Imortant business notice followed by an equally-important personal message. Please take note!
Good Monday Morning!
A quick note from Fiddleheads & Floss Writing Services: Christina will be taking medical leave in February, beginning February 8, 2025, and continuing for at least 2 weeks.
If you need to send a message or place an order you may continue to go through the same channels as usual, only understand that responses will be delayed until Christina is back in the office.
Email your inquiry to fiddleheadsnfloss@gmail.com with subject heading “freelance inquiry” and tell a bit about your project. When Christina is back in office, she’ll be happy to discuss your editorial/writing/copy needs.
Fiverr presence will be closed for all of February.
Two weeks off are set in stone, no exceptions, with a week or two after that in the gray. Christina looks forward to returning to work as soon as possible.
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
World Cancer Day Is Hitting Different This Year 😟
Something stirs beneath the surface. This is the way of water, I know. It is also the way of men. —The Ways of Water
I had no idea how cryptic those words were when I wrote them. It was a simple day, admiring the changes in the pond in my back yard. Looking back on that moment, I wonder if the cancer had already begun.
To honor World Cancer Day this year, I am going to share my diagnosis with you. And a bit of the “journey” for us “warriors”—see how I am learning the lingo?
The cancer ribbon for melanoma is black. Seems fitting as the mole on my back turned black in just a few short weeks. It itched terribly. Cracked open. I dreamed of digging it out with my fingernails. Needless to say, the thing was bothersome and worrisome.
But melanoma cancer? Isn’t that kinda serious?
Well, yes it is. I won’t bore you with the statistics, but I am learning it’s like “Whack a Mole”. Literally. Melanomas are notorious for spreading rapidly, invading other organs, and popping up in whole new places once you think it’s gone and you are cured.
First—I do not feel like a warrior. But ask me again in a few weeks. By then I’ll have a couple of big scars and hopefully the “all clear” from pathology. Surgery is scheduled for Monday the 10th and I am taking two weeks off to heal, then weaning myself back into work. If I don’t get the “all clear” from pathology, then further scans, follow-up treatment (most likely a year of immunotherapy treatments), and who knows what else will follow.
It’s not easy putting a sole proprietorship on hold for two weeks. There’s a lot of prep, getting the word out to all clients, (and potential ones who may pop up during those weeks), and of course, there’s zero income coming in while I am out of work. Ouch, yes that hurts.
Mentally speaking, I had no idea what people go through with a cancer diagnosis. NO. IDEA. There’s so much worry, uncertainty, fear, this weird “nothing matters” feeling, juxtaposed with “every moment counts! Don’t waste it!”…both in the same headspace. The mental “game” alone is enough for the “warrior” moniker.
For some people it’s less complicated and they sail right through the surgery(s) thinking everything’s going to be just fine…and most of the time I am feeling this way. But then, I look at the pathology report again and again (with some scary numbers on it) and go right back into Google rabbit holes.
It’s hard to sleep.
Melanoma is curable when caught early. But here’s some of whatyou may NOT know…
Melanoma is caused by two things: genetics, and the sun.
Melanoma is a mind game. You become suspicious of every ache, pain, twitch, or spot. It is silent. It is small. It can be colorless. And yes, it can be deadly.
Melanoma can metastasize in as few as 8 weeks. Survival rates plummet as soon as it reaches the lymph nodes. Next stop—blood, lungs, brain, or liver or a combination of those. Early detection and removal is critical.
When melanoma spreads to the lungs, liver brain etc. it is not then known as “lung cancer” or “brain cancer” but as “melanoma cancer in the lungs” etc. I didn’t even know you could get melanoma in other organs. You can even get it in the eye.
Melanoma is DISFIGURING. For every mole that has to be removed, a small scar. For every one that pathology finds melanoma cancer cells in…the scar for the wide excision surgery is HUGE. For my small mole on my back…it will be a 6-7 inch long gash of a scar. “Like a shark bit you” the dermatological surgeon said. Now imagine…melanoma on your face, ear, chest, neck…and the huge, disfiguring scars that people have to get.
Melanoma often returns. I joined two melanoma support groups on Facebook. It’s the best thing I could have done—the women sharing their stories and working hard to keep each other’s spirits up is both inspiring, and a necessary help. Many of these women have had multiple fights. They wear their scars proudly, as I will mine.
Your Cancer Tip for the Day
We don’t really get to pick our battles. But we can show up with fight. And that is what I will do. I’ll fight with my time, my rest, my mental health, the best pain management I can, and my insane ability to stay positive even when things are tough. And as soon as I am able, I’ll be back at work—because I LOVE what I do!
If you know or love someone who is going through a cancer diagnosis—no matter what type or severity, know that fear and isolation are difficult. And that we are aware that our condition affects you, too. There are no perfect words to say.
But my favorite words so far have been these:
You’ve got this. I’m sorry. I love you. I’m here. Kick some ass. And, of course…
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