The secret is out, mostly.

When I was told I had a brain tumor part of me wanted to hide it from the world and just pretend it wasn't even there. The logical realistic side knew I had to. When it comes to something like a tumor you can never know the "correct" way to tell people but you can do it your own way on your own terms because it is your story to share.

I chose to tell my siblings and after much deliberation I told my grandparents. I made the choice to wait and tell the rest of my family until I had more details ( my first consult is coming up on Monday the 19th) so I could tell them the entire situation after getting to speak to the professionals. It will be helpful to explain what is going on and more than what I have researched myself.

On the work side of things I was a little quicker to tell people what was going on. Ya see I am more of a planner and I don't like to be in the dark about things so I provide the courtesy to those around me. I decided to tell everyone individually and face to face (as much as I could) to allow questions and time to answer them as best as I could. The thing that works well is that I can create an email distribution list to provide updates from here on out. I simply ask if they want to be included and wrote their name down on a running list.

I have already started prepping my dear coworker who will fill in for me and it already feels like a weight lifted from my shoulders after getting the diagnosis because my focus is nowhere to be found.

I plan to work through the end of this month and then utilize some vacation and take time off before things get going. It will also be a good time to spend quality time with my girls that normally I wouldn't.

The benefit of telling people is you now have a support system who can cheer you up on the cloudiest of days! Getting a text or message or email simply puts me in a better place and I don't think I can express my gratitude enough to those who care.