Monday and Meghan

Today we welcome new followers, long time full timers and fellow bloggers:

Ellie

Froggi (Donna)

Thanks for joining us!  You may also want to check out their blogs:  Justravelin and 2takinga5th
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Since I started highlighting Meghan and her legacy a couple of weeks ago I decided to go back and read another early blog from Meghan.  She was originially diagnosed in October 2008.  That was two years ago.  Her post on Nov 5 was entitled:  Hurry Up and Wait

I learn a number of things from this entry from Meghan.

1) She is determined to provide as much insight into what she is going through even though it is not all good news.

I think it is common to want to paint a positive uplifting and warm picture of things.  No one wants to read about sad, depressing or ugliness.  And she absolutely didn't want you to feel sorry for her.

At this point in her journey, she was thinking the doctors were going to do one more biopsy.  But wait, they found some curious stuff in her lymph nodes and they decided they needed to do two, not one.   I gather biopsies are painful.  Not fun.
So in this entry I think she wants to describe what she was feeling and how she really looked at the additional but necessary biopsies and needles.  With a bit of humor and at the same time, a little bit of dread comes through her writing. (..."tattoos hurt worse, tattoos hurt worse, tattoos...")

Lesson to me:  Honest feelings are important to communicate.  If a touch of dry or sarcastic humor comes through, so be it.

2) Meghan seems to be getting over her aversion to writing things for the whole world to see.
Though she is a private person, she is keeping it real and telling it like it is.
I think she is hoping this level of honesty would help someone later on as if may be facing a biopsy for breast cancer for the first time.  It is not a fun thing, it hurts, and there is a lot of scary thoughts ---how many more of this will there be?

Lesson to me:  Courage.  In the face of uncertainty you can get through more than you think you can.  And she does.

3) Meghan always liked to be busy and doing something.  She was a go getter.  And now she was thrown into a whole different life.  She was at the mercy of doctors and technicians and the Process.  Tests and results take time.  And her life as she knew it was suspended.  Answers (even partial ones) take time.
In the middle of the Process she knew she wasn't getting as much information as she wanted so she looked things up on her own.  She found out what a mastectomy entailed and learned about that.  She didn't rely on only what the doctor told her.  She researched things and knew a lot more about her future possibilities.  It was scary ready about the good, bad and the ugly.

Lesson to me:  Patience and diligence.  She tried to be patient with the process and did something about it when patience brought no knew information.  She found a way to get some answers but at the same time learned of the harsh realities of where this could heading.  (another lesson on courage and bravery).

It has been six months since breast cancer claimed her.  But she lives on and our hope is that somehow, in some way her story of courage, determination, humor, honesty, bravery and love will be of help to some others.  So pass it on...

She deeply affected a lot of people and her live continues to inspire.  Next time, a little bit on love...ForTheLoveOfMeghan.

So if you have a loved one, or know of one who might find her writings useful or of interest, please send them to the beginning of The Bees Knees.

That wraps another Monday edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us.  And have a great week.