People who know me well know that I love dancing. I try to go to Zumba or Cardio Pop classes when I have time and I’m always bustin’ a move at home whenever I have the chance. I’m not going to be able to shimmy for a while after my mastectomy so I’m trying to get in my fun dance classes now. One of my favorite dancers is Ciara so I’m sharing one of her most bada$$ videos below.

I already watch a ton of guilty pleasure TV (aka all things Bravo, Teen Mom, KUWTK), but I know my TV binging is going to go up a notch when I’m recovering. My brain will most likely be in a bit of a fog and I’ll be stuck in the house, so I’m happy that shows Big Brother and Botched will be on to help me recuperate. I’m also looking forward to catching up on some smart shows like The Big Bang Theory and Nurse Jackie and starting some new shows like The Good Wife. My mom shares my love of television, and recently sent me this LA Times editorial which really spoke to me. Check it out here.

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day weekend! Adam and I were in Seattle this weekend for his cousin’s wedding. It was an incredible weekend. The rehearsal dinner was at the Chihuly art museum, we watched fireworks from The Space Needle, and the wedding was in a gorgeous setting at Union Station. It was a beautiful ceremony, super fun reception, and great weekend in Seattle.

It was also the first time I had seen a lot of our family from the East Coast since starting the blog. It was really nice to hear from a lot of my cousins who are reading the blog regularly and who were all really supportive of my decision. They asked me a lot of great questions and reassured me that everything would be okay. Reaching people with my blog and educating them about the BRCA gene and cancer prevention was the reason I went public with my journey, and it’s always great to hear that people are reading.

 

Isaiah Austin played basketball for Baylor and was expected to be selected for the NBA draft. Last week, he discovered that he has the genetic disorder, Marfan Syndrome. The Marfan Foundation explains that, “Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. Connective tissue holds all the body’s cells, organs and tissue together. It also plays an important role in helping the body grow and develop properly.” Because of the risk Marfan Syndrome can cause to the heart, Isaiah was ineligible for the NBA.

Throughout all of this, Isaiah has remained positive and has a great outlook on life. Check out the NBA’s touching tribute to Isaiah below. I’ve also included Isaiah’s original interview with ESPN after finding out he has the disorder here. Also, the ABC docu-series NY Med just started again last night. It is an awesome show and last night’s episode featured a man with Marfan Syndrome.

Stacey Yerpes was told by doctors that her facial numbness and slurred speech was due to stress. She knew it was something more than that. When she was driving, her face became numb and speech slurred again. So – she pulled over and taped herself so she’d have evidence to show her doctors that this was more than stress. Thanks to her quick thinking, her doctors realized she was having transient ischemic attacks (also known as mini-strokes). Read more here and check out the video below.

I spoke with my reconstructive surgeon’s office yesterday and they are going to work with me on out-of-pocket expenses since they were in-network with my insurance when I chose them (they recently went out-of-network with my insurance plan). This didn’t just happen out of nowhere, it was because I called the office and advocated for myself and also because I carefully chose a reconstructive surgeon who is caring and has a wonderful staff. As Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race would say:

Remember when I had my freakout because of out-of-pocket expenses and then my support network calmed me down (If you don’t, check out that post here). Well, one of those supportive peeps is my friend Nicole (or as I affectionately call her, Cookie). Nicole and I met in Budapest when we were studying abroad and we’ve been friends now for close to 10 years. She was a bridesmaid in our wedding, we traveled together, and hung out tons when we both lived in SF. Nicole is also a bada$$ graphic designer (also a great musician) and she was awesome enough to design some stuff for Funky Genes. Thanks Nicole, you rule and you a boss. This is for you, Nicole

So yesterday I had a mini-freakout. I was happily looking through my mail seeing if my US weekly arrived when I saw a letter from my reconstructive surgeon’s office. It said that the office is no longer in-network with my insurance. I called my insurance to see what that meant financially, and the answer is that my out-of-pocket costs will more than double what they would have been before. My heart started beating a bit faster and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

But then, I looked at the invite my mother-in-law just sent out for the “goodbye boobies” party she is throwing for me. I called my mom and she immediately started reassuring me everything would be fine. I talked to some good friends who were there to calm me down and have my back. I got a text from my friend who is helping me with my logo for the site. I took my dog for a walk and ran into my neighbor who offered to help walk him while I was recovering if I ever needed it. And then I felt totally calm. Support systems and community are so important throughout this journey – and I’m so thankful to have such a strong community rallying behind me.