Match #2 🥊

And just like that it was time for Match #2. I really enjoyed feeling healthy on week #3- a pleasant surprise for sure. I did much more than I ever could have imagined. I’m very grateful to have Bowen Holden in my life - we actually do a very similar job at ski academy’s, are similar in age and activity levels and have similar mindsets. She went through a similar treatment plan a few years ago and has been an amazing guide and friend as I’ve been navigating this. As I began to feel better I texted her during week 3 “can I go like, really mountain biking?”- yes you can Michy, just listen to your body a little more than usual. 😉 Off I went- ride, ride, ride. The soul filling joy is the best when I get a good ride in 🙏🏻😍 it makes me feel so alive and happy. A true sense of normalcy.

As I headed in to Match 2 I was so curious if I would have the same horrible migraines I really didn’t want that to happen 🙏🏻 We switched up some pre-meds, we slowed down the chemo drip, I had all my pills lined up next to my bedside table in case it came in the night. As each day passed I didn’t feel awesome, obviously, but I was just praying to not have those migraines. That was debilitating. Chemo just makes your whole brain feel weird. It’s like it’s swimming in a sea of poison. Nothing feels normal or right. Everything tastes super weird and everything sort of hurts- even your skin and hair- or lack there of 🤣. Most all my hair has fallen out at this point. It was really weird to watch that happen. You can prepare for that all you want, and shaving it helped, but it still is shocking. I would pray the day would fly by and then you would lie down at night but that wasn’t much more comfortable either and you would hope that would fly by too. I remembered that after a weeks time I felt so much better - and heck no headaches like last round, no mouth sores either so this felt like a breeze in comparison.

Trying to remain present and in a state of gratitude and positivity made a big difference in the management of the day. Being at camp and seeing all those cute faces was a tremendous help. Having purpose and a schedule made it easier. Constantly getting love and support from family, friends and this community brought a smile to my face every single day. Meals, text messages, notes. This is a LONG journey. Ive decided to break it up into sections of accomplishment. Right now I’m in the heat of chemo. Oh I feel it, I am half way there, half way there!!

I knew that week three was going to be my strongest week and we had a 3-day 2-night Mountain Bike Trip planned for camp. As I was sorting out the summer once I had found out about the big C I thought there is no way I would be able to go on this trip. These are difficult in a healthy summer. It’s 24/7 - camping, mountain biking, food prep, swimming, home sickness, talk about energy exchange and depletion - i absolutely love it but it is downright exhausting. I was feeling good so I decided to go for it. Besides we had a large group of 24 kids, 7 big kids and a large portion of the kids were on overnight trips for the first time. I knew mama Mich was gonna need to implement and support some serious guidance. These trips are big stretches for kids- it’s a beautiful thing, it brings me great joy to see kids accomplishing.

After everyone was settled and I layed in my tent night one and listened to the rain pelt the tarp I was so grateful to be here. All the things and all the feels were had. I spent many hours helping coach a homesick kiddo. I spent many hours encouraging getting up a hill or trying to a new trail at the Kingdom Trails in Burke. I helped set up tents and talk about respect in the campground and to each other. I cooked meals for 30+ people on a camp stove- of course I have the ultimate Big Kid team and let’s face it everyone knows TM is the ultimate Rugged cook- but it was everything imagined and I was sooooo so psyched I could be there. When I got home I knew I had just a few days to recover before round 3. I was exhausted but it was also an incredible accomplishment. We had one more week of day camp - and I had my next round. The horse blinders stayed on, the engine kept chugging. There’s no slowing down yet…. Go Michy, go!! 💪🏻