I thought I knew my why. For more than 20 years, I knew my purpose, my how, and how I wanted to live it. Then cancer changed the equation. Three years into survivorship, I find myself asking whether our why stays the same throughout life—or whether our experiences change the way we understand it. Maybe we aren’t meant to find one grand answer. Maybe we’re meant to keep asking the question.
While I know many of my readers have been wondering what has happened to me over the past few months, I simply want to say that I have been in a difficult place. Some days, I have… Read more: Where Have I Been?
2 years and 10 months after chemo, and the world still feels too loud. The TV, the light, even a simple shower—everything demands more energy than I have. I’m learning that healing isn’t about going back… it’s about rebuilding, slowly.
Two years and eight-and-a-half months after chemo, I’m still learning how to give myself grace. One of my greatest fears wasn’t relapse — it was becoming lazy. When your body sets the pace, rest can feel like failure. But maybe I’m not lazy. Maybe I’m still healing.
A raw reflection on post-chemo life, insomnia, and the emotional fog that lingers beyond survival. This piece explores the quiet grief, chronic pain, and complicated gratitude that shape life after cancer—when healing is anything but linear.
Life after chemo is unpredictable, messy, and deeply humbling. In this post, I share what it means to live two-and-a-half years post-treatment—navigating pain, fatigue, brain fog, and small but meaningful victories while learning to own a new normal and keep writing through recovery.
Scattered Puzzle Pieces explores the messy, honest reality of post-chemo life—from rebuilding your identity to navigating brain fog, pain, and exhaustion. A raw, encouraging perspective for cancer survivors learning to rewrite their playbook.
It’s me I’m still here I’ve just been so Tired Exhausted And what’s that word or phrase Oh yes Darn I just forgot Oh yes Got it I’m burned out from this post-chemo recovery thing I’m just… Read more: I’m Still Here
Lately; but not lately, it feels like I’ve been stuck in forever where the revolving door doesn’t stop for exit. I entered the revolving door over two and a half years ago and it just keeps going.… Read more: Confused about Resting and Lost about Recovery.
I am having such a challenging time grappling with this life after cancer thing. While I’m overflowing with gratitude for my care team that exceeds beyond the medical care team, I am still torn on what’s permanent… Read more: Random and Uncoordinated Thoughts…
Accepting reality isn’t always easy. There’s a lot of internal work that needs to take place. And even then, you’re not guaranteed acceptance. I speak in parallels. One of my life’s questions has always been, “How do… Read more: Random thoughts…
I’m aware And it’s like part of my brain Just doesn’t care Trauma One part of my brain says What is that The other side of my brain says That’s reality That’s facts One part of my… Read more: Trauma is a Separate Entity.
I hate my life right now. I really hate it! I’m just going to be brutally honest. All of my therapists are working with me on acceptance and gratitude. However; I wake up brutally angry these days,… Read more: Gratitude is a Parallel.
Life before Cancer (Click on the link above). When reels like this one randomly pops up in my phone reminding me of what my life looked like at (ex: 3 years ago or such); it completely contradicts… Read more: Split Brains Just Want to Box🧠🥊
Whirlwind Explosive Torpedos Tornados Iridescent lights Majestic Black Unaware Aware I don’t care Navigating through Clumsily Blindly Nobody knows the extremes This adventure takes By any necessary means It doesn’t discriminate Black or White Yellow or Purple… Read more: Whirlwind.
Fighter vs non-fighter Warrior or not Indicative to confusion And the conflicted emotions Fear vs obliviousness Time continues to pass Your world becomes even smaller While the larger world continues to move Without any awareness of your… Read more: Thoughts Conflicted.
Since the last post, moments of blah have truly set in. The mundane thoughts, the challenges in finding my center. The challenges in the concentration, focus, and blah, blah, blah… still the challenges in finding that right… Read more: Blah, Blah, Blah…
When I received the “yes” about taking a break from all my various therapies, I was ecstatic! This break would give me the opportunity to live life as “normal” as possible, as if cancer never happened! This… Read more: Missing the Now!
Lauren Daigle, “Salvation Mountain” has been my mantra! Dragonflies have been surrounding me a lot lately. Gentle hearts, an exuberant amount of kindness, a moment of time spent filled with sound words and provided with attentiveness which… Read more: Faith & Hope, Dragonflies, and Salvation Mountain!
What TV shows did you watch as a kid? Jeez! There were so many! If we’re talking cartoons, what comes to mind is Fraggle Rock, The Littles, Jem, Smurfs, and now my mind went blank! If we’re… Read more: Answering Questions with Chemo Brain!
This past month has been an extremely challenging month, aside from all others! I guess you can say I really got into a slump of things. It’s one thing when you catch a cold. You have one… Read more: The Abyss.
Talk about life, living, and all of the in between. I think I may have shared that ever since chemotherapy, reading and writing has proved to be extremely challenging. With reading; not only is it about the… Read more: Life, Living, and PSALM 21
So many untapped thoughts, feelings, and emotions. However; unlike writer’s block that prevents a writer from writing, battling the traumas of post-chemo recovery not only has its physical tolls, but the cognitive tolls as well. Lately, I’ve… Read more: With Patience Comes Clarity.
I thought I knew my why. For more than 20 years, I knew my purpose, my how, and how I wanted to live it. Then cancer changed the equation. Three years into survivorship, I find myself asking whether our why stays the same throughout life—or whether our experiences change the way we understand it. Maybe we aren’t meant to find one grand answer. Maybe we’re meant to keep asking the question.
While I know many of my readers have been wondering what has happened to me over the past few months, I simply want to say that I have been in a difficult place. Some days, I have… Read more: Where Have I Been?
I couldn’t help but to let out a shriek, a shriek filled with the sound of pure elatedness! While chemo brain fogs everything; strawberry cake given out of love, makes one forget that one even had chemo… Read more: Gratitude, Mixed with a Whole Latte Chemo Brain and Strawberry Cake!
