Survivor's Blog- July 18, 2013 A little boost to get me down the road....

Yesterday, I got the nicest surprise- it was the kind of surprise that boosted my spirits and should help me make it through the next few weeks of treatment! As many of you know, I have been having a hard time as a cancer patient this time around. My body is very tired of all the therapies. Emotionally, I am tired of practically living at the SC. Oncology Associates Office. I try every day to remember to be grateful for what I have and look forward to when I will be through with all of this and cancer free. Sometimes staying upbeat is really hard.. so what happened to me yesterday was wonderful!

As many of you know, I have continued to work despite my doctor's wishes. I have also tried to keep up with some of my other interests as I am able to. One of the things I love  most is gardening. When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and became sidelined I was not able to garden much, which has been hard for me. I was in chemo treatment one day checking my email, when an invitation to take the South Carolina Master Gardener's class at Clemson popped into my inbox. I remember opening it and saying to Erin, "I always wanted to take this class,  it is ironic that now that I am off work and have the time, I can't take it because I am on chemo." My chemo nurse, Kathy, overheard us talking and told me that they actually had a patient take and pass the class last year. She told me to sign up for class and go for it. So I did.

Beginning in 2012, I started the three months of weekly classes that it took to be a Master Gardener. I also started to do volunteer work around town so that I would have the 40 hours required to be a Certified Master Gardener. I was so excited to get a great grade on the Master Gardener final and I worked really hard toward my volunteer hours. Then for some inexplicable reason I started to get sick again, and I had to start chemo all over again. The second time around wiped me out and I was unable to finish the gardener's certification on  schedule. My classmates all received their certificates at a gala this June-- while I stayed home and dealt with the big C.

Yesterday, the Master Gardeners had their annual Tomato Tasting and meeting at Saluda Shoals Park. They invited me to come and even offered to come pick me up if I did not feel up to driving myself. I decided since I had to have treatment yesterday anyway, I would just swing by the park on my way home and sit in on as much of the meeting as I could. We had a wonderful lunch and it was so  cool to see many of my friends from class!

The best part of the day for me though was the surprise they had planned for me..they called me up to the front of the room and Certified me as a SC Master Gardener!!!

Myself and Vicky B.

 

Photo taken by Clinton Bryson