I am proud of myself

The love and outpour of support from the people surrounding us has been truly incredible. They say if you want a village, be a villager and I have witnessed many many villagers creating this community around me. There have been delicious meal drop offs (even in the Carolina Freeze), flights taken to help support my family and home, there have been early airport drop offs and late night pick ups, surprise treat deliveries, errand runs for favorite fruits, school drop offs and appointment shuttles. The people around me have surrounded me with love, attention and care so I can truly focus on resting and healing from a very major surgery.

Thank you to all that have contributed including the check in texts, which I have been meaning to get back to. 

At 11 days post-op, I am surprised at how much I have progressed since coming home from the hospital. I very much still need assistance with many things (lifting, reaching, washing my hair) but I am able to take short walks and do small, low-energy activities at home. 

A scene that will forever remain golden in my memory from last week: 

My dinner table was filled with people who love and care for me cheers-ing to my strength and I finally said it out loud: 

"I am proud of myself."

They all bellowed back- 

"YOU SHOULD BE!"

Tears came to our eyes as we celebrated the results of my pathology report: 

No Residual Invasive Carcinoma

There is no evidence of cancer. 

and we can all breathe again.