My Story

I'm Kathie. I live in Oregon, USA.

You may have seen this phrase floating around social media:

"When something goes wrong in your life, just yell 'Plot twist!' and move on."

In the summer of 2015, a major plot twist occurred. I was diagnosed with undifferentiated endometrial sarcoma, a rare uterine cancer, and began a new chapter in my life.

Sarcomas can form in soft tissue, cartilage, bone, blood vessels, muscles, fat - and they're all uncommon. http://www.cancer.gov/research/progress/snapshots/sarcoma

Uterine sarcoma is especially rare, only 5% of all uterine cancers. For 2016, the American Cancer Society estimates are about 1600 new cases in the United States. And the type I have, undifferentiated endometrial sarcoma, is only about 1% of all uterine cancers.

Wow, don't I feel special (sarcasm, obviously). 1% of 5% - what are the odds of me being the one affected by this?

Since September 2015 I've been blogging to track my new state of being. The past year has been a life-changer for me, with an unexpected finding of cancer and then a rare diagnosis, and a not-great prognosis. Hard for me to wrap my mind around.

I want to track my progress and offer insight to others who may be dealing with this situation. This rare cancer is hard to find information on. Most of what I found online was either from medical or academic journals, or cancer research organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health. In this blog I want to provide a personal look into this disease and what happens during treatment, and how I'm handling the day-to-day reality of living with an aggressive cancer. 

"It's not the view, it's the vision" is a phrase from an advertising campaign I encountered at a job in about 2004. I liked it quite a bit then, and it still resonates with me. Living day to day with a tainted view, but looking to the future and hoping for bright tomorrows.

If you are reading this because you're searching for info on this type of cancer, or any other health concerns, please remember this is my story only, my experiences.

THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE.

Updated October 10, 2016