The Savvy Survivor

Happy Thanksgiving to my American fans; may this day find you blessed and healthy ! To all of my fans, wherever you are, I count each and every one of you as a blessing; and I am grateful to have you in my life! This year has been a very difficult year for everyone; what we thought was going to be another "flu season" has endured the entire year; it has caused more deaths, unemployment, and hardships than any other pandemic in history.  But, those of us who have survived this year, have that to be thankful for...we're still here! There is hope, on the horizon! I am especially thankful for the breath in my lungs, considering I almost died back in August ! It is crystal clear to me, that my journey on this planet is not completed, yet. And while I can still draw breath, I have decided to make the most of the time that has been given to me. Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what movie I just referenced! As you navigate though your day, whether you are with your loved on...

I haven't blogged in a rather long time (sorry!), because I've been taking care of life; but today, I feel the need to speak out about feelings. First, I want to say, it's ok to express your feelings. And it's perfectly alright to be sad, anxious or depressed, at this point in time. The entire world is sick; and we're all dealing with a lot, right now. But I didn't need to be shamed, for how I feel; and that happened, this morning. A Facebook page I'm a fan of asked how we were all dealing with the Easter holiday; and I answered them. Someone thought it was their duty to scold me for not being thankful that I have someone to spend the holiday with, even though my son can't be with me. I am thankful to have my daughter and grandchildren around; but I'm dying of a terminal illness, so having my son near me, as well, is a blessing! Not counting the holidays we lived through, in separate states; this is the first holiday I've had to endur...

Do any of you know an alcoholic, or a drug addict? If you do, then you understand how difficult it is for them to abstain from the substance they're addicted to; or, you should understand that. Addiction is a powerful disease, that nobody ever realizes they have, until they're deep in it. Sure, they "try" the alcohol, or the drugs; but in just trying it, they're not aware that they're eventually going to get hooked on it. That may not even become a reality for them, once they are hooked. I am a junk food junkie; addicted to fast food, and junk food, the way an alcoholic/drug addict is addicted to booze and/or drugs. I can't just have one (fill in the blank), or a taste, or "just a little bit". The cravings get bigger, the more I try to control the amount of junk food I eat. It's best for me to abstain from eating fast food, or junk food; and living in a world that makes bad eating habits sexy or hip, is not an easy thing for me to do! I ...

I was fat-shamed by a stranger, this afternoon. Typically, I wouldn’t give two shits about what anyone thinks of me, but he blindsided me. What he said hurt me; and it shouldn’t have. Back story….yesterday, I commented on the health and environmental benefits of going vegan, on one of the Facebook pages I'm a fan of, and had all manner of replies from a few people, which I dealt with; it was a heated exchange of opinions vs. facts. However, nobody has said anything else in that conversation thread, for a while; then, suddenly the fat-shamer shows his ugliness. Not only did this person insult me, belittle me, and call me out for being overweight (as if my being fat was the sole cause of everything that was wrong with the world); he also used my portion of the thread against me. He twisted everything I had previously said to the others, and made it all about how much I don't deserve to feel that way....because I'm fat. This was my reply to the attack... " In cas...

My therapist said something, the other day, that turned on an interesting "light bulb" in my brain; I updated her on my current health concerns (recent diagnosis of high cholesterol), and what I had planned to do about it. And she told me that some people can manage just fine, with baby steps, while others need to go cold turkey. And then she asked me if I knew which one of those applied to me. I stopped smoking, over 15 years ago...by going cold turkey. When I lived in Knoxville, TN for a year (back in 2015), I began my vegetarian lifestyle....by going cold turkey. After I recovered from being paralyzed (while living in GA, back in 2016), I notice I started taking baby steps, back to healthy; and my health is getting worse, not better. I'm not good at baby steps. It seems that that particular approach gives me too much leeway, to drift back into old habits; and it's my old habits that are causing all these health issues! I have to be the one who goes cold tu...

I've been battling Stage 4 (metastatic) Breast Cancer for almost seven years; my cancerversary is in July. When I began this battle, I started calling it a journey; I’m in it for the long haul, come walk with me. Except I haven’t been walking the walk I was meant to walk. My journey has turned into the life of a sick woman who still believes she has forever to live. At the rate I’m going, I don’t have much time left...I’ve given myself high cholesterol and high triglycerides, on top of everything else. As it stands these are the things that are going wrong inside my body... breast cancer (terminal) arthritis osteoporosis cataracts high cholesterol/high triglycerides I had to explain my newest medical issue to my two very young grandchildren. It was pretty easy, after I told them that cholesterol is a goopy substance that your body is supposed to have, but I have too much; having too much goop inside of you, is very dangerous. This link will explain things to you, i...

Breast Cancer Awareness happens every day, for me. I've been battling Stage 4 ER+ Breast Cancer for the last five years; I was given six months to live, after being diagnosed. I am a survivor, a warrior, and a fighter; I have quite a few ongoing responsibilities, and plans that require me to be able-bodied and alive. In my journey, I've come across warriors who say their diagnosis was devastating, and others that say it was a blessing or a gift. I have to agree with the latter observation. Most of my life, I spent mistreating my body....too much alcohol, smoking, overeating, no physical fitness routine, etc. I arrogantly believed that if I were to get a disease, it would be diabetes; my father died from complications of that disease, and my mother is currently dealing with it. But I'd never get cancer....that's not something that runs in my family. It wasn't until after my cancer journey began that I was told my father's aunt died from breast cancer. Here...

For the last few months, my daughter, her children, and I have endured quite a significant amount of betrayal and hardship. Someone we both assumed was a loyal friend turned out to be a spiteful enemy. Discovering this was heartbreaking. We had to move into this person's home, when we moved to Ohio, because otherwise we would've been homeless; and homelessness is not something toddlers need to experience. While we lived with this person and her family, my daughter was treated like a servant, forced to give up her food stamps for the other family, and psychologically abused by her and her boyfriend. Since moving out, they've deliberately set out to defile mine and my daughter's reputations; slowly, the loyal friends we still have, are also cutting all ties with this other family. Our lives are now moving in a positive direction. And, it feels so good to be able to breathe again! We got a 3-bedroom apartment, in an income-based apartment complex; the Littles are lea...

The last time I had a Blog, I stopped posting right around Christmas time....two years ago.  So, now it's time to start over. A lot has happened since I dropped the ball on my Blog, two years ago...my health has been a constant yo-yo, between feeling good and struggling (repetitive infections, short stays in the hospital, etc); it got so bad, I moved in with my daughter and grandchildren in GA. At one point, I became temporarily paralyzed, as the result of an aggressive tumor in my lower spine (it's all good now). I also helped her get herself and the babies away from an abusive man. The four of us have relocated to Ohio, and are in the process of rebuilding our lives. Side Note: If you, or someone you know, is in an abusive relationship please call the Domestic Violence Hotline ! They are there to help...and they will! Now that I'm back in Ohio, I'll be getting back in touch with the folks at Akron General Medical Center , to continue my fight against breast...