she wanted
Love wanted her She wanted her He wanted her They wanted her Everybody wanted her But she Wanted … — Brenda Johima
words disappear
Words disappeared Like ghosts into walls Her blank mind Found it harder and harder To spit Vowels and consonants Out of her mouth — Brenda Johima
Lymphatic Space Invasion
“Lymphatic space invasion.” = not words you want to hear in your day. Otherwise, a good day, and I can do this!
Peace
Peace came over me Comfort Like dear old friend I haven’t seen for awhile Thank God she’s here Alive and well — Brenda Johima
Step One, Weigh In and Blood Pressure
Step one, a friendly care aide takes my blood pressure and weighs me. Great. I never have high blood pressure, if anything, it’s usually low. I know, it’s up because I’m just freaked out. Great, my weight is higher than it’s ever been in my entire life. Why is weight such a huge issue? It…
A 4 AM New-To-Me Photo/Art Technique
I’ve been up since 4 AM. I’ve learned to go with the flow with insomnia. I write, plan, think, meditate, contemplate, look at my day ahead. I always get great ideas at 4 AM, or reminders of things I wanted to do but haven’t tried yet. Sooooo, today, I’m looking forward to trying out a…
Gratitude
I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to those who donated money towards the fundraising campaign “A Helping Hand for Brenda,” created on my behalf. $690.00 was raised in two days. It’s a good start! Also, an additional $450.00 was raised just before that launched, via email banking, e-Transfer. A friend/colleague came forward and offered to volunteer and…
you can change your mind a hundred times if you want
The best thing that my new doctor said to me yesterday? “You can change your mind a hundred times if you want. This is a dynamic process.” She put me totally at ease. There’s been so much pressure to make decisions that feel so permanent, and not wanting to make a mistake. There’s also been…
A Helping Hand for Brenda Johima : Kick Breast Cancer Out!
This is a blog post I never imagined myself writing. In April of 2014 I received a diagnosis of an invasive 3/3 breast cancer. Since that time I have had a lumpectomy (breast conserving surgery) and also a sentinel node biopsy. Next, I head to Victoria for consultations with the Medical Oncologist and Radiation Oncologist…