“Blah blah CANCER blah blah” by Pia Manning, author of Finding Home @PiaManning #RLFblog #CancerAwareness
Welcome to day one of Cancer Awareness posts for 2021 on RLFblog. Today’s guest is Pia Manning.
In 2007 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. A routine mammogram found my tumor in the early stages of its development – well before I knew the little bastard had taken up residence in my breast.
My experience with cancer is not as gut wrenching and difficult as many other women’s. I was lucky. That said, ‘You have cancer’ ranks right up there on the list of horrible things one can hear. I hope none of you have to sit in a cold, white room and listen to those words…
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His thumb drew circles on the back of my hand. He squeezed my cold fingers. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it,” he reassured me.
I nodded, not really listening.
Two soft knocks announced the arrival of the man in the white coat. Let the show begin.
He leaned against the door and shuffled his feet. His hands clutched a clipboard fat with paperwork. My biopsy and lab results, I presumed. His gaze swept the room, and he made no move to come any closer. I wondered why he stayed beside the door -maybe so he could duck out in a hurry. Not the kind of behavior I expected from someone who delivered the results of life changing pathology reports every day. You’d think he’d be used to tears by now.
“I have some very bad news, and then some very good news.” The surgeon pushed away from the door and sat down. “You have breast cancer.”
My husband’s grip tightened and he shifted towards me.
I stared at a point in space, not focused on anything. Air molecules maybe.
The doctor then explained the good news. My prognosis: merry and bright. The mammogram had detected my tumor before it had a chance to spread. I was one of the fortunate ones; I’d need a minimal amount of medical intervention.
I didn’t hear any of it. I never got past, “You have breast cancer.” They tell me that’s a very normal response. They told me a lot of things.
There are things they didn’t tell me about. Like the tidal wave of anger that swamped me. Not simply a passing emotion, my anger burned brightly for a long time-the kind of fury that keeps one warm at night. This was especially true when, two years later, the man holding my hand that awful day received a cancer diagnosis of his own.
They didn’t prepare me for the isolation cancer imposes. Other people’s reactions proved to be an interesting study in human behavior. Some simply didn’t know what to say. Uncomfortable, they avoided me. For others, I represented their worst nightmare. Oh! She has cancer! Run! ‘It’s not contagious!’ I wanted to yell. But it didn’t matter.
My husband and our offspring struggled to support me. Desperate to help me carry the emotional load, they asked, “What can we do? What do you need?” The truth? I didn’t know. While contemplating your own mortality the realization hits that you might lose everything: sunsets, macaroni and cheese and everyone you love. Priorities shift and change. Your world spins on a different axis. That’s a hell of a lot to work through. Lost, I didn’t know how to help them, help me. I will never fully understand how hard they fought to strengthen our bonds and keep our connections alive. I’m just grateful they did.
My mom, also a cancer survivor, told me that in time I wouldn’t think about cancer every day. She also told me that day would be a long time coming.
EPILOGUE
My mom proved correct. I no longer check myself for lumps at stop signs and red lights. I’ve celebrated fourteen cancer free years, and I am grateful for each and every one. During those fourteen years our daughters and son have found their soul mates, and four grandchildren have entered the world. Finding my tumor early gave me those years.
I worry about my daughters and this awful family legacy they’ve inherited. My mother-in-law, their other grandmother, is also a breast cancer survivor. While it’s true no one can predict with certainty whether they’ll become breast cancer patients too, their odds are certainly higher. At least they’re aware of the risk and have discussed their situations with their doctors.
There are new treatments, drug and guidelines announced every few years. Also new in the field are better methods of early detection. Figuring out who needs what, when, gets confusing. Talk to your doctor.
Mammograms save lives. I know. Mine was one of them.
A mammogram only works if you get one! So, pick up the phone and make that appointment. Know someone else who also should pick up that phone? Hold their hand, nag, whatever you need to do…
Can new vet Elizabeth Faulkner love two men? In Pia Manning’s new small town menage romance, Finding Home, she must decide if her heart will allow both Brent and Luke Callahan in.
Pia, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! We support all furbabies, real life or fictional. We want to know all about your Fiction Furbaby, but first, please tell us about Finding Home: Caveman Creek Bk 1.
Finding Home: Caveman Creek Book 1 by Pia Manning
Genre Contemporary, Small Town, Menage Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): NC 17-X
Newly licensed vet Elizabeth Faulkner only needs two things: New clients for her practice and a decent place to live for herself and her disabled little sister. When her sister inherits an old farmhouse in Pinecone Creek, Wisconsin, Elizabeth thinks at least one wish has been granted. But a greedy land developer will stop at nothing to get her land, and her new clients Brent and Luke Callahan, are more interested in a relationship than her vet skills. Brent and Luke have waited years for their forever woman. They know their wait is over once they see Elizabeth. But can she love two men? Can Elizabeth provide a home for her sister before the little girl becomes lost in the foster system? Welcome to Caveman Creek where the men behave a little like Neanderthals when it comes to their women
Where to buy Finding Home: Caveman Creek Book 1
Publisher SirenBookstrand https://www.bookstrand.com/book/finding-home-mfm
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Caveman-Creek-Publishing-Menage-ebook/dp/B096L94M5V
Pia Manning Social Media
I live in the northwoods territory of Wisconsin with my spousal unit, Blondie girl, and three spoiled felines. When not writing, I can be found dog walking, reading, playing Clash of Clans or crocheting.
Twitter https://twitter.com/piamanning3
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pia.manning.71
