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 close to 40 years, we have three great kids (well on most days. We’ve added two wonderful daughters-in-laws (they really are) to our family and now have four grandchildren. (I still can’t believe I’m that old!) Life has been lovely apart from 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 which 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 finally done with cancer. And then, at my six-year mammogram, the results showed some calcification. The Big “C” decided one dance wasn’t enough, the bastard! I had gone from Stage 0/1a to Stage 3b all while having clear mammograms until year six. I would be experiencing the full gamut this time: mastectomy, chemo, radiation, and all the side effects. Talk about blindsided! (fyi – invasive lobular doesn’t show up on a mammogram). ​
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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: (1) writing helps me heal and (2) 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, the worry, angst or sadness would melt away. I could let it go. On most days, I could find my humor and would write about it. Trust me, laughter is the best medicine!
Gratitude was a major part of both my journeys. Every day I would find gratitude. Even on particularly rough days, I was thankful that even despite feeling awful, I was alive. I learned I could experience joy amid chaos, and how I could live 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 laughter.
p.s. – I have since taken my blog and published a book, Saving Teets – One Woman’s Journey with the Big “C” – link is on my front page.