Hi Everyone,
It has been a while since I have written. I have had some health setbacks and complications that have taken my energy, and am finally feeling able to put pen to paper (or keyboard to computer!) to once again share some thoughts.
We are living in frightening, uncertain times. The Coronavirus is presenting a set of unique challenges for each of us. For those of us who have Ovarian Cancer, those challenges are even more daunting. We know we are very high risk, and must respond accordingly.
Along with the added adjustments we each make daily, I find I am in a constant state of fear. Fear that somehow the virus will break through the seemingly impenetrable fortress my husband and I have created around us, and sneak its way in to infect me. No longer is my primary fear a spread of my Cancer. That fear is now surpassed by the all-pervasive fear that the virus will find me, and defeat my Cancer-battled immune system. I have to really focus on my feelings, to control what could be a runaway train of emotions.
It is a never-ending job to hold onto a sense of normalcy. My husband and I take daily drives, take walks in the woods, and visit the beach, all to feel connected, while keeping safe. My Oncologist has given us the green light to go for socially distanced walks, impressing on me the importance of exercise to build myself up against the Cancer. Those walks have turned into invaluable therapy, though I continue to be ever on guard, as if the virus would somehow become visible to me as it launched an attack!
I think all of us who deal with Cancer issues day in and day out, now have those same issues magnified. For me, trying to keep some sense of balance in my life, while being careful, is what works. So onward my husband Ken and I will go – walking, driving, and connecting with nature. And taking everything a day at a time.
‘Til Next Time,
MJ