Where do I begin?

I'm officially a blogger. A beauty against the beast with a blog for everyone to read. It's taken me a long time to get to this point. For those of you who know me, know I've been very open and honest with my journey since the very beginning. But I've always had a hard time accepting the idea of starting a blog. It's easy to post quick videos, or write status' on Facebook keeping everyone up to date. It's a lot harder to want to share the more intimate details along the way. Writing it all down in such detail makes everything that much more real. I guess a part of me preferred to hide behind the pictures and quick updates. It was easier.

Easy is not a word I use lightly, nor is it one I would chose to describe myself. The way I've been challenged over the past year is exactly the opposite, difficult. I have endured more appointments, tests and life altering decisions then most people experience in their whole lives. While I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy, I'm grateful for type of person it's made me today - strong!  

So, where do I begin? Do I dive into the huge milestones, my favourite moments over the past year, or simply explain more about myself? I guess rather than starting at the "beginning," I should explain why I've decided to start writing. It was always important I share my journey with anyone that would listen. I figured that if this was something I had to go through, that maybe I could help someone else along the way. I hope others seek encouragement in my words and know they're not alone. You don't have to be going through an illness to appreciate that everyone experiences difficulties at some point. I think if we all learned to be a little more honest with each other, life wouldn't be so scary.

I say this all the time, but I'm so grateful to be surrounded by such an amazing support system. While the "thank you" blog, where I gush about how amazing you all are, will have to wait. It's important I recognize that it's a big part of why I'm writing. I've had so many people, friends and strangers included, that have reached out to me in the past year. Always eager to know how I'm feeling, what the next steps are, or when I'm going through treatment. I'm blessed to have so many people truly care about what I'm going through. That genuinely want to share my journey with me.

Moving forward, this is the easiest way to include all of you. But I should warn you, I don't intend to sugar coat my writing. If you want to follow the beauty, I need to feel comfortable sharing the beast. That's not to say I won't be optimistic. I pride myself in being positive and finding silver linings in any situation, I think you have to. But I also need to tell the whole story. It wouldn't be fair to you, other survivors, or myself to do otherwise.

So again, thank you. For all of your encouragement to start a blog, for being so involved in my journey and for truly caring. I hope this outlet is as therapeutic for me as it is interesting for all of you. Like I said when I cut my hair for the very first time (and many occasions since) #fuckcancer