[madubois63]

Halloween and cancer:
So, how do Halloween and cancer go together you ask? Cancer has given me some of the best/worst costumes over the years, but not always at the right time of the year…My first costume was the invisible woman. After being diagnosed, I sat in rooms with doctors and family members while they talked about me as if I wasn’t there. Some friends just disappeared from my life. I guess they couldn’t see me anymore! Then came chemo, and I became an alien. At least that’s what I saw in the mirror. Maybe that’s what my old friends saw too?? My bald head and big shocked eyes made me look like something out of a 50’s sci-fi movie. At first, after the modified radical mastectomy, I looked like a mummy all wrapped up in bandages. But then I looked in the mirror and realized I had become Frankenstein all sewn together. I was frightened at first, but the scars faded and my Mexican tattoo made things better (If you haven‘t heard that one yet, ask. It‘s another story for another day). I achieved remission and then became Wonder Woman. I went back to college and work (both full time), took care of my 2 kids on my own and tried to please everyone. After a while, that wasn’t working and the cancer came back again. I became one of those pod people carrying around invaders in my body. I felt like I didn’t have control and I was fighting for dear life. Then came the leukemia accompanied by anemia. Yes, you guest it…I became a vampire. Although the nurses took small bottles and needles worth of blood for tests, I needed pints and pints of blood to survive. I’ve always had a thing for horror stories and black clothes (slimming), but this was beyond ridiculous! During the transplant and isolation time, I wore masks and robes and looked like a freaky bald mad scientist. Then my liver went in to rejection, and I turned yellow then green. I could be Frankenstein again or the wicked witch depending on my mood - lol. I had to take the horse serum to get well again, so I tapped my hoof a few times and did a fairly good neigh. So here it is just a few days from Halloween, and I am not bandaged, yellow or green. My hair is almost shoulder length. I am no longer invisible (I learned to speak up - pretty loudly too). I’m not dependent on transfusions, and I am in total remission. Any ideas on what to be for Halloween?? I am fresh out of ideas!!!

Have a happy Halloween - Love to all, Maryann