Thankful, Grateful, Blessed

Thanksgiving 2021 was a wonderful, low key afternoon filled with family, laughter and delicious food. 

 

Because I was going to be having surgery again, I decided that we would use paper and plastic for Thanksgiving dinner. I'd never done this before. I love to set the table with my china and silver but I didn’t want the extra burden of cleaning up. 

 

Guess what? 

 

The food tasted just as good as it would have if I'd served it on china! 

 

Clean up was easy and stress free! We would have used disposable cups but I could only find Red Solo Cups and well, I drew the line on that.

Thankful, Grateful and Blessed are just some of the words that came to mind as I sat on the sofa Thanksgiving night with a fully belly and a face that hurt from smiling so much. 

 

I’ve been through some rough spots in my life but this past year has taught me more about love, gratitude and blessings than any other! 

 

Being diagnosed with breast cancer and going through chemo taught me the importance of attitude, humor and a support system. 

 

Being diagnosed with breast cancer also helped me see what really matters. 

I've always been the type of girl who doesn't beat around the bush. If you want warm and fuzzy, I'm probably not the girl you want to hang out with. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I can be kind and loving and offer a shoulder to cry on but I will most likely find a way to make you laugh. 

 

I really prefer to laugh. 

 

The last quarter of the year has been trying beyond description. 

Between the medical bills and the car situation it's a wonder that I haven't pulled out what little hair I have! 

The week before Thanksgiving week I spent seven hours on the phone dealing with the medical crap plus another three dealing with the vehicle situation. 

I had no idea that I had a spare 10 hours in the week. 

Who knew?! 

I have also cried more dealing with the car than I did through my whole cancer diagnosis and treatment. 

When I am frustrated beyond words I cry then shut down from depression as the walls close in. They closed in hard and fast and I was despondent. 

Well, until I hit that stupid deer. 

Anyway...

After receiving the quote from the dealership that was astronomically high, I called some independent transmission shops and got quotes. The best was with a guy who has rebuilt 15 of the same transmissions this year. His price was $3,800 worst case scenario including parts. This was nearly $2K less than the dealership quoted us. Even if the Ford corporation paid for parts, our out of pocket expense was going to be more than the whole fix with an independent. 

I called the dealership to tell them that the vehicle was going to be towed out and see if we owed them anything. 

In true dealership fashion, I was told that they service manager had to speak to his boss, but he wanted to see if he could match the price. 

He called me the next morning and, after confirming the independent shop was going to use Ford parts, asked if they could do the job if they matched the price. I told them yes, as long as they would guarantee that it wouldn't cost more than $3,800. 

They said yes. 

I'd won...sort of. 

I freaking hate this BS. 

I've had a LOT of jobs in my lifetime. Not the least of which was working in the service department in dealerships. 

I know the game. I play the game well. I hate the game. 

And, I despise feeling as if I was being screwed. 

We were definitely getting screwed. 

I hate having to do it but am grateful for the experience that gives me the know-how to get it done. 

The car is repaired, Ford Motor company paid for part of the repairs and the rest cost us less than $2K out of pocket. 

On the medical expense side of things, I have applied for grants and copay assistance programs. I'm happy to report that $75 of each chemo/infusion double billing is being paid for by the makers of the Kanjinti (generic Herceptin) that I've been receiving. This cut my bill to Penn Medicine by almost half! 

I am still sorting through bills but things don't feel as horrible as they did couple of months ago. 

Hubby and I got each other Covid for Christmas. 

Christmas and New Year's were spent sleeping. In fact, most of the past three weeks have been spent sleeping, when we weren’t coughing. 

 

The cough has been terrible. I couldn’t talk for days. Just the thought of speaking would incite a 10-minute coughing fit that would leave me wiped out. 

Slowly but surely, we’re getting better but it’s taking a lot of time. 

When Covid hit and the world shut down we thought 2020 was the worst year ever. 2021 was like, "Hold my beer!"

This past year has sucked, but you know what? 

I am alive, we’re getting healthy, I never have to wear a bra again and I didn't have to shave for a whole freaking summer!

I am thankful for early intervention and amazing medical professionals. Grateful to friends and family who helped us and blessed by God with a positive attitude, sense of humor and a strength that helped me get through the mess that was 2021! 

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. ~ Phillipians 4:13