Hi, Suzy,

What a terrible journey - so many forks in the road that could have ended badly. It's shame that we are bound to insurance gods that show no compassion, or even logic, at times.

I was more fortunate in that even though the bump on my gum didn't look or act like cancer, my drs. became my advocates and insisted I be seen by the next one immediately. I had 5 months between first symptom and surgery, which was much less extensive than yours.

Some stories here are scary, and we can become frightened for ourselves, but you also will find in them a sense of hope, optimism and gratitude. This, in turn, lends strength to each of us, no matter what we face, even if it's the other shoe dropping. Vigilance, knowledge, advocacy and action are the weapons we need to employ for the rest of our lives.

Congratulations on passing your first anniversary of being cancer free. Here's to a whole lot more!

Marlene