PRAYERS NEEDED

 Went in for blood work and it came back quite elevated, so I need to go in for more testing to see if the cancer is back.  I would appreciate any and all prayers, and thanks in advance.  I am in a sort of daze so not a lot to report, but I will tell you that I trained and completed my 5k in 34:39 and out of 75 women came in 54th, not too shabby for my first 5k. My son will run the next two with me, so that will be fun.  Blessings to you my friends and I will keep you informed as I find out.

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp* 

© 2011 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

My Time At Relay For Life

Hi friends and family! I just finished participating in my first Relay For Life event and let me tell you something, it was life-changing and emotional.

I have to say I was very excited to be a part of Relay For Life for a few reasons, two of them being, I am a survivor of cancer, and I have many family members who have either survived, lost their lives, or are in the battle now.  I was proud to honor all of them by walking the Relay event.

As my friends and I took our place at the starting line to walk our survivor lap we were all excited and emotional.  We had battled cancer and we won.  As I walked I thanked God for bringing me through the last few years and for giving me another chance at life. 

Then as we passed by our team and family members the emotions overtook me and I bawled tears of joy, and my friends and I raised our arms in victory because we fought cancer and WE WON!

The day was filled with tears and laughter as we walked laps and raised even more money to research and find a cure for cancer. There were so many incredible people at the event and I felt honored to be among them.  I even have a medal for my having survived CANCER, it doesn't get much better than that.

Our team made it to Silver Team.  We painted a car PURPLE and spray painted the names of cancer all over it and people came in droves to beat the cancer car to bits, me included. As I smashed the Thyroid cancer bit of the car I unloaded all my anger and put a huge dent right in the middle of it.  It was cathartic to say the least.

We also had a pie smash at our tent site as well as Happy Un-Birthday grams.  All these different things helped us raise even more money to beat cancer for good. My mama went and was a huge support for me, and for that I am even more in love with her.  She is a sweet soul and one of my very best friends. We now have matching cancer bracelets in honor of our time with the monster that is CANCER.

That is all for now, thanks for sticking by me even when I don't post every day.  I love you all--You Rock! I wish you could have been there with me but you were there in my heart and that was good enough for me.  Blessings bloggy friends!

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

Wrap Up Of My Week

So let me tell you what I have been up to lately...Not a whole lot.  That being said, it seems like I have been on a much needed vacation...of sorts.  I have spent a lot of time just resting, watching movies with the kids, taking walks and riding my beloved Choncho (Beach cruiser), lol.  Ya'll know how much I love my bike, right?  Right!  I have not really felt inspired to write much, I just feel like I am blocked, like I need this little respite/vacation. 

When I was on the hcg diet I obsessed over the weight I was losing...how much and how often...Now I am obsessing over the weight that my body is gaining...just a little weight,  Really, it is no big deal, but my brain cannot quit obsessing over it.  I know it is perfectly normal for my body to fluctuate up and down for the first 1-3 weeks as it tries to find it's new normal, that doesn't make it any easier for someone like me.  I have a problem with weight and the number on the scale, see I used to have an eating disorder...when I was a teenager, and then after my second son...14 years ago.

I don't anymore, but this whole hcg maintenance is going to drive me NUTS as my body tries to establish a new normal.  I have barely gotten 1000 calories a day and still gained 1.6 lbs..largely due to my not following the rule of no added SUGAR...I love my salad dressing which happens to have a little added SUGAR in it, as well as my diet Pepsi...one of these two is causing my weight gain because it can't be the calories. It is probably my beloved salad dressing, so I will have to say goodbye to it until my 3 weeks of maintenance are up.

Yes I am done whining, sorry friends.  I am getting ready to do the Relay For Life next weekend and I am a little nervous.  It will be my 1st relay for cancer, and my 1st as a survivor.  It is actually a little exciting, my team is doing well with their fundraising endeavors and we have made the bronze team but would like to get to the silver team.  So next weekend my boys, my mom and I will spend the day walking laps, manning the car smash, and raising even more money to research and cure cancer, but first I will get to walk the survivors lap with many others just like me, I can't wait, I will probably cry...for joy!

Well, my children are setting up the tent in the backyard and I am getting antsy to move around.  May you all have a wonderful weekend, full of BBQ's, fun and family and friends...blessings to you all!
 
I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

A Message From Me To You

I just found out Saturday that my dear sweet cousin Melinda is in remission just like me.  The joy this family feels is just WOW! We have been praying for this moment for a long time and I am so excited for her and her boys to get on with their lives. 

For anyone who has had cancer or has someone in their immediate circle with cancer or even lost someone to cancer...you know what I mean when I say Cancer Sucks! Cancer takes so much away from you and gives little to nothing back. 

I am so thankful to all who prayed and encouraged me in my fight, it truly helped. If you know someone who is fighting this battle, pray for them, encourage them and love on them, it will be a blessing to them and to you as well.

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

My Dear Sweet Cousin

Hey all you sweet friends of mine, I want to let you know that my dear sweet cousin who is battling cancer (you've heard me talk about her before) is now a BLOGGER so please go on over and show her the love.  She is beautiful and just starting out, so bear with her as she is learning what all this blogging stuff is all about. Her name is Melinda (just click her name) and her blog is Live, Laugh, Love. I would consider it a huge favor if you give her all the support you can, both in blogging and in her cancer fight! Now go make me proud to be a blogger!


 I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

Relay for Life

As most of you know I have been fighting cancer for the last year or so, and have just recently found out I am in total remission. Yay me! Yet there are many others out there who are still in the fight of their lives, some just starting out, and some who have been bravely fighting for years, my cousin Melinda is one of them.  I have joined with the American Cancer Society in their Relay for Life event this year in my hometown June 19-20.  I am asking anyone out there to consider either joining in on the relay in your own hometown or donate to help save lives..even just $10.00 goes a long way in fighting this terrible disease.  Thank you in advance and God bless!  You may have noticed on the left hand top sidebar my badge for the American Cancer Society, if you click on it, you will be whisked away to my support page.  Cancer doesn't play favorites and I figure neither will I, that is why I have sent a mass email explaining Relay for Life and my part in it to all or most of you.  God bless you all! 

 By the way the picture of the thermometer looking thingy off to the left of this post is how much my team has raised of our $5,000.00 goal.

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I should do and With the help of God, I will do."
~Everette Hale

Life with Cancer

Today I wanted to share a little bit of my history with ya’ll, so sit back, grab a drink, and relax while I tell you a story about my life. I want to share a little bit about the past few years and what I have been going through.


I have mentioned to ya’ll before that I have Thyroid disease and have been battling Cancer as well, but I wanted to go even deeper into what it has been like for me and the family. You can read about some of it in the "pages" section of this blog or here  or even here.


Most of my youngest child’s life has been spent with a sick mama, she has really never known me as a healthy person. When she was a little baby I started to get sick, in fact so sick I could hardly get out of bed. So it was very difficult for me to do what needed to be done while my hubby was out making money to support all six of us. As a SAHM I was responsible for the running of the household and raising of the chitlens...Um kids for those who don’t know what chitlens are.


My day to day activities were the normal things a mama does but for me they were next to impossible to do, because I just did not have the required energy to do them well.  Just imagine doing all that needs to be done for 4 small children and the running of the household with little to no energy to do them. That was my life. Skip ahead to the last few years...The children are all bigger and semi-independent. Think 3 teen boys and 1 pre-teen girl. Got it, good!


The last few years have been easier for me because the kids are bigger and they are used to having to do some things for themselves. Some of those things are, cooking, cleaning, finding rides to activities, and having to take care of things around the house so mom could rest…etc...Although this is good, I have struggled with feelings of failure as a mother. Around my house, everyone knows if you mess it up, clean it up, because mom does not have the energy to do it herself.


I’m getting a little bit off topic, so I will re-direct myself now. My Thyroid disease definitely got worse the last couple of years, which presented me with the option of visiting a surgeon for removal of the Thyroid. Then fast-forward to surgery day...Imagine it, it’s the day before Halloween, and I am getting ready to go into surgery with a doctor named Dr. Fear! Dum, da, dum, dum, dum… Yeah, I was a little nervous, to say the least.


He was a wonderful doctor and did an amazing job; you can barely see my scar, which lies neatly tucked into a natural crease at the bottom of my neck.  Although a week later I found out that I did indeed have Cancer and would need treatment, now that had to be one of the scariest moments of my life.  I thought I had prepared myself to hear those words but until it happens to you, nothing really prepares you for cancer.  All sorts of thoughts went through my mind, like will I live to see my children graduate school and get married and have my grandbabies, will I get to grow old with my wonderful and amazing husband?  Thankfully the answer is yes!


This last year or two has been about treatment, isolation, sickness, grief and a myriad of other emotions, but I have also grown tremendously because of it all.  It is amazing what God can do with a person during times of deeply painful experiences.  I am amazed still at what God has brought me through and how He continues to mold and shape me as a human being.


Wonderfully, I made it through treatment and my doctors and I have spent this last year getting me to a point of almost normal. Wow! I haven’t felt what normal feels like for so long I am having trouble recognizing it.  My Thyroid levels are where they need to be and stay, and I am getting my energy back.  I have started to exercise and eat better, which means I am learning what a serving size actually looks like, and that I have to intentionally get out and exercise.  What a concept!  Blogging has been part of my recuperation process, it has helped me to get out there and meet other people, some who have been through worse than me, and it has opened up my world, ever so immensely. Thanks be to God, I am in complete remission and I plan to do everything in my power to stay that way.


Sorry for the long post, but I really wanted to share what my life has been like with cancer in the middle of it. If anyone reading this can relate, I’d love to hear your story, so drop me a comment, or email me if you’d like, and thanks a MILLION to all of you who have so generously given me your friendship, I will cherish it always!

Blog - Letters to God, a Possibility Pictures Production

Blog - Letters to God, a Possibility Pictures Production


I just have to say this is such an awesome movement! As someone who has battled cancer, this movie means alot to me as does the message behind it! Please go and check this site out, and let others who may be dealing with cancer or those who are currently dealing with cancer, know about it!

Angelic Mom

Okay so my angel of a mom went home today, she was here helping out as I have been in isolation.  She is such a blessing, I cannot even begin to tell you...okay maybe I will tell you a little bit.  So about a year ago I had my entire Thyroid taken out due to several nodules growing on both lobes.  I then received the "cancer" diagnosis, and treatment plan, and she (my mom) has been with me through the entire..um...blessing, curse, I guess it all depends on how you look at it. 


 Anyhoo, Mom took time off work to come take care of me and my 4 wonderful, beautiful, ( well you get the point) children, while my husband (bless his heart) worked to provide for all of us.  I mean my beautiful mother cooked, cleaned, cuddled, played cards with the children, and anything else that needed to be done.   She is quite awesome and I think she deserves some kind of Award...like the Most Awesome, Beautiful, Angel Mom award...or something like that!  This last year she has really been a blessing beyond what my family or I could have asked for, and we are eternally in her debt for it!


 That being said I am well on my way to a clean health slate (so to speak)...and we shall soon find out if I am (cancer) free... like this Tuesday to be exact...so stay tuned for further posts on this topic.  See ya soon~

Journey

Today marks, hopefully, the last leg of my journey with cancer.  As I was laying in bed last night trying ( fitfully) to sleep, my thoughts would not stay quiet long enough for me to drift off.  I was ruminating on this last year and all that "The Beast, Cancer" has taken me through...Shock, Fear, Sadness, Grief, Exhaustion, Hope, and yes even Joy! It brings to my mind Psalms 56:8 Thou hast taken account of my wanderings: Put my tears in Thy bottle; Are they not in Thy book?  It facinates me to no end that God puts my tears in His bottle and keeps account of my wanderings...I am so thankful I am not going through this journey without my Heavenly Father by my side, keeping a record of it...how awesome is that!!!  I can say without reservation that if my journey is not over, that is okay, because as Psalms 56:11 says...In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid.  What can man do to me? So, I say Bring it on! I'm ready.

...waiting...

...getting ready to go to the doctor to get results...it seems like i am always waiting for some test result....i am just thinking that it is a good thing that God is so patient when waiting for results from me...i am stubborn and slow to learn...He sometimes has to hit me over the head to get me to see something He is trying to show me...often more that once...(hit me over the head, i mean)...i need to slow down and listen what God is saying and learn some patience as well...breathe, listen, slow down, breathe, listen, slow down...etc...after all, waiting can be good for you...