731 Days

731 days: that is two years since my stage III rectal cancer diagnosis. July 28, 2022 is cemented in my timeline and I now often think of my life in two halves, BC (before cancer) and AC (after cancer). This day will always have a significance for me when it comes around. It was such a seismic shift in the foundation of my life and each time I get to see the date arrive and depart, I will mourn what cancer took from me but also celebrate all that I have gained. Most importantly, more time here on Earth. So in honor of this milestone, you will notice that Rose’s RC Three has a refreshed look and some new additions. I’ve tried to make the site easier to navigate, to provide links to the products and services that not only helped during treatment, but continue to support me now, and to give an idea of what else is to come.

It has been 474 days since I created this website, since I bravely documented this phase of life that too many of us have had to endure, this thing we call a “cancer journey.” I didn’t realize then that this journey really never ends, it just has many phases. Some phases easily, softly and quietly morph into others, while some are thrust at you with a loud boom and a hard jolt. I want to continue to explore those phases, the physical and the emotional.

The last time I posted was 189 days ago, after the unexpected internal hernia surgery. I said then that I knew 2024 would have a lot in store and this year has certainly held up its end of that. During this time away, I have had the opportunity to do some living; to establish a new phase for myself. This living has included advocacy work, getting a new job, and crossing some things off that list I made while I was laying on the couch recovering from some treatment or another of things I wanted to do when I got well.

This new phase has created opportunity for me to get back to the things I value the most and to get closer to making some new dreams come true. So please, pardon my absence. The time away has been valuable and I am looking forward to continued growth and sharing it all with you.