Sue Miller Day of Caring

Last week, Ellen brought Butterfly Kisses and  Wishes on Wings to the Sue Miller Day of Caring in her home state of Colorado- Making our first appearance at this event to benefit breast cancer awareness.

Ellen at our table... butterflies abound!

The need for our book and the heartwarming response I received at the event continues to remind me why Nanci and I created Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings.  The biggest hit was probably our new note cards with the image of the Nanci's Butterfly Kiss on it.  

Butterfly Kiss Notecard
Sold in set of 6
$8.00 set

Meeting all the other wonderful organizations that work together to raise awareness, educate, or supply products for cancer patients  made the day memorable.  My very favorite part was seeing Dr. Sami Diab again.  Dr. Diab was my friend Jennifer's oncologist (she is my friend who told me not to be sad when she passed.... that each time I saw a butterfly, it would be her.  That's when the butterfly came to be in our a story.)  


How pleased I was that Dr. Diab remembered me... and our book.  


I am truly blessed with all the many people I have met through our book.... yes indeed, truly blessed.

Never an Easy Conversation

Pages from
Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings: When someone you love has cancer... a hopeful, helpful book for kids

This second time, I was not so delicate.

The phone rang, I heard the news - all three sites from my axilla (armpit) were malignant.  I may have blurted the news right out to Griffin, who is now 13 (he was 5) the first time.  He immediately went and told Nate who is now 11.  His eyes, immediately, began to well up.

I'd like to think I handled it more gently in the moments following. It's never an easy conversation, even with a prior history and all the work I have done with my cousin Ellen.  But we continue to work through it - Together.

That was just about 2 months ago.  Finally, I have a plan.

Make that Plural

The other day my mom went to the doctor...
from Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings: When someone you love has cancer... a hopeful, helpful book for kids

Make that Plural in many ways.

I have to use Ellen's words again. sigh.

It's never just one doctor. This time, it was my gyn that sent me for the Breast MRI after I showed her some lumps under my right arm. And that, was only the beginning.

Navigating through doctors and tests is no easy feat. Finding the best course of action, the doctors that you want to - and can (Hello, PPO's, HMO's, EMO's - another world for sure) work with, is mind bending. and nerve wracking.

Now, two months later from this second diagnosis for breast cancer. I have a clear direction- malignant nodes and possibly small tumors in residual breast tissue on the right side where it was originally 8 years ago. A ruptured implant on the left. ug... and Sloan Kettering wants one more biopsy before they schedule my surgery.

Hopefully soon, to get this part over with, but the truth is why do I want to rush it? I feel GOOD and I have my wonderful support system, my hair (!) and am giving thanks that it is a beautiful sunny spring like day!