Not Walking This Alone

🌼 Date: Saturday, December 27, 2025

⚡ Energy: 🔋 (officially depleted—in the best way)

💝 Status: Surrounded, supported, and freshly clipped

🥰 Outlook: Full heart, steady hope, ready for Monday

Today was a very successful day—the kind that leaves you completely spent and deeply grateful.

✔ Labs done
✔ Head shaving + potluck accomplished
✔ Three haircuts and a beard shave given (apparently, I’ve added “pop-up barber” to my résumé)😉

Seventeen people showed up. Seventeen.
Each one offering support in their own way—food, hugs, laughter, presence. It was a beautiful outpouring of love, and it filled the room (and my heart) right up.

One moment in particular landed hard and soft at the same time. The wife of one of my last trainees came by—her husband just had back surgery four days ago, so he gets a full pass—and she brought me the most beautiful breast cancer ribbon necklace. The card read:

“Once you choose hope, anything is possible.
Let your faith be bigger than your fear.”

I will be wearing that necklace to chemo on Monday like a shield.
I’m already planning which pink breast cancer t-shirt will best match the vibe—because if I’m going in, I’m going in armored.

She also brought the best-smelling hand lotion, which made me laugh because apparently the universe knows that constant handwashing has turned my hands into something resembling the Sahara Desert… which is also currently residing in my mouth. The timing? Impeccable.

I know some of the most amazing people. Truly.

There isn’t a lot to say today that could compete with the 14 photos I have from this afternoon. They tell the story better than words ever could—love, laughter, courage, community.