Monday, motivation and my sister's mastectomy

For the past few weeks I have been watching one of the people I love most in the whole world do one of the bravest things I have witnessed…my sister had a double mastectomy.

Last week Monday, at 8am, my sister had a double mastectomy. That’s all I could think about in my head every time I sat down trying to write this weeks blog post. Although I had my September topics all planned out,  nothing felt significant enough to spend time putting out into the world while I watched my sister heal. Eventually she said “write about me”.

Sis, while one blog post cannot do this story justice - I'm honoured to share a piece of it.

This is not a cancer story - which makes it easier in some ways and harder in others.

In the end it came down to a really tough choice - a lifetime of pain and procedures or a mastectomy. 

I remember how -before the surgery became a real option for you - we sat and talked as if a mastectomy was the easy option - at least you wouldn’t be in pain anymore. Well damn - were we wrong. Turns out it would be the hardest thing you would ever do. I don’t know how we missed that.

It has been pretty amazing watching you navigate this journey- not just physically going through this surgery but seeing all the healing you started doing before the surgery even happened. I have seen you make space for this to change you, I have seen you make strides in healing yourself and your kids, I have been in awe of the way you have been able to see so clearly the growth that could come from it while you’re right in the middle of it. And my most favourite part- watching you show up for yourself. A few weeks before the surgery you told me “I don’t trust myself at all” - I don’t think that is true anymore. 

I know that you had to physically let go of a part of yourself - but you have gained so much of yourself back through this process. I think you may finally be able to see your strength - you know, the strength I always told you that you had. And I think I may be seeing glimpses of the wild brave girl you were before life tainted us all those years ago.

I'm proud of you - mostly just because you’re so proud of yourself. You’ve reminded so many people that are watching you of the resilience we are all capable of if we put our minds to it and that there is healing in our pain.

Here's to the speediest recovery, a lot more healing and endless growth.

******

I'm also really glad that a More Than Pretty Tote

bag could be part of my sister’s healing journey. A masectomy means drains during post op and although the hospital gave her a bag - she said an MTP tote worked better. And ofcourse the affirmations can’t hurt ❤