Posted on:
Jan 13, 2007 04:10AM
- edited
Jan 9, 2009 09:29AM
by
ritajean
Bloomington, IL
Joined:
Nov 2006
Posts:
4,186
ritajean
wrote:
I'm very curious about all the Illinois ladies who are making this breast cancer journey or who have finished it. Where are you located? What's your diagnosis? Where are you in your treatment plan? How's it going for you?
I thought we might be surprised to find somebody right in our own back yard that could use some encouragement or company.
I'll start us out. I live in Bloomington. I was diagnosed in Nov. 2006 with IDC cancer, 1.4 cm. er-, pr+, her2-. Stage 1 but that horrid Grade 3. Had an excisional biopsy that came back without clear margins. Went to Peoria to an excellent breast surgeon. Had a lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy. Nodes and margins were both clear. Now I'm headed for my first CMF chemo on Jan. 26th. I'm very nervous about the chemo, which I dread more than any other part of the journey, I think.
Hop on here and tell us about yourself. There may be some of us that are even close enough we could meet for an outing some time.
Rita
Dx
11/21/2006, IDC, 1cm, Stage I, Grade 3, 0/4 nodes, ER-/PR+, HER2-
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Jan 7, 2018 10:25AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Life rushes us along and few people are strong enough to stop on their own. Most often, something unforeseen stops us and it is only then we have the time to take a seat at life's kitchen table. To know our own story and tell it. To listen to other people's stories. To remember that the real world is made up of just such stories. Until we stop ourselves or, more often, have been stopped, we hope to put certain of life's events "behind us" and get on with our living. After we stop we see that certain of life's issues will be with us for as long as we live. We will pass through them again and again, each time with a new story, each time with a greater understanding, until they become indistinguishable from our blessings and our wisdom. It's the way life teaches us how to live.
Rachel Naomi Remen
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 8, 2018 10:12AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
There is an Indian proverb or axiom that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person. -Rumer Godden
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 9, 2018 10:30AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Compassion is the basis of all truthful relationship: it means being present with love—for ourselves and for all life, including animals, fish, birds, and trees. Compassion is bringing our deepest truth into our actions, no matter how much the world seems to resist, because that is ultimately what we have to give this world and one another. -Ram Dass
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 10, 2018 10:17AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
You are not your mind. You, a Spiritual Being,
are neither your mind nor your body.
Mind and body are your tools - to use as you choose.
Sometimes your body appears to have a will of its own,
as when it twitches or pains.
Likewise, your mind often appears to have its own will.
That incessant chattering of regret, disappointment, guilt,
shame, foreboding, worry, and fear
is your Rattlesnake Mind striking off on its own.
Know that your mind can be a vicious rattlesnake, and be cautious.
The mind can be tamed, but only with conscious effort and patience.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 11, 2018 11:00AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
You must not lose faith in humanity.
Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty,
the ocean does not become dirty.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 12, 2018 10:59AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
The great affair, the love affair with life, is to live as variously as possible, to groom one's curiosity like a high-spirited thoroughbred, climb aboard, and gallop over the thick, sunstruck hills every day.It began as mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between. -Diane Ackerman
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 13, 2018 10:27AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
You have not lived a perfect
day, even though you have
earned your money, unless
you have done something
for someone who will never
be able to repay you.
Ruth Smeltzer
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 14, 2018 10:39AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
The value of all service lies in the spirit in which you serve and not in the importance or magnitude of the service. Even the lowliest task or deed is made holy, joyous, and prosperous when it is filled with love.
Charles Fillmore
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 15, 2018 10:14AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
I have learned to recognize and celebrate my gifts, to enjoy my calling, to revel in my unique place in God's plan.There is genuine satisfaction in who I am, what I have, where I'm going, and what I can give to others.It is enough. -Roger C. Palms
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 16, 2018 10:56AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
The roots of love sink down and deep and strike out far, and they are arteries that feed our lives, so we must see that they get the water and sun they need so they can nourish us. And when you put something good into the world, something good comes back to you. -Merle Shain
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 17, 2018 10:07AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Magic is a sudden opening of the mind to the wonder of existence. It is a sense that there is much more to life than we usually recognize; that we do not have to be confined by the limited views that our family, our society, or our own habitual thoughts impose on us; that life contains many dimensions, depths, textures, and meanings extending far beyond our familiar beliefs and concepts. -John Welwood
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 18, 2018 10:41AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded.
It's a relationship between equals.
Only when we know our own darkness well
can we be present with the darkness of others.
Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
- Pema Chodron
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 19, 2018 11:07AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
As we learn to accept our character flaws and broken moments, and as we learn to accept ourselves for the times we fail and fall short in life, we grow in our capacity to accept and forgive others. And as we learn to have compassion for, and maybe even to gently and nonjudgmentally cradle what we don't like in ourselves, we, in turn, may very well end up serving as an incarnate source of compassion for others who are struggling with self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. -Gary Egeberg
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 20, 2018 10:47AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Two today because they are perfect:
Grace is goodness and respect given freely and unconditionally.
A sense of divine love and protection bestowed on us when
we need strength and renewal. Grace helps us know we are
not alone and believe we are cared for and cherished.
Grace is a drink of clear, clean water in the desert.
Sue Patton Thoele
More about grace.
The moment of grace comes to us in the dynamics of any situation we walk into. It is an opportunity that God sews into the fabric of a routine situation. It is a chance to do something creative, something helpful, something healing, something that makes one unmarked spot in the world better off for our having been there. We catch it if we are people of discernment.
Lewis B. Smedes
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 21, 2018 10:46AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
To live a life of gratitude is to open our eyes to the countless ways in which we are supported by the world around us. Such a life provides less space for our suffering because our attention is more balanced. We are more often occupied with noticing what we are given, thanking those who have helped us, and repaying the world in some concrete way for what we are receiving.
Gregg Krech
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 22, 2018 10:44AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
There cannot be a sense of abundance or the experience of prosperity without appreciation. You cannot find beauty unless you appreciate beauty. You cannot find friendship unless you appreciate others. You cannot find love unless you appreciate loving and being loved. If you wish abundance, appreciate life. -William R. Miller
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 23, 2018 10:19AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Couldn't decide which quote so enjoy all three:
As I experience it, appreciation of beauty is access to the soul. With beauty in our lives, we walk and carry ourselves more lightly and with a different look in our eyes. To look into the eyes of someone beholding beauty is to look through the windows of the soul. Anytime we catch a glimpse of soul, beauty is there; anytime we catch our breath and feel "How beautiful!," the soul is present.
Jean Shinoda Bolen
How much beauty goes unnoticed as we hurry from place to place during the course of our busy days? How many flowers and trees do we go by without noticing their colors or their marvelous complexity or their scents? How many rainbows go unseen by how many people because we close ourselves up indoors when it rains to "protect" ourselves from the elements? How many snowfalls go unenjoyed because it's too cold outside or we don't want to bother to put on our gloves and coats and boots and hats to keep us warm and dry?
tom walsh Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, and creeds follow one another like the withered leaves of Autumn; but what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons and a possession for all eternity.
Oscar Wilde
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 24, 2018 10:55AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Love is the doorway through which the human soul passes from selfishness to service, and from solitude to kinship with all humankind.
unattributed
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 25, 2018 10:41AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
There are simple antidotes to complacency. Gratitude is one of them. Every morning we can take a few moments to appreciate all the goodness in our lives. Another powerful antidote is taking the time to consciously contact our Higher Power. God is always available to help us; we simply have to open the door. Sharing hope with others is perhaps the most powerful of the antidotes because it helps at least two people—ourselves and the listener who hears our story. -unattributed
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 26, 2018 10:52AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Self respect cannot be hunted. It cannot be purchased. It is never for sale. It cannot be fabricated out of public relations It comes to us when we are alone, in quiet moments, in quiet places, when we suddenly realize that, knowing the good we have done it; knowing the beautiful, we have served it; and knowing the truth, we have spoken it.
Witney Gruiswold
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 27, 2018 10:13AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
"Colors are the smiles of nature."
-- Leigh Hunt
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 28, 2018 10:32AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
"Life always offers you a second chance.
It's called tomorrow."
— Author Unknown
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 29, 2018 12:49PM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Life is a refining processor response to it determines whether we'll be ground down or polished up. On a piano, one person sits down and plays sonatas, while another merely bangs away at "Chopsticks. "The piano is not responsible. It's how you touch the keys that makes the difference. It's how you play what life gives you that determines your joy and shine. -Barbara Johnson
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 30, 2018 09:53AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant:
if we did not sometimes taste of adversity,
prosperity would not be so welcome.
Anne Bradstreet
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 30, 2018 09:53AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant:
if we did not sometimes taste of adversity,
prosperity would not be so welcome.
Anne Bradstreet
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Jan 31, 2018 10:58AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Passion doesn't come from business or books or even a connection with another person. It is a connection with your own life force, the world around you and the spirit that connects us all. YOU are the source. Books, work, music, people, sunsets all provide sparks, but only you can light the fire.
Jennifer Jones
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Feb 1, 2018 11:18AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
"The journey begins where you are, not where you want to be! So be here now and embrace the present moment, and all it offers." - Charlene Proctor
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Feb 2, 2018 10:45AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
If you can accept the flow of life and give in to it,
you will be accepting what is real. Only when you accept
what is real can you live with it in peace and happiness.
The alternative is a struggle that will never end because
it is a struggle with the unreal, with a mirage of life
instead of life itself.
Deepak Chopra
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Feb 3, 2018 10:49AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
Only when life is difficult, are we challenged to become our greatest selves.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
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Feb 4, 2018 10:50AM
IllinoisLady
wrote:
"To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself."
-- Soren Kierkegaard
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. ~~~Elizabeth Kuebler-Ross
Dx
9/27/2007, IDC, 5cm, Stage II, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-