“No one else” It came out of nowhere and shot through my heart Time stood still as my world fell apart Four simple words, turned me upside down As my life was spinning, I reached for steady ground With an army in my soul, soldiers of love, warriors of faith Fighting a battle against the enemy with no face I am breathing once again Time has shown me the power of my strength This journey is an ever- winding road I will walk it proud, tall and strong And as I’m standing face to face with myself I thank the Lord I’m no one else There were days filled with anger, and nights lost in tears I searched for courage in spite of the fear In the midst of the madness, I found a quiet space simple moments, a tender embrace

SORAYA

I am breathing once again Time has shown me the power of my strength This journey is an ever- winding road I will walk it proud, tall and strong And as I’m standing face to face with myself I thank the Lord I’m no one else From a drop of compassion, flowed a river of love I drank from its waters and swam through the flood In my darkest hour, when I could barely see I found the essence of a woman I never dreamed I could be I am breathing once again Time has shown me the power of my strength This journey is an ever- winding road I will walk it proud, tall and strong And as I’m standing face to face with myself As I’m standing face to face with myself, with myself. . . I thank the Lord I’m no one else Written by Soraya (Yami Music Pub., Inc 2002)

Things I've learned from having breast cancer: 1) God is good. (Actually, I've always known this - but it's always worth repeating!) 2) I am blessed with a lot of awesome friends and family in my life. 3) The Des Moines, Iowa area has a lot of fantastic doctors, nurses, facilities and programs for those facing cancer. If you or a loved one are faced with Breast Cancer, I would suggest Dr. Susan Beck and the Katzmann Breast Center - they have been great from the beginning. 4) There are advantages to hair loss from chemo! The time I used to spend washing, conditioning, drying, styling.....my hair, can now be spent on more important things! 5) If I ever feel sorry for myself, I remember that there are, unfortunately, so many people who are so much worse off. And then I channel my energy on finding ways to help others. 6) Laughter is the best medicine! I am a big fan of Ellen Degeneres! There is a lot of funny stuff on her talk show website at http://ellen.warnerbros.com: Check out Bad School Photos, then head over to her Video Gallery and click on Ellen's Bits on the right, and then scroll way down to "The story you picked: Sub Sandwich" and "The bad school photo mystery". Have fun! If you are in the mood to laugh, see the movie Baby Mama with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Be prepared - it's just plain silly Saturday Night Live kind of humor, but you will laugh! My husband and I went to see this movie right after I was diagnosed, and it was such a great pick-me-up! My daughter's first "joke" about my condition: "So Mom.....can I use all your hair care products while.....um......you won't be needing them?" she said, thinking forward to my hair loss from chemo. I burst out laughing, gave her a hug, and said "That's the spirit - find positive things in any situation!" On the day I had all my hair buzzed off because it was falling out, she raided my bathroom and took my hair dryer, straightener, hot rollers, shampoos, etc....she wasn't wasting any time! Once I have hair again, I'm a little concerned about getting these items back from her! "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." ~Mother Teresa (Thanks Lori!) About accepting help: "When you help others, you receive a blessing, right? Well, when you don't accept help from others, you are preventing them from being blessed by helping you!" (Thanks Katie!)

© 2008 Tara's T's