A Milestone: 20,000 Page Views

Wow! Sometime in the last couple of days, this blog has hit a milestone I never anticipated: 20,000 page views. This is something that merits celebration, and gratitude.

I started my cancer blog after a short career as a geaneablogger (about family history) mostly as a way to keep family and friends aware of how my treatment was going. I knew many were getting the info through my mom and their parents. I'm sure some details got lost in translation. It was also difficult to tell the whole story over and over. My blog gave me a chance to write it down, once and for all.

My secondary purpose for the blog was to raise awareness of breast cancer. For a while, I gave my readers a monthly reminder to "check your boobs!" I think I felt that I might have caught my cancer earlier if I had done regular self-examinations. Then, as I became more educated about breast cancer, I realized that self-exams and mammograms aren't the be all and end all for finding cancer. That's when I dropped the words "breast cancer awareness" from the blog's title and went for the straightforward "Kate Has Cancer."

I received some criticism for the change. Is it defeatist to call myself Kate Has Cancer on the blog and Twitter? No, it's realistic. Remember, I have Stage IV breast cancer. I have had advanced cancer since they found it. Chemo, radiation and the other therapies have shrunken my tumours -- you can't even feel the one in my breast -- but many of them are still there in my liver and bones. My blood tests are fine. so I figure, if my liver can live with these tumours, then so can I!

Over time, another purpose for my blogging has emerged. I hope that others with advanced breast cancer can find, in my blog, some peace, some information and some hope. I don't focus on the latest news from clinical oncology. I talk about my treatments and the resources available to me here in Ottawa. Judging by the Blogger Stats, my most popular post, with nearly 600 page views, is perhaps my most practical one, on PICC line covers. I hope my link to a crochet pattern helped someone with cancer or even someone who wanted to help someone with cancer. I've had 800 views of my About Kate page, which I imagine could use an update. Almost 400 read my early post about how I started onto this cancer roller-coaster. Around 300 read two of my glimpses into the terror of Stage IV cancer, Reflections on Recent Deaths and Someone Took the Monster Out of the Cupboard. I have seen my readership rise to, on average, 200 page views per post. I never expected this. I may be Italian, but I don`t have that many cousins!

That brings me to the grateful part. I thank you readers for continuing to read and support me. Your comments on the blog have given me new perspectives and great support. I also thank God that I'm still here to write! Every day, every post is a blessing. I must also express my appreciation to my fellow bloggers who have directed considerable traffic my way: Ann at Breast Cancer? But Doctor....I Hate Pink!, Nancy at Nancy's Point, Jenny at Putting the GRRRRR in Grimes, and Nancy at The Dirty Pink Underbelly.

I hope to be here many more years. And I hope you stick with me. Thanks for coming.

Thank You For Being There With Me

Over the last couple of days, I have read a couple of blog posts about Stage IV cancer patients feeling abandoned by their friends, colleagues and even family who "can't handle" their cancer diagnosis. One of my favourite bloggers, Ann at "Breast Cancer? But Doctor... I Hate Pink" shares her very personal story in her post Abandonment is not a form of love. I've read of women with Stage IV cancer even feeling snubbed within the breast cancer community, like we are the wicked stepsister in a pink fairy tale. If you have come to this blog looking for guidance on that sort of situation, I can't really help you, other than to recommend you click on the link to Ann's post.

I feel compelled to write about the level of support I have received because it has truly been incredible, unexpected... even overwhelming.  Since I got sick, you have all been there for me:

• the Bertolo cousins who phone me to see how I'm doing;
• the teachers that filled our freezer to overflowing... twice;
• the neighbour who loaned my her wig;
• the second cousin I met online who emails to check on me if I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks;
• my boss and coworker who have tried to crochet me back to health;
• the coworkers that collected money to buy me a tablet to keep me connected at home;
• my high school buddies that came to Ottawa for my birthday;
• everyone who donated money to the Run for the Cure on behalf of me, Sweetie and the Bean;
• the neighbour who looks after the Bean when my chemo and doctors appointments run late;
• my brothers, who check up on me even though life has thrown then a lot of shit this past year;
• my aunties and uncles who call, email me about cancer-fighting foods, and have masses said for me;
• old friends sending me messages of support on Facebook;
• the Bean's friends' moms who have invited her for playdates and offerred to take her any time we're in a bind;
• neighbours and coworkers who gave us suppers and sweets last year when we were overwhelmed with all the appointments;
• friends that visited me in the hospital;
• friends that came to our house to make us pizza;
• friends that sat with me during chemo, even though the Benedryl threatened to put me to sleep;
• everyone who put up with incoherent emails and voicemails back when I was adjusting to the painkillers;
• my sweet girl, who cut her hair for cancer wigs, and makes her own breakfast;
• my Sweetheart, who does everything for me.

I am afraid that I am leaving someone out! Believe me, you're in my prayers. I am so grateful for the support I have received from everyone I know. I am carrying a heavy load with this diagnosis, but you have helped me every step of the way.

Thank you.