44 and Finished with Herceptin! (click here)

My nurses for my last Herceptin treatment!

Dear Friends, 

Truly the last 4 months have flown by since I returned home!  I am back into the swing of things at work and enjoying it.  And spring seems to have finally sprung here in London!  Flowers are in bloom and the temperature is edging up ever so slowly.

London Walking Tour for my B-Day.

Chris and I have managed a few afternoons in our garden - trying to tame all things overgrown! We are also fitting in lots of time with friends in London.  For my 44th birthday we went on a London walking tour with some friends which was great fun!  And for dinner we went to a new spot, Timbers, a South African inspired restaurant on the Thames River - just across from the Tate Modern Museum. 

 The day after my birthday I had my last Herceptin treatment! Hooray! I have now finished my full year of Herceptin.  I felt a bit more emotional than I expected, and found it to be perhaps a bit anti-climatic, but am ever so happy to be finished with infusions! 

'Sometimes a Door Closes and a Window Opens'

The day after my final chemo, my friend Kerryn and I had a day out to celebrate - visiting an art fair. Of course I had to buy something in celebration of finishing my cancer treatment - see painting on the right. I thought that the title of the painting was quite appropriate.  Kerryn and I capped the day with a lovely dinner followed by a distinctly tedious play - Waste at the National Theatre.  I chose it and Karen endured it!   All in all, it was a fabulous way to celebrate my post-treatment life!

Chris enjoying a sandwich during my last treatment!

We are keeping an eye on the US elections - I have survived cancer - but don't know if I could survive Donald Trump as President! As my friend Linda, who is an American ex-pat living in China said to me, these are trying times for us ex-pats.  Americans have always done some crazy things that are hard to explain, but seriously, how can you explain or defend the popularity of Trump!?

Chris and I are looking forward to a trip back to California at the end of April! I will have a follow-up appointment with the wonderful Dr. Kass at the SB Cancer Center and hopefully we will get to catch up with lots of friends in SB before we both head down south to work (me to UCLA and Chris to a firm meeting in Southern California).

Birthday dinner at Timbers.

In some ways the past year seems a big blur, it is hard to believe that one year ago I was just one chemo session into my treatment plan.  I have saved all of the cards and notes that were sent to me by friends and family in Santa Barbara and plan to read through them when we are back in SB later this month.  I also have saved the emails I received and periodically look at them, it is a powerful reminder of all that I have to be thankful for!

Now that I am settled back into life in London, I am thinking of writing a short book on making it through cancer treatment...I am writing this in my blog because if I put it out there I know that I will feel greater motivation to actually produce something! More updates to come!

Happy spring everyone!  Get out there and plant some flowers and enjoy life!

Beautiful flowers sent by Debbie from Santa Barbara - with our painting of SB behind. A bit of SB love in London!

Final Chemo is Approaching: March 9th!

Dear Friends,

Walking across the Common to Chemo no. 15!

I have been a very bad blogger over the past 2 months!  Somehow settling back into London, starting at a new cancer center and going back to work seems to have taken every spare moment - and a lot of energy!  But life in London is good and every day I continue to feel stronger and more myself.  Looking back to late November, when I first returned to London, I can honestly say that I am feeling much stronger and more energetic.  I just have to sometimes remind myself that it takes a bit of time to cleanse one's self of chemo drugs and recover from radiotherapy (I still  have my therapy "tan lines", but they are nearly gone!).

St. Sulpice in Paris.

Lunch in Paris!

I had the one year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis on February 27th.  It is hard to believe that a whole year has passed since finding out that I had cancer.  I can vividly remember the sense of disbelief and thinking, maybe this is a bad dream that I will wake up from!  I think I celebrated this one year milestone rather in style - I was in Paris working.  We had a Global Forum (a series of events - which I help coordinate for UCLA in Europe).  The UCLA Chancellor Gene Block gave a talk on circadian rhythms - very relevant for those who travel frequently in different time zones!  It was a lovely evening and then Chris and I had dinner with my fabulous colleagues - Matthew and Deborah, the UCLA Chancellor and the Dean of the UCLA Anderson Business School.  So it was this wonderful sense, of being on the other side of cancer treatment, feeling back in the game, and getting on with life!

Happy One Year Diagnosis Anniversary!

Beautiful flower display in Paris.

The weekend before Paris, we were in Geneva (again for a UCLA Global Forum).  Chris and I were able to spend a day sightseeing on the Saturday before heading back to London. It was my first trip outside of the UK since returning home and it felt so good to see a new city!

Fun in Geneva with my handsome husband!

Next week - I have two big events - my birthday and my last chemo (no. 17)!  Last year, since I was diagnosed with cancer just before my birthday, I joked with people that "this is the crappiest birthday present ever!",  But this year I can say that finishing chemo and having my health back is the best birthday present ever (yes, even better than a red velvet cupcake...)! Thank you to my friends and family for giving me so much to be thankful for - and for having so much to look forward to!

My lovely friend Kerryn - my buddy for chemo no. 16!

Still trying to eat healthy!