16 plus 2 and counting

Yesterday I celebrated more than my birthday. Having sixteen "cancer free" years in the bank prior to battling it again in 2008 with surgery on my birthday that year, I am now calling March 28th more than my birthday. Not wanting to forget the cancer free years I have enjoyed since my first battle in 1992 I called yesterday my "16 plus 2." Next year will be "16 plus 3" and so on...

I guess because I write so openly about all of this in my books many holders-of-the-heart know when my birthday falls. I hear from so many of you each year and this year seemed to be a record year. Not that I am counting, but the e-mails and cards in the mail far out numbered past years. I can't thank you enough - this shout out is to all of you with thanks from the bottom of my heart.

I have just returned from a trip to Grande Prairie Alberta where I had the honour of speaking at a conference at the Grande Prairie Regional College. Life is not all-cancer-all-the-time and this trip was a great reminder of that. Often cancer survivors feel that others treat them (us) differently and see us with a big red "C" for cancer on our face. We work very hard to live a life outside of the cancer arena. I chose to live my life at a time I call half-past-cancer which means I am half in and half out of that cancer arena. It works for me albeit for many survivors - not so much.

In Grande Prairie it was not about cancer at all. In addition to meeting many students I got to spend a week with my sister Lois and her wonderful family. Her grandchildren are growing up - Courtney is about to celebrate her "sweet 16" and 13 year old Justin taught me how to shoot a paint-ball gun. And, by the way, I hit the target first try! It's not something I will be seeking out in Toronto though.

And, I will be driving my new MX5 (new to me) home to Nova Scotia this summer!