I have been cancer free for 14 years now. Even I don’t believe it sometimes. When I was diagnosed, one of my mentors and confidants was Jennifer Gonyea. She saw me through the highs and lows of treatments and would keep me grounded. I hope I conveyed that to her and her loved ones because it was certainly something that reminded me I was not alone and people before me went through this, and people after me will go through it. Each person has their own journey but we all share some of the same worries. She passed a way a few weeks ago and this affected me more than I have let one because I always watched her progress and took solace and strength in her successes. I have no reason to be concerned because I haven’t had any scares since my treatment, but it still occupies my mind in the dark of night occasionally.
Nevertheless I keep pushing forward day by day looking forward to my retirement and travel years which is just 5 years away now!
We just returned from a trip to Spain and Turkey and are looking forward to a trip in November with my mother (76), my brother and his new wife. Neither my brother or his wife have ever left the country so we are excited to introduce them to life abroad and hope it will tickle their fancy enough that they learn to explore other places on their own.
Life is good and I’m thankful to be here to enjoy it!
