Once again I have had circumstances that have taken me away from being present here on Blogger as well as from moving forward with my “Imperfect Strangers” book project.
But I’ve received an encouraging “note” (email) from an advocate for those who suffer from NF.
It stated:
“Your struggle is real, Patricia.
Youngsters nowadays are SO lucky to find there’s information (re NF), care and acceptance of their differences, at least in safe circles.
You got a very opposite message.
Remind yourself of the courage and strength of character it took to make a new home in New York.
It wasn’t the end of ridicule or discrimination, but your determination to educate the uninformed has been a real inspiration.
I’ll admit that it seems cosmically unfair that you’ve been assaulted by so many complications – both painful and cosmetically distressing – at this point in your life.
Why you should be so afflicted I cannot understand.
All I can suggest is to set small goals for yourself each day.
Celebrate small accomplishments.
Thank each bird who graces your garden.
You’re a good person with a kind soul.
That’s huge.
RM”
In my last post which was one year and three days ago, part of what I stated is this:
“However, given my new battle with Neurofibromatosis (NF) and the limitations this brings, it may be quite a while before I can tell my flora’s stories. Plus I need to concentrate on raising awareness about NF which I hope to do through my book project, Imperfect Strangers. During this unintended hiatus from publishing posts on my blog, I have had one trauma after another non-stop, mostly related to my having NF (multiple surgeries and treatments for which I’ll spare you the details).”
At the time, little did I know, that various manifestations of symptoms related to my having NF would demand immediate medical attention and thus interfere with my work as an author, blogger, and photographer.
Ultimately my symptoms resulted in my having to undergo a serious surgical procedure, and very close to the time that was to take place, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
It was then that I learned about breast cancer being more prevalent in women who have NF.
Although it was caught early I did have hundreds of cancer cells and in order to prevent them from spreading (they were aggressive), I underwent a mastectomy.
And since we are in the month of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I’ve survived it thus far, so I am giving it a go again with this blog (and I’ll get to the book project once I’m in a better spot).
Re the blog, my plan is to continue to offer stories and photos that are about my garden as well as the birds who visit, and I’ll include stories re the cats and dogs who live near by.
But first please let me say, a few months later during a follow-up appointment with my oncologist, it was determined that I should go forward with the foot surgery as my gait was highly compromised and I was a bit unbalanced due to the removal of my breast.
In fact, I fell on the street and had quite a bit of bruising along with broken glasses as a result, however this accident gave me a personal green light to move forward.
Therefore I went ahead with the foot surgery (it took place this past August). I’m still recovering from the procedure. I’ve basically been homebound (except for visits to the foot surgeon) and mandated to stay off my foot until my next foot surgeon appointment, which is coming up soon.
Depending on the outcome of that appointment, I’m not sure how frequently I’ll post but I will begin sharing content re my amazing space and the birds I observe from my window, a nice thing to be able to do when recuperating from foot surgery and a mastectomy.
The following images feature a mere fraction of the avian creatures who have lifted my spirits during this difficult time.
And I also have stories and images of dogs as well as cats who are in my midst, to share on this blog so, please stay tuned.
