2 years

#PurpleStride2024 http://support.pancan.org/goto/TeamCat

12/8/23

2 words changed the trajectory of the past 2 years.

2 intensive chemotherapy protocols.

2 time PanCAN PurpleStride Grand Club member and Team Captain for Team Cat King Crusaders/TeamCat.

2 research centers visited for information about clinical trials.

2 personal loved ones diagnosed; one continues to push on, and one now swings and dances from above, leaving us a short 6 months post diagnosis.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

2 words I hoped never to have read in my sister’s pathology results 2 years ago.

2 words.

2 words read, profanity said under my breath, yet screaming in my head, a seismic shift rocked our entire world. And I took a deep breath, opened the exam room door, and went in to see my next patient.

After clinic, I called my sister, and this unwanted journey became our reality.

For 2 years I’ve been by her side, in person, or via FaceTime/Zoom, and always in spirit, every step of the way.

As I reflect, I find my mind racing, medical details remembered, actions taken, calls made, fear, relief, gratitude, anger, with laughter and love interspersed through it all.

It’s been a tumultuous 2 years of emotion, family, togetherness, travel, surgeries, ER visits, scans, hospital/ICU stays, rules followed, broken and changed, countless calls, texts, and most of all I am filled with gratitude for each and every individual that has helped my sister live another day.

Life is precious. Live it. Enjoy the little things. Love, laugh, be. Treasure each and every moment. Forgive. Let go. Be present. Time together is the most precious gift of all.

The Precious Present.

I love you seester. Now, forever, and always. 💕

#PurpleStride2024 http://support.pancan.org/goto/TeamCat