www.stephmastini/forgotten ones /

  Having a partial colectomy is a huge deal.  I know my family doesn’t want to think about it but it has to be addressed.  This is a hereditary disease.  It’s called Familial Adenoma Polyposis.  There’s no cure. There’s real solid hope of one on the horizon.  My hospital stay was five days and I lost a lot of blood. I was very anemic when I got home. I had to take care of myself though the nurse stopped in to check vitals. I think the worst part of this is getting your body acclimated to eating differently. First of all you don’t know what you can eat. So you stay home a lot. It’s really a difficult position to be in when you don’t know from one day to the next or one hour to the next, just how your body is going to react.  I’m supposed to be gluten-free for Graves’ disease and also eat healthy grains.  That’s not always possible from day to day when you’re faced with many trips because of healthy grains.   I’m blessed that I was smart enough to read my body and get colonoscopies regul

                                  Breast Cancer Survivor  October has come around again.  It is the month for breast cancer awareness. I try very hard to give people hope.   My story is an ode to stubbornness and a will to survive.  ******************************************************   I’ve been having some new medical symptoms,  My new Bloodwork leans towards a polymyalgia diagnosis and Breast implant illness.   I’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia for years now but all of a sudden  every muscle in my body hurts.  I’ve been having some arrhythmia too. I’m very fatigued and I have not been myself.  Graves’ disease is a difficult disease to manage.  It requires regular bloodwork and It has also effected my heart.  I found breast cancer twice, both times so small that my surgeon said she’s never seen anyone find cancer that small .  I truly believe that when my implants are removed I will feel so much better.  I have goals. I will not succumb to a giving up attitude.  I’m

Six years today I had a double mastectomy with reconstruction.  I am truly blessed and I am still going strong....Living my life and looking forward to a much needed vacation. One thing I learned the last six years is to start saying no.  I have been taking care of everyone my whole life it seems ...started when I was nine and my sister was born. I was a young single parent of two, on top of that.  My Dad and Mom were also part of my care giving lifestyle.  Now, I have stepped back. We need to take care of ourselves and we forget sometimes. I didn't even realize I had cancer when I was caring for my father since all I did was run run run... I do not regret any of the time I have spent being a caregiver but now it's time for me.

Hi everyone. Life has a way of throwing curve balls.  I just had one thrown directly between my eyes. I recently had my annual PET testing and CT scan and I was told that a small node was found on my right lung .  I asked my oncologist for more testing and he said I could "wait another six months".  I refuse to take that course and I am following up With a new oncologist and thoracic surgeon . My father passed away from lung cancer .  The word "wait" does not exist in my vocabulary. It's time for action. An update..I went for my colonoscopy last week and the biopsy shows that  I have four nodes, one is precancerous. They removed them  and I pray that it was in time ...I eat very well but stress is a huge component ..I didn't stress about my breast cancer but I have noticed that I have not been taking my life day by day.  I stress about the future. Time to stop that behavior since it only hurts me.

March 6th is my new birth date ; six years of cancer free living ~On that date I had my Mastectomy and reconstruction birthday ..( I just hit my eight year lumpectomy surgery this week.) It also happens to be the day my daughter, Cara Podenski is scheduled to give birth to her first child ... I see this as a sign . A miraculous beginning . I have called my daughter over and over, left messages and she has never returned or answered my calls. over the last 5 years. I do not block my number because I am not giving up hope that she will answer . I do not know of anything I have done and I have no answers.. I was even told I would be arrested if I came to her Wedding. Although I keep trying, I can't be the only one to mend this relationship between mother and daughter. What could I have done so terrible to deserve this exile. Nothing. I just know that I am to be a Grandmother, and I earned that right, but I also want my daughter to exorcise her demons for her ment

Back to New York of course. I want to start off by thanking many of the people that have helped me along my journey. I have received loving wishes from all facets of the communities, through this entangled web. My move back to New York has been sprinkled with obstacles and emotional times..frustrations, smiles and memories to be relived and renewed friendships... Now I am here to say that the rewards of the love and caring thoughts sent my way have been inspiring. I needed to get off my pitty pot and start living again... I am here to tell you that it isn't an easy thing when you have left and come back to a different world, but still...my home. I was faced with having to change my life to a degree and hardest of all, accept help. (something I have not been known to excel at in the past). I realize that the most important part of healing is listening to your body. Slow down and listen, it's totally acceptable to say "no,I can't today" and rest. I have also

FLIGHT by steph I have a wonderful friend. He wrote this song for me.... I was so touched that I wanted to share the lyrics....he is an incredible musician and song writer...I wanted to thank him publicly for his love, and his constant encouragement...I will be having my surgery on Monday...In the meantime...Frank Barrese will be in the recording studio putting the last touches on his tribute..Thank you my wonderful confidante...with love, steph WHEN STEPHANIE SMILES There's nothing so sweet as when Stephanie smiles The sun shines much brighter, there's blue skies for miles The breezes feel blessed, just to blow through her hair And I am in heaven whenever she's near There's nothing so sad as when Stephanie's gone The birds in the trees sing a sad, lonesome song And I start to hunger for her gentle touch But I can't let on that I miss her so much So I suffer in silence and wait patiently Until Stephanie smiles at me Stephanie lives in a wo

GOOD KARMA 1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. 3. Follow the three R’s:   Respect for self,   Respect for others and   Responsibility for all your actions. 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. 5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. 6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship. 7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 8. Spend some time alone every day. 9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values. 10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. 11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time. 12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. 13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past. 14. Share your kno