I haven’t written in my Blog for over a year. Well…since my best friend/music bud died in 2022 I was so stressed out I ended up in physical therapy for a horribly tense back and pulled shoulder blade muscle. Just as I was recovering from both of these life moments, I had surprise back/spinal surgery on Labor Day 2023 at the famed Brigham’s Hospital in Boston. I spent 3 1/2 days there and was shipped to rehab for 2 weeks. Life happened so fast I felt like a bomb had dropped on me. Oy vey!

My esteemed surgeon is the director of neuro-spinal surgery at Brigham’s. I ended up having 33 days of radiation treatments due to a spinal tumor. My radiation oncologist is the warm and fuzzy doctor you can whine at, cry on his shoulder and just talk to. What a rock! I have to have MRIs and CT scans every three months so they can keep an eye on things. I’m pretty MRI fatigued right now.

And this brings me to my headline…Survival Throughout Life. Yes…that’s me. I had my first surgery at age 38…hysterectomy. So I couldn’t have children. Next surgery at 41…brain/head surgery. Doctor took out a benign tumor. I’m fine. Then 32 years later back/spinal surgery…remove a cancerous spinal tumor and put in some hardware to stabilize my spine. You’ve probably fainted by now reading this list of atrocities. Well…How am I still upright and doing ok? Because I am.

After every surgery, never once did I ever not expect to be myself again…back in the saddle after I recovered. I just assumed it would happen. Pure faith. Yes there were moments of depression especially after the knowledge that I couldn’t have children in this life…something most women look forward to. Then will my brain be ok going forward…not to mention growing my hair back after that surgery. I looked pretty cool in a buzz cut. Ha! And now, will my back be ok ad infinitum with its new hardware in place of the two degenerated discs the surgeon removed. What do you do with all of that?

You press on. Yes, you make yourself think and move forward. You will always have these memories but as long as I can look over my shoulder and see that world famous hospital Brigham’s, and that great surgeon of mine, all within driving distance of my home, I’m ok. I’ve got my security blanket in place.

And living healthy and as holistically as you can makes all the difference. Praying daily, doing constructive things, trying to be happy most of the time…it all works. And most of all, being annoyingly independent regarding your health. I can do it. You can do it. Make that decision to be as healthy and functional and positive as you can. Take charge. The expert medical people did their expert job but now you have to do yours.

I will get through the loss of music students, the finances which are less than perfect for now and my emotions. I will fix things again for myself. Life is up and down and well, one has to adjust to it and keep fixing it. Keep moving forward. Accept the crap and press on.

I hope for anyone who is reading this, if it gives you encouragement than this long post about Ev’s surgeries et al has done some good.