One year ago today...

...I was diagnosed. If you go by the "day" and not the "date".

Let's review the past year:

• Leaving work early on Tuesday, July 7th, I was dragged to the ER by my friend "H-Lo" who had a feeling something wasn't right
  
• My "weird feeling" was confirmed by a CAT scan showing a huge tumor
• I had surgery the next day as my family was flying out to see me
• My family and friends took care of me as I recovered from surgery
• I began a 6 week daily radiation/chemo treatment while still trying to work part time
• I still managed to visit my family over Thanksgiving and a trip to Yosemite over New Years
  
• My friends pulled together an ultimate frisbee tournament to raise money to fight cancer (and raised over $45,000!)
  
• I watched many of my friends make significant moves in their lives - starting relationships, getting engaged, having kids, changing jobs, moving to a new town - while I fought to bring myself close to where I was prior to the cancer
• I learned what it's like to have a pre-menstrual cycle through my monthly chemo treatment (though I never had to deal with the tampon side of things)
• I lost a dear friend who took his own life, and in the following week, lost my dog Chana who was a beloved family member for over a decade
• That same month, another friend at work was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a complete mastectomy
• Soon after that, my apartment building was converted into the "Dorland Medical Clinic," with my fabulous "freighbor" acting as the chief of staff, taking care of me, her father, her step-mother, and her brother, who had a terrible fall that could've taken his life
  
• I finally learned to kayak (again)
• My MRIs continued to improve giving me hope and optimism looking forward
• And today, I went to work, and then headed off to play ultimate - just like I was supposed to do one full year ago. And yes, we did win.
  

I have to say, overall it's a little bit odd. I feel like I should be having a momentous occasion right now. I think back to this day one year ago, and how I felt and what I was going through. It's hard to believe it's been a year already, and yet that year took a really long time while I was passing through it. Next week I have my next MRI, and in a way, that feels more momentous than the anniversary. But in the meantime, I still feel incredibly lucky, and I'm really looking forward to a much better "year two"!