Day 139

My Alaskan Cruise in a nutshell:
I’m back! My Alaska cruise was fantastic. Each day was filled with new and exciting adventures. I committed to going on this cruise with my mom before I was even diagnosed with breast cancer. All throughout my chemotherapy treatment I had been questioning whether or not I would be strong enough to actually go. My mother never doubted for a second that her baby girl would not let cancer stand between her and a chance to cross Alaska off of her places to see list. My mother has never doubted that I could do anything I set my mind to…don’t you just love mothers? I definitely love mine! My mom and I traveled with my Grandma Lorraine and Aunt Bonnie (my mother’s mother and sister). It was a very exciting trip for my Grandma and Aunt since an Alaskan Cruise would be the biggest vacation that they had been on. In fact for my Grandma it was the first time she had set foot on a ship and the first time she had left the state of Washington. To say the least we did a lot of “firsts” with Grandma on our trip. What a gorgeous place the Alaskan wilderness is. I could have stared at its majestic beauty for days. The glaciers were incredible. You just can’t grasp their wonder until you are dwarfed by their sheer size. Each city we stopped in was more charming than the last. Our stops included Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria B.C. I got to experience the Mendenhall Glacier, a salmon hatchery, the Mt. Roberts Tramway, a catamaran wildlife expedition, the Butchart Gardens and of course shopping! At night we would dress up and go to shows filled with dancing, comedy, juggling, singing and magic. Meals were a show in and of themselves. I must have had enough desserts to last me a lifetime. Do I feel guilty? No way! My mom and I also participated in the Susan G. Komen “On Deck for the Cure” breast cancer walk. I walked more than half the walk before my body just about gave out. I wasn’t too hard on myself though because I kept in mind that I had just finished 18 weeks of treatment. My mamma finished with flying colors with little ole’ me as her inspiration. On our Ketchikan day I had to stay onboard because of exhaustion. I urged my family to go on without me while I rested up for Victoria. That was the only day I felt the lasting effects of treatment so I considered myself blessed. Our cruise was a great time of family bonding. We talked about our dreams, played card games, laughed hysterically at old stories till one in the morning and played race car with Grandma’s wheelchair. We absolutely had the trip of a lifetime!

Thank you for keeping my family and me in your prayers! God was with me every nautical mile and allowed me to forget about cancer and completely enjoy myself. Even though I had a wonderful time, I am very happy to be back home with my husband and support group.

Love Always,
Sarah

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