My friends, it has been quite a year.  I was happily living my life, believing my hormone positive, HER2 negative breast cancer was in the rear view mirror.  And then it returned in my spine, burst my L4 and led to spinal surgery, radiation and oral chemo.  18 days in the hospital at UChicago, 11 days inpatient at Shirley Ryan downtown followed by 3 months of 3 times a week rehab.  Great sunrises at UChicago, great sunsets at SRAL.  

1 week before the MRI that changed my life, my oncologist told me that my sciatica was not cancer. She ran the numbers and we came up with a 2.8% risk of recurrence!  That's just how cancer is.  You think you know and then it tells you who is leading this dance.

Honestly, there is no way I could have faced this new tango without having gone through the first 10 years ago with Wellness House.  I learned how to take care of myself, my family learned how to process information and cope with the uncertainties, I was fit going in to the debilitating surgery, knew to talk to a nutritionist about my diet and protein intake, learned mindfulness and how to live in the moment, all the things.  I know many poeple who have gone before me and are living or have lived good lives.  And I learned that there is no answer to the question "Why me?"  Why not me?  

Breast cancer will be my dance partner for the duration of my life.  Wellness House taught me how to dance.  I know we will get to a slow waltz soon  

I have no special offerings as thank you gifts this year.  I hope you will find my story compelling enough to donate.  

Wellness House provides all these services free to those living with cancer.  Because of generous donations like yours.