Melissa's Surgery Updates

(I started writing this in January.)

Happy New Year. I can't believe it's 2026.

I am healing well.

I am so grateful for all the support and donations we have received.

throughout this whole cancer journey my family has been a huge help.

A comfort, a driver, a nurse, a chef, a dog walker, a financer, and so much more.

In August my brother, realizing that he and my mom wanted to be with me and my husband and son as much as possible, and that our house couldn't comfortably accommodate all of us, found an Airbnb to rent. The owner was sympathetic to our cause and allowed us to rent his house for 5 months at a reasonable monthly rate.

(We are so grateful for his generosity and kindness).

So here I sit, in this Airbnb, with my brother, healing.

No stairs, no crazy, jumpy big dogs.

In July he spent several hours looking for the right place, not too far from our house, not too expensive, not too small, not too dingy.

After giving up a few weeks earlier, he decided to try one more time. This time, he found a new listing, a mile from my house, 3 bedrooms 2 bath.

The house is the only house in the neighborhood that is on 2 lots and has a big front yard with multiple skinny twisted oak trees in it.

The perfect spot for me to recover, sitting under the trees, reading, soaking up the sun, breathing in the fresh winter air. Spending quality quiet time with my family.

5 months with my mom living down the street. Having the daily support of school pickups and meal planning and breakfast out together.

The last 3 weeks it was just my brother and I resting and resetting. A midlife meeting to reconnect and realign with each other. A time of peace and sharing space.

It’s now February. I am back home. Adjusting well to my home, my high energy dogs, and my regular routines. Happy to be back with my husband and son. Happy to be doing all the cleaning and cooking and other daily tasks.

I am so grateful to have had 6 weeks to recover and have a brief pause from life as usual. In the future I’d rather have a vacation, like a month stay at a Qigong healing Center in Taos, New Mexico! Or a month long detox and reset at a yoga retreat in Costa Rica! Or a month long Mediterranean cruise! Or a 6 week adventure in Australia! Or a tour of Japan!

I can think of so many things I’d rather have done that just sit and recover from 12 rounds of chemotherapy and a mastectomy!

But alas. This is my current experience. And I am grateful for what it is, what it has been and what still is coming.

Next week, Feb 11, I go for my set up of my radiation treatments and get my next set of appointments. Feeling strong and healthy. Happy to have support from a strong medical team sharing a goal of 40 more healthy years for me to experience and create my dreams.