Hi readers! There is so much to say, and so much to update you all on. I intend to write again soon, but in lieu of trying to write about everything that’s happened recently, I thought I’d let some photographs do the talking. Things are good. I will update more soon :-).
December 18, 2013:
December 22, 2013:
January 5, 2014:
February 24, 2014:
May 15, 2014:
June 17, 2014:
July 23, 2014:
August 6, 2014:
August 11, 2014:
October 14, 2014:
January 9, 2015:
March 12, 2015:
March 15, 2015:
March 19, 2015:
April 24, 2015:
May 28, 2015:
Dear Elana, OMG, sooooo happy to hear from you. My God the recent pictures are fabulous…you look beautiful and happy.
You made my weekend. Looking forward to hearing all the good news.
Peace,
Patti
I’ve been thinking about you and I’m so glad to hear that you are doing well. You are beautiful! You will need to introduce us to your furry friend 🙂
Hope to see more soon!
Elayne
BRAVO! You are showing us the strength
of the human spirit. You look so healthy.
I can’t wait to hear about your courageous journey.
Welcome back you beautiful creature. So good to know you’ve come through the rabbit hole.
Fondly,
Barb in Minnesota
Elana, so good that you were able to do this photo essay of your progress. You really rocked the bald look as well as the short hair. Your eyes are so striking and some of the photos were absolutely haunting, as if your very soul was shining through your eyes. Keep up the good work!
Deborah
Your eyes speak a thousand words. Keep smiling!
Hello! Good to see you!
Welcome back, Elana! I’m so excited to hear that you’re feeling better! You look mahhhvelous, my dear. I love your beautiful doggie buddy. I have a Great Dane and a Greyhound, so I know how much joy dogs give every single day. I’ll be eagerly waiting for your next update.
Love ya,
Melanie
Elana,
It’s soooo good to hear from you and see your beauty.
I think of you often and look forward to hearing more.
Blessings to you!
This photo series is amazing…haunting…beautiful. You are so brave to share the reality of your journey with us. So glad to see that you are doing better. I’m so glad you are here! <3
Delighted to see your beautiful face again, I too think often of you.
hello Elana
good to see you
Sara
so happy to see you…
Hope you will share how your doggie helped you through this process!
You look beautiful.
Dear Elana
I don t know you but fighting against a metastasis on the liver after a cancer of the right intestine i feel very close to you and wanted to give you my support
I was a former Hematologist here in France and then in charge of the public health near the ministry of Health
I m on the way of writing a book, not only to tell my story but more to share experience with others to give them hope and strength.
My older son is graduate from Berkeley University, not far from you
Elana, never give up
My best regards
Alain, in Montpellier, France
I kept looking for posts, and was so worried! You look so beautiful! I guess couage and spirit CAN be captured in photographs! God Bless you!
So happy to see this. You deserve all the blessings in the world!
I’ve never been so happy to get an email notification from you. I’ve been wondering why you stopped writing and so glad you haven’t. You look beautiful and healthy! I can’t wait until you share with us your journey!
Those photos have so much in them.
Really moved to hear from you!! I’ve been checking back all along dear colleague.
Love your dog!
So glad to see you again!! What an awesome dog! So sweet <3
You look fabulous – happy and healthy. Keep it up.
Hello Elana,
So very happy to see you are ‘living in the light’ and keeping the toxic black ooze at bay and in the very far distance! Your photos have said it all and then some….It was such a pleasure to see your latest post. Thank you for your continued message of hope, resilience, and truth. And, now consider adding photojournalist to the many, many amazing hats you wear…but do not cover up your hair~ It is gorgeous! Keep doing what you are doing on this remarkable journey we call life because it is working and it is working well. You are an inspiration!
Thinking of you,
CeeCee
Wow * What a Beautiful Girl & Her Sweet Puppy * sending u Both Huge {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} <3
Glad to hear from you. Just this week I did a search for you, and was dismayed that there was no news of you, no record of you, for months. These things get greatly magnified for someone in your position.
I’m looking forward to hear what your perspective is now. I wouldn’t say it’s a valid tradeoff, but people who have been to hell and back have a depth and a perspective that people with a more limited set of experiences can’t have. I’ve always been able to learn an enormous amount from them.
So glad to see you are—well—still here. You had me worried.I think of you often.
Thanks so much for the update. Looks similar to the the stages my friend is going thru. Tho she has stage 4 liver cancer she is doing as well as you look with her new chemo. Prayers for you too.
Your spirit shines through every photo! I found your blog via the Huffington Post three months before my own diagnosis in spring 2014. The timing of that connection was incredible. Your experience and the honesty with which you share it has been a beacon for me. It’s thrilling to see you back–looking stronger than ever! Can’t wait to hear more about your journey. You are an inspiration!!!
Elana – so good to see you. I hope you feel as amazing as you look. Funny thing – I adopted a fur baby after my own cancer journey. Her name is Greta. 😉
You were BEAUTIFUL before and you are GORGEOUS now. Your SPIRIT and Tenacity, GLOWS in you. You are an INSPIRATION for thousands of people.
Many BLESSINGS & Love on your Journey to Wellness.
XOXOXO,
Sincerely,
Karyn from Vero Beach , FL. 🙂 <3
Hi again, Elana,
A couple more thoughts this morning: I love to read these messages of support from other folks. I see joy in your face again! And look how you have your strength back. You can carry your big dog, for heaven’s sake!
Have a wonderful day,
Melanie
It’s really great to hear from you Elana! You look incredible 🙂 and I really like your hairdo!
Yes! You DO look amazing and that sassy haircut shows your fighting spirit. The photo essay definitely shows your poignant journey (and animals are the best therapy).
I am really looking forward to hearing about the path you have been walking over the last several months. Thank you for your post today! I have been worried that you weren’t doing well enough to have the energy to do much and I broke out in a huge grin and my eyes grew wide with excitement to see your name in the “From” Field of my e-mail. YAY!
Cheryl
I am so thrilled to see that you are doing well. I have been checking on you and not getting any news was making me feel worried…your beautiful smile and the strength of your spirit are shining through. Looking forward to hearing about your journey. You are a huge inspiration and so very loved!
Yay! Was just thinking about you, photos are very telling. Glad you are doing better 🙂
So glad to hear from you. The fire and sparkle in your beautiful eyes is clear as day in all your photos.
Best wishes and prayers. Thank you for sharing your inspiring essay.
I am sooooooo freakin’ happy to hear from you!!! You scare the shit out of me when you don’t update us for so long. You look terrific~~~keep looking up!!! C U in the lineup!!!!
Wow–just wow. So good to hear from you; you’re often in my thoughts xoxo
Elena, It is so wonderful to see your photo essay.
Love and Light to you and your fur person,
Sherry
Hi Elana! Sooo HAPPY to find out that you’re doing well. I had been thinking about you a lot lately, hoping to find out what you are sharing with us today -that things are looking UP! Please receive a virtual hug and my best wishes that your world keeps moving in the direction it’s going now 🙂
Hey, there sister, you are BACK and BEAUTIFUL! Love your new hairdo!!!
Love that canine nurse! You did it! What a long strange trip cancer is, but you are out the other end of the long dark tunnel. Time to celebrate!
Hi Elana,
I am sooooo happy to receive news from you again!! And I want to tell you something: you are positively GOR-GEOUS with your short hair and you should really consider keeping it that way.
I am sincerely glad to see you are feeling better. You are a warrior! You fought like a lion and obviously, you are winning! That’s simply fantastic!
Thank you for those pictures.
Lots of love to you from France
Helene
Dear Elana, I am a retired Medical Oncologist. Shortly after retirement, I reenrolled at The University of South Carolina,taking Studio Arts with an emphasis in photography. In my second photography course, I did a photo essay on oncology, and it brought tears to my eyes when I presented it at final critique! I appreciate now more than ever what my patients went through during their treatment, and they always gave me back more than I could ever give them. Thank you for your personal insight and encouraging words!!! I look forward to your column, but most of all, I am pulling for you. Leland (Joe) McElveen, MD
So happy for you!
You are so brave and yes beautiful. These pictures tell a story that is touching.I’m glad to see this update, so smart of you not to wait till all experiences are put into words,
Hope to see and hear more soon!
JG
I am so happy to see you resurface, and your hair and you are beautiful! You are beautiful as you are!
Doc, you’re wrong. You are rocking that pixie hair do. You look sexy, alive and hot! Don’t ever forget that!
I love the photos of you and your dog. What a wonderful companion through all of this!
May your days be brighter and the future better. You are tough! You survived medical school as well a gruelling internship. This is a bump in the road for you. (Granted it’s a pretty significant bump), but you are strong.
Wishing you all the best and yes you are a warrior–a Samurai!
Elannah
As someone who aspires to be a physician your journey has filled me with hope and strength. You are a blessing, God bless you.
Oh my gosh, Elana. You have a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier! So do I, and if there was ever a dog meant to be your buddy through an illness, it’s the Wheaten. So happy to see you looking so well. Best of luck!
I was wondering if you would ever do a webinar on panic/anxiety following a life threatening illness? I would be interested in attending that remotely.
Also please marry Jake gyllenahl! I like the way your mom thinks!
Elana, I am a psychiatrist, still practicing and 74 years old. I just want to tell you how moved I am by your courage and honesty.
Nancy
You are beautiful! You are inspirational! You amaze me in so many ways– what a powerful, unstoppable woman. I love you, and am sending many, many good thoughts your way!
Wow, just stumbled upon your site after searching Buddhism and MBTI personality types.
What a story, I will do metta with you in mind tomorrow @ 0400. So if you get a funny feeling don’t be alarmed:)
Paul in Walla Walla