Checking in on Amy

The year I turned 40 my friend (and fellow '77 baby) Lisa invited me to start running with her. That winter we crushed a 10k running clinic held on several of the coldest, darkest nights of the year. Having never run more than 5k before, this was a big challenge for me but I loved it. I loved running in the cold. I loved seeing the improvement over time. It was amazing! The following October Rick and I ran a half marathon, something I had never imagined doing. I have continued running on and off in the years since then, loving the feeling of being able to get out and run 5k without much training when the Santa Shuffle came around. The next year Lisa started an online community that was part fitness accountability, part sisterhood, part support group, and exactly what I needed. For the first time in a long time I started making time for myself to move my body every day. I got stronger and healthier. Being part of the community helped me stay connected in a way that made it easy to g...

  I've been feeling the pull to get back to writing here, so today's the day. Looking back at my last post and its title ("And...done!") made me laugh a little. I have known since my diagnosis that the end of treatment (not that I'm there yet) isn't an end to the changes cancer brings. You can find lots of information about the challenges cancer patients face when treatment is finished; feeling cut off from the medical team that has been caring for you for months is a difficult adjustment for most people. In my case, I'm not really done yet, as my immunotherapy treatments will continue every three weeks. I have nine more treatments, so that means I'll continue seeing my cancer care team until at least July. This continued connection means I have time to ease more slowly into the challenges of recovery and 'survivorship,' and for that I suppose I am grateful. In the middle of December I started a new drug regimen to suppress my estrogen producti...