It has been a full year since the idea of the Boitson’s blog came about. It started for 2 days on blogspot, and then, as things became more serious in each passing hour, we quickly switched formats to this location: http://www.theboitsons.info .
The idea wasn’t my original. After having read cfhusband.blogspot.com for several months, and their journey, I thought this would be a great tool to let all of our friends and family all over North America connect with us while we began this cancer journey. At the time, I merely used it to let everyone know what was happening so I wouldn’t have to field hundreds of phone calls a week besides the hundreds we were already getting from medical staff.
In a way, I began it for selfish reasons: so I wouldn’t have to answer so many darn questions! But then it grew into something more. Awareness, a voice of Angiosarcoma, faith, struggle, sounding board, diary, and eventually a grief journal. It became so much more than it began, and I believe the Lord has blessed this to be so.
On the day of Kevin’s passing there were over 2500 hits. My counter has not been working since that day, but I imagine the numbers have dwindled to the faithful few who follow my grief journey.
A year later, so much has changed. Kevin has passed, I’m moving forward, but I’m still working towards Widow and Angiosarcoma activism. This remains my goal for this blog, to continue to bring hope and faith to other struggling through both of these tumultuous life events.
Please share with me today, via comments, what you like about the blog, what you’d like to see in the future of the blog, and what has kept you reading our journey.
Thank you.
I keep reading your blog because I care about you and want to know how you are feeling, Brenda. What I’m hoping to see in the future are the glimmers of hope and happiness that I know are ahead of you somewhere but that are pretty hard to believe in at this point. You are always in my prayers.
Thank you for expressing yourself through this blog. I keep reading because I hope you will make it to the other side of grief. I am cheering you on with the successes and crying with you through the hard/difficult times. I know it is a difficult journey because I have been on it. I know with time it does pass, but for me it took a long time. I found you and your family through the process. Keep recording your feelings. I hope some day they can be recorded in a book to help other widows know that they are not going crazy, but what they are feeling is natural for the blow they have been given. You have a way of recording life that makes for interesting reading. There is something about having life recorded when it is fresh on your mind that you can’t capture in recalling a memory. I pray that your journey will have an end that brings you much joy, but from my experience, it may take getting through the first anniversary of death. The first anniversary of learning of the illness, the first anniversary of starting the blog, and many more anniversaries that will come up the next months, may take you back to last year. I am praying for you these next months. Hang in there. I think you will make it because of the way you have handled the last nine month. – Jean
HI Brenda,
I first began reading the blog to hear the updates on Kevin-but I continue to read it to hear how you are doing, how you handle the situation, and for your inspring words. Sometimes, the little complaints in my life seem minor when reading what you go through and over come. Also, my mom is currently dealing with Lung Cancer-and it helps to know the feelings we have are normal, and many that have gone through the same thing, feel the same way.
In so many ways-I feel I know you-even though we have not met, and you continue to inspire,entertain(you are quite funny) and make me think everyday! I enjoy the blog-and hope to continue reading for a long time to come!