Day 93!! Amanda Gingrich shares her ballsy story today! Amazing woman!!! Xoxo My name is Amanda and I am a Mother to a very caring and headstrong 13 year old; partner in crime to a caring, sensitive, loving man. On top of being a loud laugher, I am a positive thinker who loves life and appreciates the little things. I like to quilt, puzzle, cross stitch, and crochet. Basically Im an old soul. Oh yeah, I like to sing as if no one is listening! So, why am I Ballsy? I list many reasons below, but for starters I just posted on the internet what I look like under my clothes. That all by itself took more courage than anything I have ever faced. With that being said, as you can see from my picture, where my right boob should be I have a very significant scar. I have Breast Cancer. I was first diagnosed in 2005 at the ripe old age of 24 - just a few months shy of my 25th birthday. Over the last 9 years I have completed over 100 rounds of chemo therapy, gone for radiation treatment for 6 separate areas of my body, lost my hair over 7 times, and have taken a copious amount of pills, most of which I still take on a regular basis. When people hear that I am on my 3rd reoccurrence of cancer, that I have it in my lymph system, almost all my bones, both lungs with one non-functional , brain, liver, woman parts, eyes, and most recently my right kidney, they are simply shocked. At age 33 I am considered Palliative. One wonders how I get up in the morning and have such Joy in my heart and life with all the crap I face daily. I tell them, I am living because of my supportive partner and for my daughter. It must be so hard for her people say. To that my reply usually is she has been living with me having cancer at one point in time or another since she was 5. She doesnt know a different life. I am still around to support her, I am still her taxi, nurse & chef. Just like any other household we still have our daughter / mother, I hate you sessions. She doesnt think her life is any harder than other kids her age. I also removed every single negative person in my life. I assessed how much stress they were imposing on me. I told each one after a certain amount of drama that I could no longer be a part of their lives. That even included close family members. It wasnt easy and is lonely at times but it was for my health. Since then my health has changed 360 degrees. I went from being asked to go into a hospice using a wheel chair, to rarely using it and having back almost a fully functional life! My life is not just cancer. I have struggles like everyone else. The thing that makes me ballsy isnt that I have and live with cancer. I know what its like to be so close to death that you pray, several times a day, for your heart to continue beating, your bones that are so fragile not to break, or even the privilege of air filling your lungs. I am ballsy because I have learned to take every day as a blessing. I dont hate Mondays, in fact I dont hate any moment of any day. Dont get me wrong. I am not perfect; far from it, and I am not immune. There are events in my life I dont particularly enjoy but only because fear overcomes me. I am afraid most days, I fear the unknown. I fear death. I face it every day. With this fear, I have learned to live a happier life knowing that each moment I wont get back. I may never get a chance to live it again. Each day good or bad is a gift and is cherished. I am Ballsy because I choose to be!!
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 14:54:35 +0000
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