The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

QEW SPEERS RD. B R O N TE 4T H LI N E 3R D LI N E D O R V A L SALE PRICING AVAILABLE AT OAKVILLE LOCATION ONLY! 11 DAY SUPER SALE FIRE PITSOUTDOOR 8 APSH ES, 8 TOP FINISHES, P OPR ANE OR AN T ALUR GAS QS UARES, O DR UN S, CTRE A GLN ES P ADOEM ER R A LM RB E, T AZOR O O AS N M , LAB CK G AR NITE, AZ LIABR I N LAS TE, A FO TR IN RES A LM RB E, OCN HE T AR V TER INE, CA TS ALUMINUM In tocks ti ems while q t tieuan i s tlas ALL %40 FOF SAVE ON FIRE PITS EMPERADOR BLACK GRANITEBRAZILIAN SLATE CAST ALUMINU M MSRP 1318 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE 905.847.8551 VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.oakvillehomeleisure.ca Store hours: Monday to Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-4pm 1 7 Thursday, Septem ber 29, 2011 O A K V ILLE B EA V ER w w w .in sid eH A LTO N .co m By Jill Davis EDITOR IN CHIEF, HALTON Close to two decades ago, I wanted to dedicate the newspapers front page to the women who had fought breast cancer. I wanted to put a face to the disease, inform residents about the very real human component of bat- tling this foe. Little did I know that I would one day grace the pages of the Beaver after having gone through the same diagnosis and tough treatment. Little did I know that my mother would receive the same diagnosis. Little did I know I would lose my hair and try to hide from every mirror in the house. Little did I know I would spend hours gazing at a bird feeder from our bedroom window barely able to lift my head from the pillow. Little did I know that I would start bargaining with my doctor for better odds on life expectancy. And little did I know I would feel so very loved and blessed to be surround- ed by such decent, caring, wonderful human beings. What I did know, though, was the news was not good when, following an ultrasound, the technician told me to take each day as it comes. Trips to Princess Margaret Hospital, tests too numerous to count, and then the verdict was in. I had breast cancer and it had spread to the lymphnodes. To this day, I cant thank my family doctor enough for making me go for my annual mammogram. I recall ask- ing him if it was necessary as the previ- ous years X-ray was clear, but he insisted, and I would not be typing this now had I failed to act. So off I went on my breast cancer journey or, as I like to call it, my trip to hell. Its funny how your brain adjusts to such news. You go through the motions of life. For me, it was like everything was surreal and that I was part of a play. Indeed, while at an educational meet- ing at Princess Margaret I remember taking notes as if covering a news story; it was my coping mechanism. This couldnt be happening to me could it? I was not a brave soldier, I admit. Tears fell freely and there were times when I was inconsolable. I wanted to hug everyone who I loved and never let them go. I remember being at Burlington Mall following my first chemo and caught sight of myself in a mirror. A black cap covered my bald head and my face was pinched. I didnt know that stranger in the reflection and fled the store hardly able to catch my breath. But as days slipped into months and the illness became the new normal, my phusband and I develo ed a routine. We got through this together along with the help of family, relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues and, of course, my healthcare team. There were setbacks. You do not realize how many people care about you until something like cancer slaps you in the face. Perhaps I was going through life too quickly without realizing the number of people who were waiting in the wings to give me strength when I had none. Like some breast cancer patients certainly not all I had setbacks. One day in January, while undergoing radiation, I awoke to discover that both hands were tingling as if they had fall- en asleep. My fingers became numb and I couldnt tell the difference between hot and cold. I had lost my sense of touch. When I petted my dog, a constant companion, I could not feel his fur. It was diagnosed as peripheral neuropathy, a consequence of the type of chemo drug that was prescribed. I feared I would never be able to work again. By the time spring arrived so had another diagnosis, carpal tunnel syndrome. Both hands were so severely affected surgery was necessary. How and why I got this ailment is anyones guess. As the plastic surgeon wryly noted, it didnt matter how I got it, I had it. Dr. John Toye at Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Orillia helped get my life back on track. I was so very fortunate that he agreed to see me as his patient, otherwise I might still be waiting for surgery in the GTA. I would go into more detail, but that is for another time and column. In some strange way, cancer opens your eyes to the beauty around you. Your eyes linger on the detailed wings of a monarch, you breathe more deeply Run for the Cure is really all about life after cancer in the fresh autumn air, you clasp the hand of your husband just a little longer and you whistle back at the cardinal that has taken up residence in your garden. Cancer awakens all your senses and for that I am so grateful. I laugh more and try very hard to not let the small things bother me. Cancer gives you perspective. It makes you stronger even though, at the time, you may think you will never get through it. But you do get through it and you slowly, but surely, move on. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Sunday, thou- sands of men, women and children will gather at Central Park in Burlington for the Oakville- Burlington-Hamilton CIBCs Run for the Cure. Final registration is at 7:30 a.m., followed by opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. and the run itself at 10:30. Money raised goes to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER SURVIVOR:Pictured is theOakville Beavers Editor in Chief and breast cancer survivor Jill Davis with her dog Rusty at a lakeshore park.