timeline

Most of you are probably here because you know me, you know my story.  The rest of you may be wondering about this whole remission thing.  Remission from what?

Well, I am in the process of working to publish that story, but I'll give you the skinny here (lucky for me, cancer did give me the skinny - at least in the beginning).

unaware of the mayhem about to ensue

19**: I am born (loudest baby in the nursery)
19**: I visit Israel for the first time
199*: Accepted to NYU Tisch (musical theatre), but who wants to be on Broadway, really?
199*: Take some time off from college to return to Israel
199*: Move to Pittsburgh for school
1999:  Met future husband (I knew right away, took him a bit longer to figure it out) in Israel
2000: Graduated from college

2002: Earned my Master's, become an official teacher 

2003: Mooshu arrives

2005: Got married!

2006: First house

2007: Judah B is born

2008: Wanting #2

2009: Start trying for #2

2010: And then...

pre-b-bopsy #2

Jan 2010:  can't breathe when laying flat (so I just laid on my left side), got a little cough going, doc (subbing for my real doc who was out on maternity leave) says it is reflux, take a zantac before bed.

Feb 2010:  no dice

March 2010:  still can't breathe

April 2010:  nope, no breathing, also feeling a bit itchy

May 2010:  finally make an appointment with a GI specialist for my "reflux" and go to get the chest X-ray the doc prescribed in January (oops)

May 26, 2010: results are in, large grapefruit mass in my chest, proceed to the diagnosis process

June 17, 2010: multiple biopsies and scans later, it is officially Primary Mediastinal Large B Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (aka cancer)

me (+ new scar + new 'do)

June 18, 2010 - September 30, 2010 - chemos 1-6

not quite as cute, but I'll spare you the very bald/traumatic photos

December 2010 - radiation

such a pretty gown selection

2011: Year of the clean-ish scans (January, March, June, July, September...)

there now, that's more like it!  thanks, For Pete's Sake!

Currently in remission (more than a year since treatment ended) and waiting for my heart to get the message.

light of my life (at age 2)

that's mooshu! and the old kitchen floor

PS. Not mentioned is all of the fertility crap woven throughout the months and years.  What a blast that's been.

PPS.  Everyone is smiling in these pictures.  Don't let that fool you.  It sucked.  A lot.