Hello! I'm excited to be preparing for yet another Angels Among Us this year! I have been attending the event now since 2002, having missed only a couple along the way. It has been so amazing watching the event grow over the years!
I was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Epitheliod in June 2001. At the time I was 27 years old and had been married to my amazing husband for 3 years. We were at the point in our marriage where we were planning to start a family. Well, all that was interrupted when I got my diagnosis!
I had a successful (completely removed my tumor) surgery on June 29, 2001 in Colorado. I also completed my radiation therapy and one round of chemotherapy there before visiting Duke for the first time. After my first appointment on October 8, 2001 at the Duke Brain Tumor Center, we decided I would continue with treatment "driven" by the Duke doctors. We returned to CO for treatment but traveled to Duke every couple of months to check my progress. I received my final dose of chemotherapy in December 2002. Since then I have had clear scans and I am so grateful! I now return to Duke once a year for my appointment which is the same week as Angels Among Us. We are excited to coming back this coming year, in April 2024!!
We have since been able to have a family! We have two daughters, Abigail (14) and Bethany (11), who are truly gifts from the Lord! This has been quite the journey and although it's been tumultuous at times, we continue to count the many blessings we've experienced along the way!!
I have written a children's book, titled Boo Bear's Big Day - A Hope Filled Story About Brain Cancer. We all understand how hard the news, "You have a brain tumor," is to hear. Well, this book can act as a tool in having that difficult conversation with your children about someone's diagnosis. I plan to have a table where I can sign books again at Angels Among Us 2024.
We look forward to joining our "family" in April at Angels Among Us!! See you there!