle of treatment. I am already tired of it and it is only my second one! I am sad that my ten day break is over; it did not feel nearly long enough, but I take a deep breath and continue on. I felt like I needed some encouragement so I looked on my favorite synonym site and looked up persevere. It is defined by the site as to keep at; work hard. Some of my favorite synonyms felt like phrases of encouragement and are:

be determined
hang tough
leave no stone unturned
plug away
see it through

I was also reminded of a scripture verse given to me by a family friend at the beginning of my diagnosis and read it again as encouragement. Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles; They shall run and not be weary; They shall walk and not faint.” I could not remember the reference and when I looked it up another scripture came up for patience and jumped out at me as very encouraging. Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”

So now encouraged I pull myself up by the proverbial boot straps and continue on. My dad is going with me so that I don’t have to take the long drive up to the hospital by myself. It is a short appointment. Literally picking up what I need for this cycle and a blood draw. I have something random and fun to look forward to though – a shoe swap.

I recently order new shoes and the store accidentally shipped me another woman’s shoes. Quite on the opposite end of the spectrum from what I ordered the shoes while quite stylish and pretty were not a size 5.5 black stiletto peep toe, but rather size 11 chocolate flats. Luckily I was able to contact the lady they belonged to and she indeed received mine. So this morning she met me at my appointment and we swapped shoes. As she said “What women will do for their shoes.” I am so happy to have my shoes today they were the perfect pick me up for the afternoon.

Starting Cycle 2 with style!