Sometimes, life’s adventures take you to some really strange and unexpected places, places you didn’t even think you wanted to go. So it was with our Christmas vacation. We were coming off a fabulous trip to Israel, Jordan and Dubai so Christmas was to be low key. We went back to Texas to see our daughters. It started off so great. We got home to discover that our daughters and the wonderful men in their lives had set up and decorated the family Christmas tree for us and put our Christmas decorations in the front yard. It was just about the best Christmas gift I had ever received. We had a great Christmas. We saw all our family and everyone was doing pretty good or better and things were looking up.

Of course there was the pesky business of getting all our medical exams and tests run before we returned to Taipei, but no big deal…we were in great shape, not really dieting but definitely in the best shape we have been in for several years.

So on the last day before we were to return to Taipei, I had the last scheduled test, the dreaded mammogram. Well I guess I dreaded it every year for a reason. This time there was a spot. It looked like about 12 grains of salt on a patterned piece of fabric, but it was a show stopper. I couldn’t even see it until it was pointed out to me but fortunately, a really sharp radiologist did.

So diagnosis, cancer. Now I know most people would be devastated by a breast cancer diagnosis but we were actually relieved. Since I had kidney cancer about 4 ½ years ago, breast cancer actually sounded pretty good to me. (Well at least better than metastasized kidney cancer) But I couldn’t return to Taipei for now.

So Mark flew back to Dallas to see me through the surgery then he flew to Korea and Shanghai, China (neither exactly desirable spots to visit in the winter) while I pressed on.

So now I think that I look like an old K car. The front end wasn’t garnering any second looks when it was new, but it performed as designed. Now the front end is 20+ (Okay so I’m generous to myself) years old and looking worse for the wear. I have a big spot just right of center. It looks like I hit a bird, a little dented and reddened. That was the biopsy. Then, there was the collision with the surgeon. Now the left headlight points straight ahead but the right one is looking off to the right and downward. Plus there is some tape holding the trim strips on and a couple of purple x’s to mark the spot just for fun.

But there are some good things too. My daughters and mother are here as are the wonderful men in our daughters’ lives. Mark is halfway around the world but he came straight away when I needed him too. I have friends all around the world who have been praying for me and holding me in their thoughts. That is an amazing feeling.

I am anxious to return to Taipei but I’m sure this strange journey I’m on now is for some reason whether or not I get a stamp in my passport.