Do you have a bucket list of places you want to go and/or things you want to do before you die? I had never really thought of making one...that was until I was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer back in 2008. Hopefully you will never have to hear the words, "You have cancer." But, sadly more and more people are hearing them said to them by their doctors, or finding out a loved one or dear friend has cancer. Cancer is one of those things that is a like a wake up call and reminder that our time here on Earth is not guaranteed, and that we shouldn't take it for granted.
So, when I found out that I had cancer and would need to undergo 40 rounds of radiation to my head and neck/shoulder area for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, as well as 3 months of high dose cisplatin chemotherapy, I also thought about things I still wanted to do, and places I wanted to see. I was still young and thought I had my whole life ahead of me, but now I was faced with fighting for my life to rid my body of this cancer, as well as live to see another day, and hopefully many more.
To give me hope one of my doctors told me to put together a bucket list. He said this would help me stay positive and keep the fight up when the dark days (which there were many) came and I didn't think I had any fight left in me. My husband and I didn't have any children yet, and I was being told by doctors that with the treatments I would be undergoing that it would not be possible. But, I found myself putting together a list of the impossible in hopes to see them becoming possible and so I added having a family to the top of my bucket list.
When you are tasked to create a bucket list it may be hard to do. I, thought that it would be easy as you just throw down a bunch of things you want to do or places you want to visit. But, when you really stop to think about what is important in your life, and if you had to select the most important things that would make your life complete, it really doesn't become a hard task to complete. I found myself working on my bucket list all through my 10 months of treatment and recovery. And, while I was able to cross off a few small things on my list while in treatment, I had hoped that I would hear the words "remission" and be able to go on living so that I could check off more.
With my cancer, the doctors don't like to tell you you are in remission. Instead, with each that passes they say that my scans are showing no signs of cancer. I will take that any day! And, with a clean bill of health 9 years later, I am still working on crossing off things I added to my bucket list way back when, while continuing to add new things. I was so blessed to be able to welcome two beautiful, healthy girls a few years after treatment, to the surprise of doctors, and now get to have them experience some of my bucket list items.
Hopefully soon, we will be able to take a trip down South to the Carolinas and Georgia, or even Wyoming -- I named my oldest daughter after Savannah, GA as my husband and I used to visit there a few times a years before my cancer diagnosis, and loved it there. I really want to see the Wild Horses roaming the beaches and Islands. Children was #1 on my bucket list, and #2 was Wild Horses. I saw a video on my phone while undergoing chemo treatment one day and thought the horses were just a majestic sight, and how it would be wonderful to them up close.
Have you had the chance to see the Wild Horses? Did you know that there is a special non-profit, the Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF), that advocates for these wild horses and burros?
I had no idea about the WHFF until I was recently contacted and asked if I wanted to feature the breathtaking coffee table book, Wild Hoofbeats: America’s Vanishing Wild Horses and her 2019 photo calendar to the Wild Horse Freedom Federation, both by famed Wild Horse photographer and author, Carol Walker, as part of my Valentine's Day Gift Guide. I jumped at the opportunity as I still haven't been able to see the wild horses up close, but would love to be reminded of this bucket list item daily with the stunning wall calendar and book.
A week and a half ago I was sent both the book and calendar, and was in awe of both as they were both beautifully done and captured these amazing wild horses and burros in a way I have not seen before. I found myself sitting on the couch after the girls went to bed, flipping through and reading the "Wild Hoofbeats: America's Vanishing Wild Horses" book. While I knew the wild horses are in danger, I never knew the full extent. But, thanks to this book, calendar and information sent by the kind folks at the WHFF, I can see how items like this that are sold through the WHFF website, can help support the organization's efforts to save these animals.
With Valentine's Day fast approaching, why not giving a gift that will not only be a warm welcome to that special horse/animal lover in your life, but know that your purchase will help protect and save these wild horses, so that people like me can one day make it to see them up close, and check them off my bucket list.
Everyone who has come to visit and picked up the Wild Hoofbeats book has been moved by the stunning photos by Carol Walker. Through "elegant images and poignant stories, Walker brings to life the wild horses of the Adobe Town herd in Wyoming's Red Desert, and gives readers an insider's perspective on these graceful, courageous animals." They also stop to admire the images that make up the 2019 Wild Horse Freedom Federation calendar that I was sent, and find themselves wanting to add seeing the wild horses to their bucket lists.
I hope you will join me in supporting the efforts of the WHFF by considering the purchase of the Wild Hoofbeats: America’s Vanishing Wild Horses and 2019 calendar, with 10% of proceeds going to support these majestic animals. This is definitely one gift you will feel good about giving, and one that will be well received and cherished for years to come. More information on the special book & calendar can be found on the Wild Horse Freedom Federation’s website at http://wildhorsefreedomfederation.org/wild-horse-freedom-federation-fundraiser/. And, be sure to scroll down for a chance to win the book and calendar in my Wild Horses giveaway below. :-)
As I sit here and type this post up, I can't help but think of so many friends and family in my life who have been dealt the same "cancer" card as me, and how some are still here to tell their story, while others were not so lucky. Today is World Cancer Day, and hopefully you will find time in your day to give a shout out to those affected by cancer in your life -- with us still, or up in Heaven, and say just how much you love them. Like I said in the beginning, we are all living on borrowed time here, and can't take a day for granted, as we never truly know if we will wake to see another day. So, we need to live as if every day is a gift and live life to its fullest, reminding friends and family just how much we love and appreciate them.
--GIVEAWAY--
Thanks to the kind folks at the non-profit, the Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF), one lucky Inspired by Savannah reader will have a chance to win a copy of the Wild Horses book and 2019 calendar mentioned above, to keep for themselves, or gift to that special horse/animal lover in their life.
To enter, please complete the entries on the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
About the Wild Horse Freedom Federation:
"The Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF), remains resolute in its mission as the nation’s leading advocate for wild horses and burros, helping these endangered animals currently under siege on public lands across America being hunted, rounded up, ripped away from their families (herds) and often sold to slaughter houses. Earlier this year, the WHFF helped expose the fact that the federal government is considering shipping wild horses and burros overseas to Russia and Guyana to be slaughtered. And that’s just the beginning of the full on assault to get rid of all wild horses and burros on public lands in favor of special interests.
That’s why Wild Horse Freedom Federation is offering a more meaningful way for all of us to be more charitable in the New Year and show our wild horses the love this Valentine’s Day by helping the wild horses and burros in desperate need of protection and love. WHFF’s Director of Field Documentation and Famed Wild Horse Photographer and Author Carol Walker is generously donating 50% of the sale of her breathtaking latest coffee table book,Wild Hoofbeats: America’s Vanishing Wild Horses and her 2019 photo calendar to the Wild Horse Freedom Federation in support of the organization’s efforts to save these animals.
In addition, everyone donating to this important cause will be able to download a special customized donation certificate (in a loved one’s name) – that includes a custom beautiful photo of a wild horse - that will help keep wild horses and burros roaming our public lands for years to come. More information on the special book & calendar can be found on the Wild Horse Freedom Federation’s website at http://
I would love to see Europe. I have never been there and would love to see it.
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