Last Day of Treatment Eve

Finally, the night before the last day of cancer treatment. Coupled with the simmering excitement for this milestone is the huge anticipation for Todd and my trip to Australia on Friday. Three sleeps to the adventure of a lifetime!

Well, I am having a challenging time sleeping because I am so excited about all of it. Todd and I are zooming around in a flurry of preparations: walking shoes, trial size shampoo (yes shampoo people: I have an inch of hair), laundry, laying out outfits, going for increasingly longer walks to build up my stamina, choosing what to pack, and and and.

Today was full of positives: I stopped by Yoga Swami and completed the paperwork to start the weekly Yoga for Cancer Recovery classes on Thursday October 7th. It will be offered at 4pm on a donation basis. I have a key and everything so, it is on!

Then, I picked up my cast from Anne Krell, the beautifully talented artist who painted it. Check it out! If I haven't written about this before, several weeks ago I was casted by the ladies from Keep-a-Breast.org for an upcoming Breast Cancer Awareness event being held at lululemon Carlsbad. It was an interesting experience and I must say like nothing I've ever participated in before. This group raises breast cancer awareness using art: www.keep-a-breast.org. They are amazing.

In the middle of all of that, I taught two yoga classes, caught up with several of my good friends on the phone and online. Then, I returned home to be surprised by Todd with a pre-vacation/end-of-treatment present.

The second to last radiation was a piece of cake. This is the eighth week that I've driven to Scripps every weekday. I cannot wait to turn in my hospital bracelet. I cannot wait to not enter those gates. I cannot wait to stop changing into hospital gowns on a daily basis. I cannot wait until tomorrow at 3pm.

Freedom.

Yoga for Cancer Recovery Class begins October 7th at Yoga Swami

It is official: beginning October 7th, I will be offering an ongoing weekly Yoga for Cancer Recovery class at Yoga Swami in Encinitas on Thursdays at 4pm.

This class is open to anyone who is currently going through cancer treatment, who has completed treatment or is a caretaker of someone living with cancer. My intent is to create a safe community where we can come together with our shared bond and just feel better. As a breast cancer survivor, I can attest to how much yoga helped me.

Benefits of Yoga:

•Learn to handle the effects of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation

•Experience healing techniques for the mind, body and spirit

•Boost energy, improve mood, learn relaxation and breath techniques to combat fatigue, stress, and pain

•Restore flexibility, strength, range of motion, enhance lymphatic flow, digestion and circulation

Classes at Yoga Swami are donation-based. What does this mean exactly? It means that each week, you pay what you can. The suggested donation is $5-15. But, if you can't make a donation, that is fine. I understand the financial difficulties associated with this journey. I merely would like to cover my cost of renting out the beautiful space where we can hold class.

Yoga Swami is located at 912 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas.


If you have any questions at all, please feel free to call me or email me at claire@oceansoulyoga.com.

Please bring your own yoga mat.

Walking without a wig

This morning, I went for a walk wearing only a baseball cap. Well, I also had on pants, a top, shoes and socks, of course. But, since I now have a little hair, albeit silver, showing in the sideburn area and at the nape of my neck, I figured what the heck?

I went to the lagoon with Kirsten, as opposed to the beach where I might actually run into someone that I know. Baby steps. It felt good to not fuss with it. And, now that my brows and lashes are growing back, I didn't have to waste five minutes drawing on brows and liner either. I'm pleased to have that time returned to me. Of course, it is now spent on shaving my legs that seem to be valiantly trying to make up for lost time. I'm now really anxious for the hair to just fill in so I can go without anything at all! My fingers are crossed that my hairdresser can make it a pretty color pre-Australia.

My energy level is great and the only complaint I have is that the skin under my arm is still raw and weepy. Really horrible. I had to hold my hand on my hip and away from my body on the walk so I didn't rub it any more. Very graceful. It astounds me that they proceed so far with all of these treatments despite the severity of the side-effects. They saw how raw it was last week and basically just told me to deal with it. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

This week marks the final free Yoga for Cancer Recovery class at lululemon Carlsbad. 9am on 9/9! I'm excited that I've got the new Yoga for Cancer Recovery class time firmed up for October. I'll be offering the class at Yoga Swami in Encinitas at 4pm on Thursday afternoons.

10 days to Australia....