a long overdue update

Hello hello,

Not sure if anyone still checks in here, but I figured I needed to bring some closure to this blog since I sort of left it hanging after my treatment ended. It was certainly a wild ride, and it is strange to think that I'm already 3 months away from it all. Here's what's been going on in my post-cancer life:

I wrapped up treatment on October 19th, and was thrilled to see a cancer-free CTscan at my follow up visit in November. It was so shocking to look at my original scans next to the new ones and see how much disease had been in me when I first started this process. My entire chest cavity, from neck to stomach, was filled with shadowy blackness in the image from May, and all those shadows are now gone :)

About 2 weeks ago I returned to Helen Graham for another check-up. This time I got a chest x-ray and blood work. I had to go alone because my parents were both working, and I must say I was a tad nervous sitting in the waiting room to be called back. I felt fine, but you just never know...I mean I never thought I would get cancer in the first place! Happily, I received all good news. There are no changes in my scans since my x-ray in November. There is still one abnormal area that appears to be scar tissue, but that can take time to deteriorate. It hasn't grown, and I'm just going to keep praying that there aren't any cancer cells hiding away inside it. Dr. Guarino said my chest x-ray looks like that of any other average, healthy 22-year-old now. Hooray!!

In addition to that happy news, I also got my grades back from my first semester at law school. I was bracing myself for disappointment, but I got another pleasant surprise. I made it into the top 1/3 of my class, and came just a few points shy of making the Dean's List :) I was honestly shocked and signed back into my WebAdvisor account again to see if there had been some mistake. It was no mistake though. I was SO excited. Hopefully I can keep up the good work from here on out. I'm just relieved to have passed! haha

So things have been going very well overall. Aside from school, I made it my New Year's resolution to get back in shape. I honestly have never made a New Year's resolution before, because the general concensus seems to be that they usually never work out. So far so good though. I have been going to the gym 5 times a week, taking step and kickboxing classes, running and doing strength training. Yesterday I ran 2.5 miles at the park with my dad. That isn't much, but back when I was sick I couldn't even run half a mile without collapsing because of my lung, so it felt AMAZING to go that far. I've lost about 5 pounds, and I've definitely gained a lot of muscle, so I am really pleased with my progress.

I think being sick makes you appreciate the ability to exercise in a way that I certainly never did before. I don't see it as a chore now. I am just thrilled to be physically able to do it. I have also tried to adapt healthier eating habits. I know that back in the begining I said I was giving up on health and resolving to eat cookie dough for the rest of my life, but I've changed my mind now. If I'm going to keep on living, which I fully intend to do, then I want to feel good about it. Getting exercise and eating well has made me feel both physically and more importantly mentally healthier. It's been almost a month and a half since I started this 5-day-gym routine, and I don't see myself backing out of my resolution any time soon.

So anyway, that's all my news for now. In summary, life is wonderful. I have a fantastic family, beautiful friends, a loving boyfriend, I'm getting a great education, and I'm feeling healthier than ever. Now I just need to work on finding a summer job . . . haha.

Until next time, I hope you are all as happy and healthy as I am feeling these days!

Lots of love,
Lauren