8 Year Cancerversary

Tomorrow is one of those days I used to avoid like the plague. 8 years ago, I became a statistic. Approximately 2.1% of men and women will be diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at some point during their lifetime, based on 2012-2014 data. Out of all types of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Primary Mediastinal Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma is a whopping 2-4%. I feel like I should have played the lottery when I "won" those odds because not only did I get diagnosed with a rare cancer, I relapsed too. 

 

You go through treatment not knowing what each day holds. Chemo sucks. There is not a single positive thing to it besides it killing the cancer cells (and EVERYTHING else for that matter). I lost my hair. Did I mention I lost ALL of my hair? My world was suddenly thrown upside down into a life of a cancer patient. I had to get picc lines and had so many surgeries. Bone marrow biopsies, blood transfusions, platelets. Do you know how traumatic that is for a 21 year old? What is even more traumatic than that is I didn't have the support system that many others have. I learned very quickly that blood is not thicker than water and just because your family doesn't mean they will do anything for you. Friends turned into family and helped me through my toughest days. But even then, those same friends have lives of their own and still had college and work and their families. Those friends were there for me then and most of them still are to this day. Eventually, even cancer becomes routine.

 

I won't lie though. When I relapsed, It wasn't routine. I didn't think I was going to make it. The new chemo regiment they put me on was brutal. I spent more time in the hospital than I did out of it. I just literally had nothing left in me. But I survived. I survived the numerous times in the ICU. I survived the blood clots. I survived feeling lost and broken. I survived cancer not once, but twice.

 

And I'm still surviving. I survive the long term side effects that 16 rounds of chemo did to me. I survive the doctors appointments where I get stuck 5-6 times just to get blood drawn. I survive getting seriously sick and having to be in the hospital more frequent then not. I survive having pain in some form everyday. I survive the hiatal hernia in my esophagus and the ridiculous amount of heartburn and reflux I get throughout the day because of the toxicity of the chemo. I survive the anxiety and stress that comes with being a cancer survivor. Things that didn't bother me before, now do. I'm no longer a people person. I live with a healthy concern of getting sick. I literally just got over a severe case of clostridium difficile that could have killed me. I worry what germ will invade me next. I can't fight being sick like the normal person. A simple cold gets to my lungs. The neuropathy makes my fingers and toes hurt. But even so, I survive.

All of that said, I no longer hide from tomorrow. I face tomorrow with a smile! I survived cancer twice. Why would I not be proud of that? I've been through more in my 28 years of life than most will in their lifetime. And a week from tomorrow, when I turn 29, I will celebrate too! I have made it another year when statistically, I shouldn't be here today. Next weekend, we are having a birthday party and a cancerversary party. We will celebrate my being alive. I'll be surrounded by my friends and friends who have turned into family. We don't know what the next 5 years hold. Heck, we don't know what next month will hold. What I do know? I do know I will keep on keeping on and not let anything get in my way...

{Kristin & Cameron}

Everywhere you go, you see mothers holding hands with their daughters. Phone calls between mothers and daughters everyday. They say that a mother's love is endless. I never had the relationship with my mother that all little girls wish they had. Throughout life, for various reasons, we just never had the love that most people do. I see people on a daily basis who are loved by their mother in so many ways and at times "I wish I had that..." but than I realize, I am who I am today because I didn't have that relationship with my mother. And then I also come to realization that she did so many hurtful things to me that I don't ever want that relationship again. I don't want to go back in time and change things between us. The thoughts rarely cross my mind anymore because I have had so many other amazing woman become a role model in my life and friendships that have turned into family. Not everyone will understand that and it is quite alright. Some people just don't have a relationship with certain family members, whether it is mother, father, brother, sister. Whatever the case, everyone's story is different. All of that said, this brings me to the story of Kristin and Cameron.
 

   

 

Cameron is a wild child. A beautiful girl with the most beautiful smile. And Cameron continues to smile even when the sun isn't shining so bright. She is spunky, sassy, and full of love. Did I mention she has a smile that will just melt your heart?

 

    

 

Her momma, Kristin, is an angel. While her and Cameron butt heads occasionally like any other mother and daughter, she would do anything for that gorgeous daughter of hers. She loves that girl like no other and wants to give her the best life possible. Something I simply admire of her! Kristin is someone you want to have in your life. She is strong, courageous, and simply marvelous.

    

 

Kristin and Cameron were so much fun to shoot. With Cameron's energy and Kristin's contagious smile, we spent over an hour having fun while taking photos. They literally made my job effortless. We spent time walking around Fox Run Park, a location that is surrounded by a pine forest. There was a fire a couple years back that destroyed the place, but with everything else, time heals all wounds.

         

 

I adore Kristin and her daughter Cameron and their relationship. It's not always lollipops and rainbows, but even when the seas get rough, the two of them always have their love for each other. And since Kristin is a Naval Veteran, she is always ready for when the rough waters come.

    

 

 

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Pet Drinking Fountain

 Good For Your Pets' health: Ownptes pet drinking fountain 0.8 Gallon water capacity is great for pets of all sizes. Free-falling water stream entices pets to drink more. Helps prevent urinary and kidney diseases in pets through increased hydration

Four Filtering: the water is cycling within the cat drinking fountain, filtered by the filter with activated carbon nanometer filter cotton, active ceramics, activated zeolite and calcium sulfite, maintain fresh drinking water for the pet

3 Intelligent Working Mode: to satisfy different needs of different pets, our pet dog drinking fountain has 3 modes for different water flow frequency: water flows continuously, 30sec with 30min pause intervals, or 1-10sec with 1-10sec pause intervals             

Prevent Water Overflow And Easy To Clean: smooth water cycling prevent the overflow issue, snap-fit filter mesh and filter tray, easy to remove the parts and easy to clean, the snap fit also prevent the pets taking away the filter mesh with their paws

Mute Design: Durable mute pump, efficient shock absorption, waterway cyclotron, bring quiet and comfortable using experience. Make your pets love to drinking water. Besides, as our automatic pet drinking fountain comes with a attractive gift box. It's also a great present for your parents, lovers, or friends

 

 

This product came pre-assembled. I simply gave it a quick rinse and filled it and we were good to go. it also includes two extra filters which is a nice addition. It did take the dogs a couple of days to get used to it but they do like it now. It has LED lights on it so that they pets can easily find it in the dark. We also won't trip on it at night either. The package said it is for small to medium cats and dogs but it works just fine for 3 medium to large dogs. I highly recommend this product for pet owners!

 

 

 

You can purchase this product on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742JNM6Z

 

*I received this product in exchange for an honest review*