I was diagnosed after five months of mammograms, stereotactic and surgical biopsies, tests and doctor visits. A mastectomy and reconstructive surgeries followed. It was after the surgeries that I was hit hardest with the truth about cancer: it’s never over for the survivor. Like so many survivors, I found that, once treatment was complete, support systems evaporate and family and friends want to return to “normal.” It was a very lonely time, because, once cancer changes you forever, there is no going back to “normal.”
By actively seeking out support and “doing the work” of oncology therapy, I slowly healed, physically and emotionally. I am now a survivor, blogger, speaker and advocate. Because support and community were vital to my healing, and still so important today, I created WhereWeGoNow for survivors creating inspired healing, wellness and live out loud joy.
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.com
Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. Albert Camus
For those of us blissfully past the cancer diagnosis ...
February 21, 2012 - 12:06pm
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.com
Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in ...
January 16, 2012 - 7:08am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comThe first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite ...
January 12, 2012 - 6:39am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comLast June, I wrote a blog post listing "Five Reasons You Should Seriously Consider Donating Blood." The fifth reason, supplied by the ...
January 11, 2012 - 6:52am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comLife is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is about going on and on and on. It is about muddling through the middle. Anna ...
January 10, 2012 - 7:25am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comI mean the whole thing about meditation and yoga is about connecting to the higher part of yourself, and then seeing that every living thing is ...
January 5, 2012 - 10:56am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comA really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars. Carly SimonChildren show scars like medals. Lovers ...
January 4, 2012 - 6:20am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comAnd when is there time to remember, to sift, to weigh, to estimate, to total? Tillie OlsenI don't know about you, but almost everyone I know, ...
January 3, 2012 - 5:54am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comTrue hospitality comes from the heart, and is not the product of ostentatious and expensive material surroundings. Eleanor RooseveltOpening ...
December 23, 2011 - 7:42am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comPeople who work crossword puzzles know that if they stop making progress, they should put the puzzle down for a while. Marilyn vos ...
December 20, 2011 - 5:49am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comWe all know how life goes during the diagnostic and treatment phase of cancer. It's 24/7 cancer and everything else that used to constitute ...
December 16, 2011 - 5:47am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comOnce again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his ...
December 13, 2011 - 5:42am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comIt is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long ...
December 12, 2011 - 6:05am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comI mentioned in an earlier post that I recently ran into my massage therapist, Alyssa Millman. Alyssa mentioned at one point how ...
December 9, 2011 - 7:54am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comWe are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing. Billy GrahamSharing and community are the bedrock concepts upon ...
December 7, 2011 - 1:21pm
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comI was reminded of the very important issue of taking responsibility for our own healing the other night, when I ran into a very ...
December 6, 2011 - 8:00am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comFor almost 18 wonderful years, I've had the privilege of building a close relationship with my daughter. Whether in person, or by phone or ...
December 5, 2011 - 5:41am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comIt's December 1st, which makes me think about one of my favorite holiday movies for kids. In Sesame Street's Elmo Saves ...
December 1, 2011 - 6:25am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comAs a supporting blogger with the Love/Avon Army of Women, I'm taking this Cancer Warriors Wednesday to remind everyone of the importance ...
November 30, 2011 - 6:29am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comI've been practicing "mind fullness" all my life. I don't know if it's all the practice, or natural talent, but I'm a whiz at it. I can multi-task, ...
November 28, 2011 - 7:55am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comOnce again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his ...
November 25, 2011 - 6:41am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comAs we live our lives with and beyond cancer, we all need resources. One of mine is TalkAboutHealth.com. As a caring community, TalkAboutHealth ...
November 22, 2011 - 7:13am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comThe holidays are about to begin, which makes me think about one of my favorite holiday movies for kids. In Sesame Street's Elmo Saves ...
November 21, 2011 - 6:08am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comI bet you didn't know that Saturday night is National Family Pajama Night. I didn't know it either until I stumbled upon it on the Internet. ...
November 18, 2011 - 7:00am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comMy meditation practice has been getting a little more “practiced.” I've been using fallow field visualization and it’s really ...
November 17, 2011 - 5:45am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.comIf you are looking for a perfect way to let someone with cancer know you are thinking of them, I have a great idea for you. Interregnum.org, a ...
November 16, 2011 - 6:49am
by Debbie Woodbury, founder WhereWeGoNow.com Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. Albert Camus For those of us blissfully past the cancer diagnosis ...
DebbieWWGN commented on DebbieWWGN's post Running on Empty - Coping with Cancer Stress