It's been so long since I've written. Mainly because I've been too busy living my life. My AWESOME life. Just to show how incredible it is, let me recap the past year - July 2012 - I walked 39 miles with the amazing Rack Stars team in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. It was grueling, it was painful, it was the best experience of my life!! The very next day, the McNichol family hopped on a plane for Hawaii. YES, Hawaii!! Matt had promised me a trip to Hawaii when I was first diagnosed in 2010. His parents made good on that promise by taking us all last summer. The highlight of my trip was seeing Reagan surf, and taking a paddleboarding lesson. I have always wanted to paddleboard - so one more thing off the old bucket list. During my lesson I paddled over the coral break. As soon as I cleared it, an enormous sea turtle popped up in front of my board. I was terrified at first, and then regained my balance and really enjoyed the beauty of this incredible animal. It was so cool...
At the age of 36 I went in for a baseline mammogram. Two weeks later, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. After 7 months of treatment, and 5 years of hormonal therapy, my cancer returned in 2017. I am now a Stage 4 cancer patient focusing on not just surviving, but also thriving.