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"Well, I don't like to toot my own horn, but that looks really good!" No, I did not say that. It is a direct quote from my surgeon, Dr. Beatrice Klade, of the Edward-Elmhurst Medical Group. It's the kind of thing a survivor likes to hear from her surgeon: that the 12-inch scar extending from the underarm to the breast bone has healed so far ... and has closed this chapter in this part of my cancer journey. I say "closed this chapter" because, to the even mildly observant, life is not to be taken for granted. The zero on my Onctotype DX test is fantastic, but it does not preclude a recurrence entirely, nor does it promise that the remaining side won't take off on its own.  The team at E-E has been nothing short of excellent. Caring. Thorough. Empathetic. Accessible. And transparent. But there's more to this journey than just the testing and the surgery. The emotions are part and parcel of the process. And for support there, I thank my frien...

I was attending college when I first started singing the jingle to "Sun In." Remember it? 🎵🎵Sun in and sunlight, and you'll be blonder toniiiiiight!🎵🎵 The best it ever did for me was to turn my ash colored hair a bit redder. More of a strawberry blonde. Then, when I was in my mid thirties, I noticed the dreaded stray gray hairs begin to appear. Over the counter color boosters worked just fine. But by the time I was in my mid forties, I alternated between over the counter color and paying someone to make me look "natural." Assuming "natural" is not gray, of course. So, now I'm sporting a full blown stripe of gray down the middle of my head. There's a fairly good reason for that. I'm pragmatic. I don't like to pay for something that may have a short shelf life. As you are aware, I had a single mastectomy on July 18. I'm not quite three weeks into recovery. The surgery went well. I only have slight aches and pains if I ov...