Let me introduce myself . . .
Hi, I'm Karen Wiehl and I created this website to share anything I can think of that helped me become a Breast Cancer Survivor. I was diagnosed in March, 2019 with Stage 3 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, and finished treatment (Chemo, Surgery, & Radiation) in March 2020. A long hard year but I'm here, I'm strong, and getting on with my life. I'm a retired concert photographer and I've worked in the legal field for about 30 years. I live in Las Vegas with my husband and our dog, Winston. I love photography and getting outdoors here in the Southwest. CURRENTLY: I've been working from home and trying to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic since early March, 2020. The pandemic hit just as I was completing cancer treatment and sidelined my plans for celebrating being healthy, like it sidelined all our lives. I've found ways to celebrate locally by getting out in the great outdoors safely away from other people. Cancer treatment affects the immune system so I'm being extra careful and I miss being around people, I miss being face to face with my friends, and I look forward to the day we are safe to resume our lives.
If you are here because you were recently diagnosed, I know you are afraid. I know you are angry. You are every emotion possible and combinations of them you never dreamed existed. Allow yourself to grieve, to feel all the emotions. The feelings are proof you are still alive. It sounds dark, but I got past the initial shock and started to move forward by thinking about how death comes for all of us and none of us know when or how we will live our final moments. I can’t control death but I can control how much of my life I’m willing to lose to Cancer while I’m alive and I chose to focus on living rather than start dying with the knowledge I have a potentially deadly disease.
When I was first diagnosed in March, 2019, I was overwhelmed and I got myself through those days by searching for stories of women who had been through it, looking for information that would help me make decisions about my treatment, learn about hair loss, dealing with chemotherapy, working during cancer treatment, what I might expect, just any information to help me prepare to fight this disease. I've written down thoughts and stories throughout treatment, planning to someday share what I learned. I know from my own experience, the information I received from women who had been there before me meant the world to me. If you are reading this, you may be recently diagnosed or close to someone fighting cancer and my hope is that something I share helps you. Everyone's journey through cancer is unique and my choices may not be the right choice for someone else. I'm just sharing what worked for me and hope that something I share helps another cancer patient.
