Facing Cancer by Tashi Nicole King

Stage IV breast cancer was certainly not part of my grand plan. In having this advanced cancer, the learning is on! I am in a true fight for my life. I have a lot to give and so much that I want to do. I want my life and I know that I have the ability to heal. I have to learn how to re-establish health and balance in my body. At this point, despite the prognosis, there are so many possibilities.

         The past months have been indescribable. In fact, I have struggled to write and stumbled in finding words. There have been crazy highs and crushing lows. Following my dream wedding, my diagnosis felt like the earth gave way beneath my feet. It was such a shock. For the first time, in such a long time, I had felt confident and clear about my future, ready to work hard, start a family and build the life that I had always dreamed of.

         Everything happened so quickly! I struggled to finish a final semester of graduate school while being dragged through a crash course in cancer. Not only did I have a mastectomy, removing my right breast, and lymph node dissection, I also had a purple port placed into my chest. I call this my Barbie port, wondering why it has to be purple, when it lies unseen beneath my skin. This allows the delivery of chemotherapy drugs to go directly into my heart. All this, before I learned that the cancer had metastasized.

Congratulations Tashi!!!! You made it through Chemo!

Meals Fit for a King

Thank you for your interest in providing a meal to Tashi and Bryan. Here are some general guidelines: UPDATED 4.14.10

 -Tashi is trying to eat dark green leafy veggies, whole grains, and no meat. She has been instructed to cut carbs from her diet. Sugar is supposed to be kept to a minimum so there is no need to provide desserts.
 - Please provide dishes that you do not need returned (foil pie plates, tuperware, etc.) 

DROP-OFF LOCATION: Meals should be dropped off before 5 pm at Jen Bush's House located at 909 Evergreen Ave. in North Boulder. Evergreen is about 2 blocks North of North Boulder Park off of 9th Street. There will be a cooler on the front porch that you can leave the food in (or near if it's cold out). Questions about meals can be directed to Laine Johnson at lainebopp@gmail.com

Tashi King's Story

As many of you know by now, Tashi Nicole King has been diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer. You may remember Tashi from Boulder High School (Class of 1993) or her brother Amani (Class of 1987). Tashi married after college and moved to Nicaragua where her daughter, Xola Rose (pronounced Zola) was born in May of 2003. Xola was born with a genetic disorder called Trisomy 13. Eighty percent of babies born with this disorder die within their first month. However, thanks to Tashi’s unrelenting spirit and her determination to do everything possible to care for her, Xola lived happily until she was almost 5 years old. On Feb. 27, 2008 Tashi held Xola for the last time; roughly a year and a half before being diagnosed with cancer.