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Allison Versus the Big “C”
Allison List is a 33-year-old breast cancer survivor who lives in
Reno. She kept a journal during her battle with cancer which she
then turned into a blog and wittily named it Allison in Cancerland.
When I first approached Allison about the possibility about
publishing excerpts from her blog I was quite nervous since this is
a very personal topic and I didn’t want to encroach or impose. The
response I received was an astounding “YES!” Allison believes that
if her story can help one person dealing with a frightening diagnosis
then the blog has served its purpose. I am honored to have Allison’s
journey grace the pages of I Love Reno Magazine. We will be
publishing entries from her blog throughout the upcoming issues. If
you would like to read ahead, please visit her blog at
www.AllisonList.blogspot.com.
F
or the past 4 months I have been debating how to
share my experience. The one thing that has been
constant is my desire to get my story out so that it may
help someone, even just one person, who receives that
scary life changing news of a cancer diagnosis.
With that being said, I can honestly say that my cancer
diagnosis has actually saved me in many ways. It has forced
me to look at my life, behavior and my interactions with
others differently and re-evaluate and re-prioritize my life. I
have as the famous Elsa would say from Frozen, learned how
to “let it go”.
My hope is this blog (despite its emotional content) brings
you laughter and inspiration as I chronicle my crazy journey
into Cancerland.
Here is some background information that will help shape
this whole insane situation. I started journaling a few days
after my diagnosis…
February 2015:
My husband Darin and I find out we are
pregnant with baby #2!
Early June:
I meet with an OB in my group about weirdness
happening with my right boob during a prenatal exam. I was
told to wait until my regular OB returns to get her take on the
situation.
Mid/Late June:
I meet with my regular OB (whom I
absolutely love and would move her into my home if I could)
and I can tell that something is wrong by her reaction. She
orders a biopsy to be done with a breast surgeon and tells me
that it will take about 3 weeks because the surgeon is very
busy. A sick feeling in my stomach begins to grow.
Late June:
The surgeon’s office calls and I’m told that they
have moved people around to squeeze me in.
1
st
week of July:
I meet with my surgeon and we discuss
possibilities of the infected area. As I am leaving the
surgeon’s office, she grabs me by the shoulder and looks me
dead center in the eye and says, “I’m sorry.” It is this moment
where a chill is sent down my spine and I realize that on
some unrecognizable level that I have cancer. I have a biopsy
done and then go home to research a form of nipple cancer
called Paget’s Disease. (In researching I find that I hold every
possible symptom for Paget’s. Awesome.)
4
th
of July:
I sit at my sister’s house and watch my family
swim in the pool. I can’t talk or interact with anyone and just
sit and zone out because I have a sick feeling that something
bad is happening. The morbid thoughts keep coming and I
can’t even convince myself that I am overreacting, because I
already know what’s coming my way.
July 5
th
:
I have a terrible nightmare that I am told over the
By Allison List
Allison and Darin List with son Marco and baby Simone