‘Don’t worry, it’s not cancer.’

The famous last words of the doctor before I left her surgery for an ultrasound appointment in May 2009. She was not concerned in the slightest about the weird feeling I felt in my right breast, but begrudgingly sent me for a simple ultrasound to ease my mind anyway. Real big of her, since it was my second concerned visit in two months …and as it turned out, it WAS cancer, thanks very much Doctor!

No family history of breast cancer

I was 39 years old, with no history of breast cancer in my family and absolutely no other symptoms except that I felt something weird in my right breast that I’d never felt before.

So grateful my husband pushed me to investigate further, that ‘weird feeling’ ended up being a grade 3 aggressive tumour which had traveled to the lymph nodes under my right arm and could have killed me. What followed was heavy duty treatment to obliterate it – multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation treatment and later a bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgeries for good measure.

Another cancer diagnosis

Fast forward 8 years and I thought I’d kicked cancer’s butt for good! But believe it or not, it came back for another go.

Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in May 2017 was like a bad joke really. Especially considering May was the exact month of my breast cancer diagnosis 8 years earlier!

I won’t bore you with all the details but what I will say is that I love my life and I don’t intend on giving it up without a red hot fight. And the best way I know how to do that is to live life gratefully.

It’s quite simple – each morning I awake I thank God I did. Whenever I sweat the small stuff I give myself a whack across the head (not literally, but you get it) to remind myself that things could be worse. If I feel sorry for myself I take one look at my husband, kids and my big Lebanese family and smile from ear to ear. When I tremble at my bank balance I log out of internet banking quick smart because I know money comes and goes – you can always make more of it if you’re healthy and motivated – so my health is my main priority and all else will fall into place.

Life’s like a Cupcake!

Back in 2010 I started a blog called Life’s like a Cupcake!  It was my therapy at the time …a way of journaling all the things I love about life and keeping track of my joy and gratitude, even amidst the crappy turn my health had taken.

I love sharing my heart through writing but I also choose to live more mindfully. Rather than blogging all my time away, I ‘unplug’ more often and only blog when I have words of wisdom or inspiration bursting out of me. I adore the internet, but in this techno takeover we need to keep it in perspective.

Between client work and personal projects, you’ll usually find me exploring the vibrant streets of Sydney or enjoying the simple pleasures of life with my treasured ones. This is where I find much of my creative inspiration for my art, which often includes themes of travel and adventure.

Never stop dreaming

If you’ve been following my story for a while or have only just stumbled upon my humble online abode, you may have noticed I’m a bit of a dreamer.

I dream of gallivanting non-stop around this amazing planet of ours – I’ve been to a few places but have so many others on my list. I dream of watching my children’s hopes, dreams and potential come to life – my kids are amazing, just sayin’! I dream of growing old gracefully and gratefully with the love of my life, who also happens to be my hero. I don’t know what I did to deserve him, but I got lucky with this one …he’s a keeper for sure!

I love the magic in words and affirmations and how they can effect your life in a positive way. My favourite mantra is ‘never stop dreaming’.  Dreaming keeps me motivated, always giving me a focal point to work towards. As an example, I once dreamt about doing a marathon after hearing only a small percentage of the world’s population ever run one. I wanted to be a part of that elite group, so would you believe in April 2012 my dream came true?

Paris Marathon 2012

After my gruelling medical history, including a serious ankle injury and only 6 months of training, not only did I complete a marathon for real, I did it in Paris no less, one of the most beautiful cities in the world – and in so doing raised in excess of $20,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) – and I have the medal to prove it.

I believe some day a cure for cancer will be uncovered …another of my dreams. But brilliant scientific discoveries don’t come cheap, which is the reason I continue to use my story as a cancer survivor to help NBCF researchers reach their goal of ‘zero breast cancer deaths by 2030’.

I don’t want to be forever known as the ‘cancer chick’, but I will be forever proud of being the chick who gives it all she’s got to kick cancer’s butt!

So where to from here? I’m not exactly sure …what I do know though is that I’m grateful to be alive and to be dreaming of the endless possibilities and opportunities the future surely holds for me and my treasured ones.

Oh and just in case you hadn’t realised, it’s almost Christmas (where the heck did 2017 go???) I don’t know about you, but all I want for Christmas is the gift of knowing my treasured ones are safe and well, celebrating another year of life and having the prospect of a future filled with all the endless opportunities, mindful moments and the simplest of pleasures this beautiful life has to offer.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I wish you the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years!!

Never stop dreaming,

Jennifer xo