Author Archives: Emily

In the quiet of my day (the brief quiet that is) I sat and started reflecting. This past year I have had a lot of lows and some highs. How can you not when you feel death is knocking at your door?  As I have said before, I was so afraid I was going toContinue reading “What Is Normal?”

There are certain moments in your life that shake you to the core.  So much so that you remember every detail of that moment. Where you were, what you were doing, and what you were wearing. That feeling never goes away. These moments usually happen when you least expect it. And now, everytime you seeContinue reading “My Dad”

When I was first diagnosed, there was a feeling of hopelessness. I remember thinking on a daily basis, “I don’t want to die and how will I get through this?” One of the hardest parts about being diagnosed with cancer, or any illness, is letting the ones you love know about the tragic disease. NothingContinue reading “The Journey”

Joe sees the beauty in me even when I don’t. Since all of this has begun I have been poked, cut, lasered, and put back together again. I look at my body and it seems a bit unrecognizable. How can things change so quickly in just one year? Who am I? I do not lookContinue reading “He Sees my Beauty”

I am the youngest of 4 girls. You can imagine the conversations, clothes sharing, and dance parties that we had growing up. Never a dull moment. And I am pretty sure there was always one of us who was crying over what someone else said. But in the end, we always had each other’s back;Continue reading “The Niebur Girls”

This past week my family got up to the North Shore. We celebrated all of the fine things in life with my in-laws. Each day felt like a little gift. It was peaceful, joyful, and so needed. When you spend your days praying that today is the day you are cured, your brain, and yourContinue reading “My Goslings”

The past few weeks I have been soaking up every moment with friends and family. I feel the best I have felt in a very long time. I am healing quickly from surgery and my energy is coming back. I still have 5 more days until I can hold Edwin. I count down every minuteContinue reading “Wig Days”

I find it hard to write tonight in the midst of everything that is going on in the world around us. It is all so much bigger than hearing about the updates of my surgery and pathology report. My heart is heavy and I pray for peace tonight, and always.  I do want to shareContinue reading “Post Surgery Update”

Tomorrow is the big day! My surgery will be bright and early starting at 8:30 am. I am having such a mix of emotions, mostly excited to be moving forward to the next steps. Tomorrow will be the first time in 6 months that we will find out how well the chemo worked. This partContinue reading “The Big Day”

May 1st was my LAST day of chemo! 16 rounds, done! Mission accomplished! I had the most beautiful celebration as I finished on that Friday. I was guided home from chemo with cars lining my route from friends, family, co workers, and past students. They had signs, bells, and so much love. I was overwhelmedContinue reading “The Next Steps”