Where I Was One Year Ago...

One year ago today, on the first day of another school year, I was not at school in my library like I normally would be.

Nope, last year I spent the first day of school at the doctor's office for an appointment with a surgeon (who would later become "my" surgeon) to talk about the lumps that were about to take over my world.

Last year on the first day of school, at that first doctor's appointment, I had already had a mammogram and an ultrasound, both of which were inconclusive (soon to be the story of my life). I had told precisely no one about the lumps. Well, that's not entirely true. There were maybe a half dozen people that knew only because I couldn't manufacture a good enough story about why I'd be missing the first day of school on the spur of the moment.

Keith can back me up on this, but during that first appointment with the surgeon, we heard words like:
"can't possibly be cancer..."
"unlikely to be cancer..."
"you're so young..."
"I wouldn't worry..."
"99% sure it's not cancer..."

At the end of the appointment there was no real urgency to get a surgery scheduled to perform that first lumpectomy. I took her next available appointment, which was over one month later.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to today, another first day of school.

Obviously a LOT has changed. My daughter started middle school...not at her home school (mine), but at a choice school she really wanted to attend. My son started his junior year at a new school...one that will give him a fresh start after what we like to call "the year we are going to forget." Both of them are jumping into new adventures at places where they barely know anyone, and I couldn't be more proud of both of them.

And me? I'm still not back at school to start this first day. (Though I did get to spend my morning with one of my favorite Evergreen teachers who recently retired, so it felt a little like being there for both of us). And because of continued treatments, I probably won't be back in the building until October.

And as for what the future holds for all of us? I don't know. I do know that I learned a lot this past year...about myself...my family...what is really important...and what isn't. And that's an entirely different post, so stay tuned. 

But I just wanted to take a minute to mark this "milestone." And send out good wishes for the start of a new, and hopefully better, year for all of us.