Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is that? – LivewellNebraska.com
I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to speak with a journalist from the Omaha World Herald about my experience at (the wonderful) Image Recovery, Alegent’s salon for cancer survivors. This is the place that I had my head shaved, where I got my wig (Vickie – also featured in the Herald this week, although with Ryan, not me), my prosthetics, bras, and an incredible amount of emotional support and understanding. Not to be too much of a commercial for Alegent, but the Image Recovery and Nurse Navigator programs were integral to my success in treatment (thank you, Beki and Stacey).
They just posted the video this morning and I thought that some of you may be interested in seeing it. Oh, and a warning for all of you (Kristine) who read these posts at work, this may be one you want to wait to watch at home. The video is at the bottom of this link: Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is that? – LivewellNebraska.com.
Well, here goes . . . 
wow – my prayer is that this will reach the women who need to see it because it is very powerful. You make your mama proud!! And once again – I love that RyGuy!
Thanks mom!
And I am sure RyGuy would want you to know that the feeling is mutual.
The feeling is mutual. Love, RyGuy
Next time I pay heed to your warning and wait until I get home from work to watch this. I thought I could keep it together.
What can I say, I know how to play on your heart strings and I take advantage of it.
Thank you for the warning! Against my stubborn personality, I am going to listen to you this time because I highly doubt I can keep it together. Did I mention that I started crying on the way to Race for the Cure? I probably shouldn’t admit that on the interwebs, but on my drive there I was thinking about how much happened in the last year and how much strength you showed, and all of a sudden…bring on the waterworks.
A coworker saw your picture in the paper for this story and brought the copy in for me. Thanks for sharing the companion video piece; I look forward to becoming a blubbering crying mess when I am not at work and am able to watch it. 🙂
I had no idea that they were going to put something in the paper as well. I just found out at work today when one of my co-workers told me that he saw my picture in the paper. I thought it was a Race for the Cure picture and asked him if it was one of me and my husband. He got a little awkward and said that no it was a picture of me picking out bras! Ha!!! I assured him that I was aware when they took the picture and just thought it would only be on the website.
Aja, thank you for being strong enough to share this. I know there are many women who will benefit from your story. You are amazing.
Well I sort of read this at work, but at least no one is around to see me balling. You are so strong Aja. I’m so proud of you. That video will help so many other women struggling with the same fears feel some sense of what to expect.
Thanks Natalie! I suppose the warning for you was unneccessary, although it probably helped to make sure you waited until after the mailman had been there. 🙂
Thank you very much Aja, for being so willing to share such raw emotions with the rest of us. I feel lucky to know such an inspiring person (you!) and learn about your journey along the way.
Thank you, Zac! My goal with this has always been that something good comes out of it. If you have learned something new that you can maybe tell another survivor you may meet along the way, then it was worth it.
Hi Aja, I watched your video – wow you are a movie star now!
I cried, I smiled, and I know exactly what you went through. I wish I had gotten my head shaved sooner – instead of watching my hair fall out in the shower. The world of prosthetics is a scary and very personal one, so you do need someone you can relate to and that you trust. I hope newly diagnosed ladies can see your video, as I truly think it will help them.
On a positive note, your hair looks really cute, your eyebrows look great, and your skin looks fantastic! (I’m jealous of your eyebrows- mine are still a bit funky). I feel very fortunate to have you as a blog buddy going through our journey. Karen