this is not how I thought things would turn out

My Story

In February 2017, I was diagnosed with brain cancer. (A grade II diffuse astrocytoma on my brain stem if the details interest you.) Forced to quit my 9 to 5 as a technical copywriter, I underwent brain surgery to biopsy the tumor and radiation and chemotherapy to try and beat it into submission. It shrank a little, but the damn thing is still sitting there and considered inoperable.

I’ve mostly adjusted to what doctors call my “new normal” and what people with no need for such euphemisms call “disability.” I’m in a relatively decent headspace most days, but my journey to diagnosis was fraught with trauma brought on by doctors who dismissed my symptoms and lazily slapped a fibromyalgia diagnosis on my chart.

I’m self-publishing a webserial memoir funded by Patrons to pay the bills. Who You Gonna Believe is about how being married to a compulsive liar and narcissist taught me not to put up with jerks and how applying that take-no-shit philosophy to medical appointments probably saved my life.

Fun facts about me: I live in Illinois with my husband Dan, my dog Boomer, and my cat Izzy. I post Zentangle videos on my YouTube channel as my health allows. Izzy occasionally makes a guest appearance there. In September 2022, I became a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT).

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