Attending a Wedding in Japan 日本で結婚式に出席
I have attended a wedding in Japan about 2 weeks ago. My friends from high school were there and some of them, I had not seen them for 20 years. Many of them didn't know about my cancer.
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Support Group SHARE Photo-shooting! 乳癌サポートグループSHAREの写真撮影
I joined a photo session at SHARE -support for breast and ovarian cancer- yesterday. I only had one hour to be there and I had fun of getting some photo shooting done with other survivors and SHARE stuff members. These photos will be used for their publications. Look out!
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No more fussy hair after chemo, finally やっと抗がん剤後のボワボワ髪が無くなる
Since my last chemotherapy about 18 months ago, I kept cutting my hair because it came out so unevenly strong wavy. I used to have straight hair in natural, but it came out very very wavy. Finally, it looks like much more of the hair I used to have today! (This picture is just before cutting for the final time to say good-bye to my wavy hair.)
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Together, we are strong. 共に戦うから強くあれる
A dinner with two of my friends was a great time. Especially, when I did not have to worry about cancer nor dissertation! I am a super happy person!!!
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Feel Like "Normal" Breast ごくごく普通だと感じる再建後の胸
I was digging snow this past weekend and suddenly, I felt like "wow, it is really normal" about my breast, which had been mastectomy and reconstructed. I had no pain, and no pulling while shoveling the snow. I talked about the look of my breast in my last post. This time, I would like to talk about feel of the breast.
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Spring 2016 Semester Started 新学期の始まり
A new semester has started this week. I have full of energy to kick off this semester. (Wednesday was my first day of classes.)
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Dissertation Defense: Pass! 博士論文口頭試験 合格！
I passed my dissertation defense in PhD Economics last week! My husband and son celebrated my achievement with a cake and Champagne on the same day. It was a long, and sometimes rough, journey to come to this day. I still have to make some minor revisions, but the major parts are all done! A big relief! (Yes, this is THE big project I have been referring as a big project in this blog.) In the picture above, I took off my hat while defending it. I tried to look moderately stylish, but hopefully looked smart to defend a serious paper. How do you rate?
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Happy Halloween 2015 2015年のハロウィン
I remember the last year Halloween, I felt so sick that I did not even want to get up for bathroom. It was two days after my 5th chemotherapy. I had my nerve system started to be damaged, peripheral neuropathy, that I lost sensation with my finger tips and toes, and I could not walk uphill. That was an scary experience. This year, I was out in streets with my son, going along for trick-or-treating. I could not help but to think, "I could not even walk this street last year." I was happy to be able to do this again.
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Yes, my lost boob is finally back and complete! おっぱい再現 とうとう完了！
My very last procedure of breast reconstruction: tattooing areola is now completed the reconstruction on the past Friday. I did mastectomy on my left breast on mid June 2014. It became my routine to take a look at my left breast every time I became naked. I almost ignore my original right boob. I always look at my left breast for some moments, I mean, every day for the last 16 months.
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Pregnancy after Chemotherapy 抗がん剤治療後の妊娠について
(My hair has been growing into bushes. It's been 10 months since my last chemotherapy. I used to have very long silky straight hair, but now look how curly it is. I have no idea how to deal with this. It is always going so bushy. I don't feel this represents me and I cannot wait to have it grow much longer.) It depends on the types of breast cancer, but especially when one's cancer grows with hormone such as progesterone positive and estrogen positive breast cancer, getting pregnant raises some concerns. Chemotherapy let alone is a concern for damaging ovaries, there are other things to worry about, too. If a cancer patient is considering having babies after treatments, she should talk to doctors right upfront. This information is only based on my experience, please consult your physician when it comes to details and whether it can be applied to your case. Many cases, insurance companies may not cover this and it can be costly.
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Family Celebration! 家族でお祝い
My family took me out to celebrate my completion of 1-year-long breast cancer IV treatments: Herceptin and Perjeta treatments!
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My last injection treatment is over! 最後の点滴治療終了！
I long waited for this day to come: my last injection treatment for my breast cancer is all done today! No more "chemo unit" visit every three weeks. I did it! (I did the chemotherapy from August to November, 2014. I had been on "targeted therapy" since then. The targeted therapy, the side effects are very minor. What I finish today is the targeted therapy.)
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US vs Japan World Cup Women's Soccer Final 日本ｖｓ米 ワールドカップ女子決勝戦
FIFA 2015 Women's World Cup the final match: US vs Japan. My husband and son were on US side, but I was on Japan side to watch the game. I did not expect any team would make 2 goals in the first 5 minutes at the final, but US did. The team USA was very strong!
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Semi-Final US vs Germany Soccer in Montreal, Canada ワールドカップ女子 米VS独 観戦
The past Tuesday, US won the semi-final Women's World Cup Soccer against Germany at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We were there to support the team USA.
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1 Year Anniversary of Breast Cancer Removal Surgery 乳がん摘出手術から1年記念日 Pose#535
Today, I mark the first anniversary of my breast cancer removal. I made it!!! I felt like ROAR, (like Katy Perry)! I am surviving. Coco Rocha's Study of Pose book had a great pose for that: #535.
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Regaining Senses on My Reconstructed Breast 再建乳房に感覚が出てくる。Pose #489
Teaching has been over awhile ago, but my treatments go on. I visited my plastic surgeon today, 3 weeks after the nipple reconstruction procedure. (I visited him last week, too.)
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