Wiggle your big toe!!

Ok, well, maybe not so much my big toe right now, lol!  I can say that my right arm is improving daily though and for that I am so very thankful!  Through all of this my mind keeps flashing back to the movie Kill Bill because that is the kind of determination I have to get myself moving back in the right direction!  This experience for me has been so humbling.  The amount of support, care and community involvement I have seen has really renewed my faith in people.  I hadn’t realized how jaded I had become and for that glimpse back into community I am so very thankful.

I haven’t cried over my situation, felt sorry for myself, or have ever wanted anyone’s pity but the outpouring of people wanting to help or just let me know that they care has turned me into an emotional, bubbling idiot, lol.  People, like my friend Shawn, whom Jay and I met online in a video game several years ago dropping everything to drive 600 miles from Knoxville, to give my husband a hand for a weekend while I was in the hospital was one of those humbling moments.  All of the support from my daughter’s school.  Seeing donations being made to help us raise the money for a wheelchair ramp, or to help pay for my medications that I will have to take for the rest of my life, not to mention the countless other expenses that we will have just to improve the house so that I can move around more independently has just been breathtaking.

These things only add to my determination to work hard and beat this for as long as I can.  God truly has given me a wonderful opportunity to share my story and struggles to help bring attention to the type of breast cancer that I have, Inflammatory Breast Cancer.  I plan to fight and do what I can to raise awareness about this horrible disease.  Most importantly, I do it for my daughter.  To be here to see her grow, teach her about strength, and hope that she doesn’t have to face this herself in her future.  Of course, as a mom that’s my biggest fear, that she will end up with this as well.  Thankfully, at least now we know she’s at risk and can monitor it better than I did for myself.

In closing for tonight, I am posting two quick videos of my arm/hand movement from the hospital.  I will post a newer video soon of where I am at now so that I can share my progress with all of you!  Hopefully, I post these right, lol.  The first video shows all of the movement in my fingers has returned.  I woke up from surgery only being able to move my thumb and index finger.  The second video shows the return of my wrist rotation.

Fingers

Wrist