Apart from last year, which I’ll dig into shortly, I’ve been writing an open letter to myself, which also happens to be a blog post, for the past ten years now, and let me tell you, this one hits a little differently. What the life-altering experience of finding out I had late-stage cancer, and then figuring out how to live with it taught me, and I’m still learning, is the crux of this year’s letter to myself, and the story I want to share with you – all about what I’m still experiencing, growing from, and where I hope to go from here as a forty-five-year-old woman who’s a mother, business owner, writer, and, oh yes, also living with stage four cancer.

Cancer changed my life, but it didn’t stop the world from spinning. And some days this knowledge is a comfort, while other days, knowing that life keeps happening, despite cancer, is incredibly difficult. But regardless of the scans, treatment infusions, doctor’s appointments, second opinions, and emotions that come with having and treating cancer, there’s another reality that simultaneously exists. It’s the one where groceries still need to be bought, and kids still need to be taken to sports practices and tournaments. It’s the reality where clients send emails at inconvenient times, and your business still needs to be managed along with your team. Birthdays, anniversaries, and vacations can’t just be placed on hold – even if you have cancer.

Here’s what I now know about Immunotherapy, based on my experience so far. 

I will either write additional posts or update this post about things I learn as I progress through the rest of the treatment, which will ideally finish when I am “cancer-free” or “cancer stable.”

I’m a mom, and I have stage four melanoma in my pancreas and liver. I’m currently in cancer treatment. This is what I learned as I turned forty-four during the most challenging part of my cancer journey.