My Story
My name is Carey " Teets" Cornacchini.
Yep, you read it correctly - " Teets"
I’ve lived a pretty normal life. Married to Bob for over 30 years, we have three great kids (well on most days lol!). We’ve added a wonderful daughter-in-law and are awaiting the arrival of our first grandchild. (I still can’t believe I’m that old!) Life has been pretty lovely with the exception of a little cancer.
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Back to that last name . . . “Teets”. Being born with that name has certainly helped me find my sense of humor. (Did I really have a choice?) It’s that humor that helped me navigate my journeys with the Big “C”. And Yes I said journeys. My first journey with breast cancer was in 2011. I refer to it as my drive by cancer. Diagnosed in April completely done with all treatment by June 1st. I was stage 0/1a – easy peasy in the grand scheme of cancer. At five years clear, I had a big celebration. I was done with cancer. Well you know what they say about best laid plans. At my six year mammogram, it showed some calcification. I knew then that I would be having another dance. The Big “C” decided one dance wasn’t enough, the bastard! I had gone from Stage 0/1a to Stage 3b having clear mammograms until year six. Talk about being blindsided! I would be experiencing the full gamut this time: mastectomy, chemo, radiation, and all the side effects. I knew this journey would be much more intense. But I also knew from my last journey that it would also be filled with immense love and gratitude.
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I kept a journal but didn’t blog during my first dance with cancer. My second journey was much more intense and treatment would be just short of a year. I began my blog for two reasons: writing helps me heal and I was tired of discussing it with everyone. It seemed that each time I talked about it, I was reliving it and it drained me. Blogging kept everyone informed and gave me an outlet to heal. Once I wrote about it, the worry, angst or sadness would melt away. I could let it go. On most days, I could my humor and would write about it. Trust me, laughter is the best medicine!
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Gratitude was a major part of both my journeys. I do know that every day I found my gratitude. There was always something to grateful for. Even on a particularly rough day, my gratitude was that I was still able to be here. The gifts and lessons that my cancer gave me and my family are immeasurable. I experienced joy in the midst of chaos. I was living my life, not the disease. As with anything that happens to you in life, attitude is everything. I had no choice in having cancer (who would choose it?!?) but I did have a choice in how I reacted to it and that gave me back some power. I chose to look at it as another part of my life journey. Everyone has a story, everyone has their own mountains to climb. This was just mine. My blog is my daily musings of my dance with the Big “C”. I hope you enjoy reading about my incredible journey and all the gifts it gave me and that it brings you a smile and maybe a laugh or two while you’re on your own journey. To quote my idol – Erma Bombeck “Laughter rises out of tragedy when you need it most, and rewards you for your courage”. May you always find the laughter.
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Love and Light,
Carey