About the Author & Book
After experiencing breast cancer in the past, Kathleen discovered she had Stage III endometrial cancer two weeks before a long-planned move from Massachusetts to Florida. The next curve arrived when she was struck by a car crossing a road on her bicycle while on chemotherapy, breaking several bones in her leg and the opposite arm. Completing cancer therapy and surgery fro a wheelchair, she was then informed she has a breast cancer recurrence, requiring a bilateral mastectomy Once cancer free and mobile, the search for her next career path took more unexpected turns. The labyrinth of curves in the road included nine surgeries in under a year, an incredible tribe of new and old friends, and a spiritual journey of perseverance, gratitude, and humor to emerge as a stronger, more empathetic version of herself.
My Thoughts
A Halloween Story
One story that didn’t get included in the book is my first Halloween celebration in Florida. It was two months after moving, and just a few weeks after leaving my month’s stay in the hospital after the accident.
When my legs were first unwrapped in the rehab unit two weeks after the accident and surgeries, I cried when I saw what my legs had become. Big, black stitches encased my left knee and all over my right leg. I looked like Sally in Nightmare Before Christmas. I joked about finding a Sally costume for Halloween while in the hospital. One of the wonderful nurses, Christine, befriended me and visited me on her breaks after I got moved to the rehab unit. She invited Paul and I to attend a Halloween party at her house nearby. Her wonderful husband (who has since passed) was mostly wheelchair bound and her house was therefore handicapped accessible “so I had no excuse in not coming.” I accepted her offer, as we knew very few folks in the area by then.
For a while I pondered a costume, I could assemble that would make sense for someone in a wheelchair I thought of Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump. My super creative new choir friend, Kathy, put my wheelchair in the back of her tiny car and we were off to thrift stores to come up with a costume. The most expensive part of the costume was the wig, purchased at the Halloween Spirit store.
The costume was a big hit at the party, which was a mix of hospital co-workers (who remembered me from ICU, while I had dim memory of those five days) and Christine’s fun group of friends and family. It was a kind gesture for her to have invited me, and I’m thankful for the fun memory.
Lieutenant Dan reporting!
My Thoughts
Anniversieries are Weird
Wow, August 30 is here again! August 30, 2023 is the five year anniversary of the bicycle accident that led to so many challenges and opportunities for growth. I'm intrigued about the idea of post-traumatic growth syndrome and feel like this describes me. Lots of gratitude and reflection around that fateful day. I'll be posting more about my journey now that I've got this website somewhat figured out. But this photo was taken about 5-6 months after the accident, on my new "ride." Pictured is me on the Lake Monroe Bike Trail. I was within a quarter mile of the trail when I was hit by a car, leading to a four week journey as an inpatient.
As we batten down the hatches for Hurricane Idalia, I remember that beautiful day in 2018.
