I have to say it was a bit surreal celebrating Mother's Day this year as an honoree as well as an honorer. Episode 9 of It's Cancer, Baby gives us a peek into what my first Mother's Day was like from both perspectives.

First, I never really thought I'd one day be a mother. To an actual child. After 44 Mother's Days with no one other than my (admittedly beloved) cats and dogs paying me homage, I never imagined this holiday would one day have special meaning for me.

When Mother's Day came around last year, neither my husband nor I really took ownership of it even though I was pregnant at the time. It was too early in the pregnancy, and I had already had at least one miscarriage. We didn't want to jinx anything.

It felt a little strange celebrating this year, too, frankly. I was in the midst of chemo for aggressive Stage 3C cancer, and my prognosis was unknown.

Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." 

Episode 6 of the CafeMom Studio's mini-documentary webseries, It's Cancer, Baby, explores the notion of food as medicine.

In Episode 5 of the CafeMom Studios documentary webseries, It's Cancer, Baby, we talk about the experience of losing my hair and eyelashes to chemotherapy. Hair loss is actually a big part of the process of dealing with cancer, for men and women alike.

One of the things I did to help make the experience more bearable was throw a "Lash Bash" party, with a makeup artist friend giving us a lesson in false eyelash application. It was one of those "laugh instead of crying" moments. Rather than sit around and lament the loss of my hair and eyelashes, I decided to turn it into something fun and memorable. After all, having a bald face and head was (hopefully) going to be a temporary experience for me, so why not make the most of it?

The latest installment of the mini-documentary webseries, It's Cancer, Baby, tells the story of "The Lactation Goddess," the generous angel donor of surplus breast milk who helped provide nourishment to my daughter when I was unable to continue breastfeeding because of the chemotherapy I was receiving.

The realization that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed my daughter was a difficult blow on the heels of learning I had cancer. We had just started to get the hang of breastfeeding (which I found to be as difficult as many women say, but just as rewarding) when I realized that I would only be able to continue nursing her for a few more weeks before my breast milk would no longer be safe for her to drink.

The producers of It's Cancer, Baby interviewed my husband, Mark as part of the series. However, I didn't see any part of his interview until this Episode, "In Sickness & In Health," aired on the CafeMom Studios YouTube Channel.

The second episode in the 10-part mini-documentary series, "It's Cancer, Baby," is entitled "The Fight", and gives a behind the scenes view of the chemotherapy I am receiving as part of my battle against cancer. 

When I've been in the infusion ward of the cancer center, I've seen other patients with their small private rooms full of people. Some have a crowd with them; others have one or two people in the room with them for the entire treatment -- which usually takes all day -- even when they are sleeping. Rarely do I see patients sitting alone while they are receiving treatment.

I am one of the few exceptions.