Carey Kicks Cancer

04/12/2026

04/10/2026

I’m attending a cancer survivor retreat in a couple of weeks.
Just me.
No family or friends.
It’s a retreat specifically for survivors who are less than a year out from cancer treatment and I gotta say, this comes at a good time.
People say that I’ve made stepping back into “normal” life look natural and easy, but the truth is that it hasn’t been.
I know I can’t have my pre-cancer life back. It’s gone.
I’m hoping during the retreat there will be guidance offered in processing the trauma and unmask the blurr that existed in the whirlwind of surviving.
Sometimes I find myself in disbelief that it ever occurred at all and other times I feel like an arrow of recurrence could shoot out at any unexpected moment and strike me again.
I hoping this retreat will give me the space to find more understanding and healing.
I’m here for the healing.
The retreat is a complimentary service provided by Northside Hospital, where my I had 4 surgeries during treatment.
Through my surgeries, this hospital placed/removed 2 ports, removed my breasts and then reconstructed wanna-be boobies… so ya know, it’s nice that they offer a weekend retreat to help their patients process their traumatic experiences. Lol!
But seriously, I am grateful for the opportunity.
As I said, I’m here for the healing.

03/28/2026

Happy 22nd Anniversary to my powerhouse of a hubby.

To the man who stood by me through chemo, 4 surgeries, radiation, adjuvant infusions, Dr appointments galore and countless hours of talking it all out with me.

When I felt well during treatments, we made the most of the small window of opportunity and squeezed in as many mini adventures as we could.

The pictures the end are from a trip we took to Colorado less than a month before my diagnosis. That was our last family vacation before life was clouded by cancer.

Most of the time, we aren’t thinking about when an experience will be the last, until it’s over.

Life for me is now broken into two timelines: BC and AD
BC: before cancer
AD: after diagnosis
I can never have my BC life back again. I experience the world differently now.

How lucky am I to have a spouse that is willing to transition and adapt with me from BC life to AD life.

03/21/2026

The waiting…

Since my last infusion in November, I’ve been visiting my oncologist every 4 weeks for monitoring.

My bloodwork results are improving, so my oncology visits will now be every 6 weeks.

My platelets are still low and liver function is still not up to par, but there is slow improvement.

I’ve had some physical discomfort lately that has heightened my alert. I fight back against the worry of recurrence every day, and that is a burden for me to manage. I’m getting better at it, but not a day goes by that fear attempts to derail me from staying present and moving forward with strength.

I’m grateful every day for my life and the army of loved ones (and medical team) who have fought with me and understand that the battle is ongoing.

This is me and my hubby waiting in the waiting room. Not the best pic, but authenticity captured on an exhausting day.

03/18/2026

🍀 Hope you’re feeling lucky on St. Patrick’s Day! 🍀

I feel lucky:
💚 to be living cancer FREE
💚 to have hair on my head
💚 to be loved
💚 to have genuine love for others
💚 to have purpose
💚 to have support
💚 to have family
💚 to have friends
💚 to have jobs that I love
💚 to have basic needs met every day
💚 to have modern medicine
💚 to have holistic medicine
💚 to have information available
💚 to have an abundance of reasons for gratitude
💚 to witness another springtime
💚 to have air in my lungs and a smile on my face
💚 to still have a life to fight for

🍀 How are you feeling lucky today? 🍀

03/10/2026

We start THIS week!

This rehabilitation center has helped me regain my mobility and confidence after both surgeries.

I’m looking forward to giving back to a community of warriors!

03/05/2026

I’m honored to start leading yoga classes for a community and sisterhood of breast cancer survivors.

If you know of someone seeking an opportunity to honor their unique body and the individualized journey of breast cancer, I’d love to help support them.

Classes start March 13th in Roswell, Georgia.

QR code included for more information.

This is where I have been receiving my personalized post surgery care and am thrilled to be part of a team that is truly passionate about the well being of those affected by breast cancer.

02/19/2026

1 year ago today…

I chose to have both my breasts removed.

A choice I can never have back.

When I start feeling sorry for myself, it’s comforting to also remember this.
👇
1 year ago today…

A cancerous tumor and lymph nodes were removed from my body.

A situation I never WANT to have back.

Priorities shift if the dreaded C word is involved.

In honor of this milestone, I walked down memory lane and reviewed the pictures from the surgery. Some are shocking and arguably inappropriate for social media, so I’ll keep them to myself for now. I don’t want to hurt anyone by posting something that could be triggering depending on their experiences, but the pictures could also encourage others to be vigilant about prevention.

Sharing my personal consequence of ignoring the signs and disrespecting my body is a way to raise awareness, so here it is in a nutshell:
Today I morn the loss of my breasts. I miss them. I miss them every day.
I regret not prioritizing my health every day of my life before my body became an environment for cancer to feed.
I wish I hadn’t ignored the lump when I found it.
But I did, and suffered the consequences.
I will every day.
But every day is a gift.
So now, I learn.
I correct what a I can with the time I have been given.
I work hard every day to heal and learn and implement healthier choices.

Your body is a gift.
I implore you to take care of it.

02/14/2026

45 and ALIVE!!🎉
I got to celebrate another birthday!!🎂
I got another trip around the sun!!☀️
I got 365 more opportunities to love this life. 🫶
I took this picture a year ago on Valentines Day, a day to shine a spotlight on love.
I want to send love and gratitude to everyone who went out of their way last year to celebrate my birthday. I had 3 different birthday parties (hosted by Chris, Chad and Christina🙏) with people who were going out of their way to comfort me and distract me from the impending surgery that awaited me.
For 6 months I had been living with a diagnosed cancerous tumor inside of me and after 7 rounds of chemo, it was finally time to remove it…
and also 9 lymph nodes…
and also my right breast…
and also my left breast…
and also my right nipple…
and also my left nipple…
All at once.
I’d wake up from that surgery forever changed physically and emotionally.
Grief is tricky.
Emotionally I’ll have cycles of anger, sadness and then gratitude.
When sadness comes, I acknowledge it and work on replacing that grief with gratitude. I’m finding that gratitude starts to become the default after a while.
Anger is a different beast. The yogi in me is working hard against anger.
I am not this body.
I am so much more and so are you.
I’m grateful for every day that I get a chance to experience what comes.
My how much can change in one year.
Happy 45th Birthday to me and Happy Valentine’s Day to you! 💝
Sending you all love and light. 💕💫

02/12/2026

James Van Der Beek lost his battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer. My heart breaks for his loved ones left behind, for his precious life taken and for whatever suffering was part of his brave journey.

I don’t know how to describe the ever present connection I feel with anyone who has been diagnosed with the dreaded C word. It’s like a club that NO one wants to be part of.

Ready or not, it’s time to put your dukes up. 🥊 No time to prepare, here comes the repeated sucker punches and don’t forget to fight back like hell at a time when you feel the absolute weakest of your entire life.

James made his cancer journey public in November 2024, while I was in the midst of enduring the harshest month of my chemotherapy treatments.
He was stage 3.
So was I.
I felt seen, less alone but empathetically saddened. (As I am now)
We both battled cancer during the same timelines. Though different types of cancer, stage 3 is a diagnosis that demands immediate attention and forever alters the way you move forward into whatever time is ahead of you.

I wonder if he ignored the signs or maybe he didn’t know what they were when the signs were manifesting.

For years, I ignored the signs. Mainly because I didn’t know they could have been indicative of something else.

PLEASE DON’T IGNORE THE SIGNS. Your body wants to be healthy, but it requires your participation and intuitive presence.

I hope James was able to spend his time in a way that was meaningful to him. May he continue to shine his light into the next life and may his loved ones be comforted in peace.

02/03/2026

Chapter 1

01/26/2026

🚿 Six weeks post op and I’m clear to take a full, independent shower where I can finally face the shower head, let my entire body get wet and wash my own hair again!

Y’all, I’m telling you, that first shower after surgery is intimidating because you can’t get the incisions wet. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but you’d be surprised how your body goes into auto pilot in the shower. It’s easy to make one false move that lets water drip or spray in areas that need to stay dry.

For 6 weeks, showering was less enjoyable, so once my Dr cleared me for water submersion, it was on! I blasted music, sang and danced a bit in the shower and celebrated a victory.

It was the same liberating feeling I had after my bilateral mastectomy. The first independent shower post op is truly is a turning point for me in the post surgery healing process.

My patient, ever supportive hubby washed my hair for me while I was healing up. He’s the best! Fist bump that man next time to see him. 👊🏽

Take away:
Enjoy the little things, like your shower/bath time.
Also, support the ones who support you.

Every day is a gift! Every day.