Cheryl’s Adventure – Cheryl Copeland

Christmas season has returned!  Sparkling lights are strung.  Beautiful wreaths are hung.  Holiday music fills the air.  Every little gift is wrapped with care.  Let the hustle and bustle of the season take hold.  But, wait!  There’s a greater story that must be told!  

Christmas always brings about the most dazzling decorations, magical music, and fabulous family traditions – but nothing can compare to having received the most precious gift of all.  Time!

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Some men often wonder why it is that women get so ridiculously excited about a “Ladies Night Out.”  Well Gentlemen, let us break it down for you with three simple words to help you understand: Ladies – Night – Out! 

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Blue – simply one of the most beautiful colors in the world!  Nothing is more beautiful than bright blue skies or breathtaking brilliant blue waters of the ocean.  Up until a year ago, blue was definitely my choice of color.  And then I was diagnosed with breast cancer!  The last thing I desired was to be left feeling blue!  I would have to make a change – it was time for a transformation!  I needed a new color to view the world as beautiful– my life soon became Pinkalicious! 

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When I began my treatments I completely understood that the chemo’s main goal was to hunt down and annihilate each of the cancer cells swarming my body.  My chemo cocktail was designed to attack ALL fast growing cells.  If I wanted the cancer to be gone – my hair, fingernails, eyebrows, and eyelashes would have to go too.

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Cheryl’s Adventure – Preparation 101
By Cheryl Copeland

It was exactly one year ago, after being diagnosed with Breast Cancer, that I was blessed and given an opportunity to write for this local newspaper.  What was meant to be just a one-time article appearance happily became a monthly affair.  My schedule became quite hectic after returning to work in the classroom. My passion for sharing through writing had to be placed on the back burner until the end of the year.  School is now officially out and so my Adventure continues! 

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Cheryl’s Adventure – Silver linings
By Cheryl Copeland

When speaking of cancer, there are simply no wonderful words to share.  Cancer is a terrible disease and, sadly, affects millions of people.  Doctor appointments, insurance bills, medical tests, surgeries, prescriptions, chemotherapy, and radiation are just a few of the inconveniences that become a part of one’s daily routine when battling cancer.  My family had to make major adjustments to include these aspects into our family’s schedule.  Some days were clearly more difficult than others.  Just as a terrible storm can bring about the most beautiful rainbows – we chose to search for silver linings wherever we could during my ten months of treatments.