Canciversary Dilemma

Not really sure if Canciversary is a word, but we're going with it.  It's the anniversary of mom's cancer diagnosis, Canciversary....anniversary, cancer...  Ok, so I was never an English major...

But, the thing is, mom's Canciversary is just around the corner.  On November 16, 2010 she began the fight of her life when the doctor told her she had pancreatic cancer.  Life has not been the same since.  One year of living with this beast.  Good days and bad days, all under the shadow of cancer.

The dilemma: How do you celebrate a Canciversary? 

Part of us wants to ignore it...

And part of us wants to celebrate with all the gusto we've got...

I mean, how do you reconcile the two?  If we had our fondest wish, we would never have been dealt the cancer hand at all.  So who really wants to celebrate living with cancer for a year?  But then there's that exact sentiment: mom has lived the entire year with joy and grace, defying the grim statistics facing most pancreatic cancer patients.  That's reason to celebrate, right?  Of course, it only reminds us we are on borrowed time.  Ever since she passed the first 6-month prognosis we've known her time with us has been narrowing to the final chapter. 

So...  we stew over the upcoming Canciversary.  Odds are the celebration will win out.  We do like to party!  But reality is such that celebrating cancer in any shape or form just doesn't feel appropriate.

Dilemma debate is ongoing.  Stay tuned...