Central Alberta Photographer { Janelle Awe Photography } | The Big ‘C’ by Shauna Olsen
Together with a close friend, Carleen, we captured the beauty of Shauna in a photo shoot during a very difficult part of her journey. We loved giving her this day. There were tonnes of smiles, lots of laughter, and friendships grew.
Thank you Shauna.
I am so honoured to share this story written by a very strong woman about her roller coaster ride of life.
The Big “C” is not what you think . . . .
My fight began 5+ years ago (Aug. 2008) and wasnʼt the big “C.”
It was the big “G” – called GRIEF.
It was the loss of our two beautiful daughters, Sarah (age 6) & Amber (age 2).
This past May (2013), thinking I was finally settling into a “new normal,” I found
my lump.
Again my life was in the valley!
Satan was attacking, but once again, I chose not to allow Satan to win and
continued to lean into God and gain my strength from the even bigger “C” –
CHRIST!
The month of June consisted of MANY appointments: mammograms,
ultrasounds, biopsy . . . hearing the words “you have cancer,” to many scans and
tests.
I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, which consists of aggressive
growing cancer cells. The cancer had metastasized outside the mass – closer to
the chest wall than hoped – and had gone into and metastasized outside my
lymph nodes as well.
I chose a bi-lateral mastectomy in July.
One month after surgery, I had another surgery to insert a port for my blood work
and chemo treatments. This was a great concept, yet my body didnʼt like the
invasion, so I had nine weeks of infections in that area.
The dreaded chemo started at the beginning of August and continued until the
end of November. Six cycles in total. Two different drug changes, both rearing
their own ugly heads of symptoms!
It has been a long journey!
January 2014, I started 16 rounds of radiation as well as a drug called
Tamoxifen, which will be taken daily for the next 5-10 years.
Has this journey been easy?
No.
Is it the worst thing I have been through? No. Nothing compares to the loss we
suffered.
Am I ready to say ENOUGH?
Yes.
Did we have friends rally around us?
Yes.
We were truly blessed throughout this journey . . . prayers, texts, phone calls,
meals, regular visits, gifts of love, yard/garden work, grocery shopping, head
shaves, encouragement . . . . The list goes on and on . . . .
I am thankful for my oncologists and team at the Tom Baker!!!
My chances of the cancer returning will go from 55% down to 10% upon
completion of radiation.
One beautiful gift was a cancer photoshoot!
Janelle and Carleen came to the farm on a brisk cool day.
Carleen did all my make-up, and Janelle did a beautiful photoshoot outside in the
snow.
Some of you may wonder why include a teddy bear in the shoot? I’m 43!
Well, Honeyfitz, has been everywhere with me – through grief, through cancer, to
Africa on Mission Trips, on holidays – so it was only fitting that he was in some of
the photos!
“Everything in life I share, except of course my teddy bear!”
To view a slide show of beautiful images of Shauna ~ click on the photo of her and her teddy bear!
Central Alberta Photographer Janelle Awe Photography