2015, A Recap

Below is my month by month recap for the year 2015.

 

January

I welcomed in the new year at some friends’ house. I wasn’t really sure what 2015 would look like, but I was thankful to be back in America.

 

February

In February, my family celebrated Christmas together we are awesome like that. We don’t always celebrate holidays on the actual holiday but rather when we are able to be together. I also did not run a 15k. I came down with a “flu like virus” coupled with a 101.3 degree Fahrenheit fever. With extremely diligent self care, a script of Tamiflu, and several days of a triple dose of steroids, I was able to stay ahead of the virus and remain hospital free.

 

March

In March, I relayed the Dallas Rock-n-Roll half marathon. I also had the honor of speaking at my Assyrian grandmother’s funeral. She passed away on March 21st, 2015.

 

April

The month of April started out with a not fun April Fool’s day prank. My downstairs neighbors got drunk and high on something. They decided that 3:30am would be a good time to run up and down the hall spraying the fire extinguisher. This set off the fire alarm in the entire building, forcing me to evacuate with a terrified cat. Sleep deprivation does not play nicely with Adrenal Insufficiency.

 

May

I was officially diagnosed with Adrenal Insufficiency and started on Cortef in May of 2005. To celebrate the decade milestone in 2015, my family hosted a party friends, and close coworkers. I was not celebrating the disease. No. I was celebrating the diagnosis, my second chance at life. I also had the opportunity to complete a dream of mine by participating in a corporate track meet as a sprinter.

 

June

In June, a group of us ran the “Must-Dash” 5k in honor of Father’s Day. My 5k times are still nowhere close to where they were a few years ago, but that is ok. I’m able to cross that finish line and not require medical intervention afterwards. Perhaps one day, I can beat my PR that I set back in 2013 before my nightmare crisis.

Another noteworthy achievement for June was the completion of a wall mural for a good friend. It took a little over a month to sketch and paint it, and I spent a good amount of time resting on the couch in between sections. But I am quite pleased with the end result. Wall murals are still my favorite thing to paint.

 

July

In July, I had the opportunity to meet up with my mom and many others for the joint AIU / MAGIC conference outside of Chicago. It was encouraging to fellowship with other women who understand living with this disease. I had the pleasure of hearing Professor Hindmarsh speak and meeting someone in the process of training her own cortisol detection service dog. Things are changing within our rare disease community as we learn more about the intricacies of our disease. I believe our future is only going to get brighter as we continue to become more educated.

 

August

In August, I had a trip to Austin for a work conference where I had to put a coworker on “ER watch duty” one of the nights as I was nervous I was going to require IV fluids. But once again, zofran, extra steroids and lots of fluids prevented a trip to the hospital. For that, I was very thankful. August was also my one year anniversary of returning to America. Additionally, I ran the “Bad Ass Brazos 10k” in Waco. Towards the end of the month, I had the honor of participating in my brother’s wedding. August was a very good month.

 

September

In September, I completed a half marathon with a fellow Adrenal Insufficient gal. This half marathon was my first since my 2013 crisis. I loved being able to cross that finish line. I am looking forward to completing several more in the future.

 

October

October was an interesting month. My husband at the time was determined to still relocate to Nevada even though he had no job nor any prospects of a job lined up. He moved, while I remained in Texas. Towards the end of the month, a group of coworkers and I completed a very wet 5k in downtown Dallas.

 

November

November marked the third anniversary of my blog and the milestone of over 100,000 blog hits. I remember when I reached the milestone of 10,000 hits and thinking “I have so much more to tell y’all!” I still feel that way. There are so many adventures to share, and in due time they shall be published to this blog.

However, the most exciting thing for November was the launch of the Theoretical Steroid Curve Plotter. This tool took over two years to develop and it gives those on oral steroids a visual way to see their theoretical steroid curve. May it enable patients to start conversations with their doctors so that they can discover ways to improve their quality of life. I’d like us all to remain Clearly Alive.

 

December

In December, my husband at the time returned to Texas to force pack up our lives in preparation for the out of state move. I relayed the Dallas Marathon as part of a five person team. I love running that race. This marked the second year in which I sprinted across that finish line. For me, the five person relay represents how we are able to accomplish so much more with a good network of support. At this point in my life, I cannot run 26.2 miles. However, I can run 5.7 miles. With the help of others, I was able to cross that marathon finish line.

With the help of others, I am able to remain Clearly Alive.

2015 was difficult. But 2016 – bring it.

I am ready.

Here are the recaps for 2013, and 2014.