Pippa World

I promise I own more than one purple shirt, but if you were to judge my wardrobe based solely on these photos, you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. These are snapshots taken on or around the same day each month. Glimpses into my life. My gym selfies have always been a way to show progress. Determination. Today, when I looked back over the last seven months, I saw a story unfolding.        In December, I was told there was a lesion in my Liver. Tests, scans, a biopsy, more tests & scans... Then in May, I was told I had cancer. Since December, I’ve been trying to hold myself together while being scared, angry, sad, hopeful, happy & everything in between. The diet I’m on is brutal, but oh so essential. It’s not just about the 800 calories. It's not even just about the cancer. Or what was taken from me. It’s what came with it. I’ve lost weight, yes. I’ve also lost certainty. Sleep. Appetite. I’ve lost the ability to plan anything beyond the middle of August....

Today was a Very Special Fitness Tribe Day for me because… drum roll… I went back to the gym! WHOOP WHOOP! Yes, the gym. After everything. Me. There. In my lycra. Doing the thing I've really missed the most. Laura (legendary owner/trainer/boss lady) clocked me walking in and her immediate reaction was: “NO. NO. NO!” Tops and I were straight in with the explanations:

Okay, a confession. Oh, wait! I’m a storyteller. You *want* this story. I know it and you know it. There is a TL;DR at the end for all you monsters who hate storytelling. Right, confession time. All the previous updates about my cancer have been, well, a few weeks later than when I got the news. This wasn’t because I don’t love you all, or trust you, but because my family and I need the time to process before we share with you. We decided right at the start that we’d tell this story. The weird, rare, messy reality because if even one person ever goes through this and remembers me waffling on, maybe they won’t feel so alone. And because, let’s face it, I collect your support, your thoughts, your prayers, and your memes like all the surfaces in my house collect dust. However! Now, it is time to bring you right up to date and provide real-time updates from now on. How real-time? I was discharged from the hospital on Friday.