Crystal Harper
I recently had the privilege of meeting Stephen Todd and I really want to introduce him to all of you because he’s doing some amazing things in our community. Watch the video below to find out how he’s been helping dozens of charities and how you can help him achieve his next goal. If you […]
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Better late than never, right? I finally finished a passion project that I started years ago and it feels good!
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I’ll be honest, Iceland was never a destination that I felt the urge to visit. I never even thought about it until my sister told me she wanted to go. I actually told her no at first! I like to spend my vacation days in warm, sunny places, preferably surrounded by palm trees… obviously, none […]
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I recently went to a cancer retreat full of women who have been impacted by the disease. We were all at different stages of our journeys and it was a pretty eye opening experience. There were people who were able to say that cancer is now in their rear view, and others who were in […]
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You know that thing you’ve always wanted to do but just keep putting off? You should go do that thing. It’s worth it, I promise! Sometimes “later” turns into “some day” which turns into “I wish I had.” I don’t know about you, but my biggest fear in life is having regrets. My second biggest […]
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Since the moment I said “yes” to half marathon training, I’ve had more than my share of setbacks. Despite that, the thought of quitting never crossed my mind. When I set a goal, nothing can stop me from achieving it. Maybe it’s my stubbornness with a little bit of motivation mixed in, but either way, […]
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If you would’ve told me just a few months ago that I’d be running a half marathon this year, I would have laughed at you. And then if you would’ve told me I’d be doing it as a way to celebrate my birthday? For fun? Yeah, forget about it. Since we’re on the topic of […]
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Let me start by saying I feel a little bit guilty about the title of this post. I realize there are so many people out there fighting hard for their lives and they would do anything to be cancer free. I also understand my cancer diagnosis could’ve turned out much worse and I don’t take […]
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“WOW” written upside down spells “MOM.” Coincidence? I think not… Aren’t moms amazing? All moms are, but I’m convinced that moms who also become caregivers are superheroes in disguise. My pre-cancer self had no idea what it took to be a caregiver, but my post-cancer self knows that at times, my caregivers had it worse than […]
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This picture was taken shortly after I returned to work. At this point, my life felt amazing. I had a coworker take this photo because I couldn’t believe I finally had my own desk. Who gets excited over that? Someone who just beat cancer, I guess. Everything was amazing during those first few weeks of […]
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I had just dug my Navy uniform out of a storage box last night in anticipation of my first day back today. This baby hadn’t seen daylight in about 10 months and I was ready to dust off my boots (isn’t that a country song?) and get back to my part-time military life. After some […]
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The picture on the left was taken December 10, 2016. It was just days after I found a lump above my collarbone, but before I had any inclination that it might be cancer. The picture on the right was taken this past Sunday, January 21, 2018. This was after I beat stage 2 Hodgkin Lymphoma. […]
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“I just found out I have cancer and my oncologist told me my hair will fall out. How do I pick out a wig?!” I think almost all women ask this question when they start chemo. I know I did and I went through quite a bit of trial and error before finding the perfect […]
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The days leading up to my last chemo session were tough for me. I should’ve been thrilled that I’d be walking into my chemo room for the very last time. I should’ve been so relieved. I should’ve felt on top of the world. At least that’s what everyone kept telling me. I actually think the last […]
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First let me say that I hope you all have the best Thanksgiving yet! My family decided not to celebrate thanksgiving this year, which I’m a little bummed out about. This would’ve been the first Thanksgiving with them in 8 years which I was looking forward to! It did, however, make me realize that I […]
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I was feeling pretty good about going in for my 11th chemo infusion, but chemo always finds a way to kick me back into reality and remind me just how serious these drugs are. My mom and I were determined to turn what normally is a pretty depressing day into a fun day. I talked […]
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Today I’ll be going in for treatment number 11 and for the first time ever, I feel ok about going to chemo. I only have two treatments left and because the finish line finally feels like it’s in sight, I’m ready to power through them. The faster we can get chemo started today, the faster […]
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A cancer diagnosis comes with a LOT of things to worry about. Will I be ok? How will it affect me? What about my job? Oh, and “Who will ever want to date me after this?” As I type that out, I realize how silly it probably sounds, but it was something that I actually […]
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I wanted so badly to be able to title this post “Number 9, feeling fine!” News flash, Crystal! It’s chemo, of course I’m not going to be feeling fine lol. One of my doctors told me that my first treatment would likely be one of the worst because the chemo was wiping out all of […]
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In case you missed it, last week I asked people to do something kind for a stranger on Facebook and Instagram. View this post on Instagram I have a favor to ask. My birthday is on Saturday and I would never normally ask for anything, but I'm making an exception this year. I'm asking for […]
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I spent all morning trying to decide if I should post this or not. It’s always hard to post the “not happy” blog entries and I’m really not looking for sympathy, but I decided to write this because you’re all part of my journey now. Also, I truly hope this might help someone else who […]
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Today is World Lymphoma Awareness Day. Exactly one year ago, this day meant nothing to me. Actually, I wouldn’t even be able to tell you what lymphoma was. It didn’t matter anyway, I was too young and healthy to get cancer. I exercised regularly and ate good. Seriously, I was the weird person at work […]
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It’s awkward, isn’t it? You find out someone you care about just got diagnosed with cancer. It’s terrifying and you want to be there for them but you don’t know what to do, say, or even how to act. As a cancer patient myself, I know we aren’t exactly the easiest people to deal with. […]
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I was so happy to have both of my sisters with me for my 5th treatment. Amy, my older sister, drove me to the hospital and sat through all of my preliminary appointments. She had to leave shortly after I was sent to my chemo room. My younger sister, Melyssa, got there just before my […]
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I want to start out by saying that I feel really, really good this week. Maybe it’s because my cancer is slowly withering away, maybe it’s because I know for a fact that my treatment is working, maybe it’s from my time away with family, or maybe it’s because I had a few extra days […]
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It’s getting more and more difficult to talk myself into going through these treatments and this last one was the hardest so far. I started to feel bit a little queasy the night before chemo which has never happened before. I didn’t think much of it and blamed it on my dinner because I had […]
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I know I’ve been slacking on the blog lately, I’m sorry!
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Here it is… my never before seen scalp!
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A lot of people have been asking me how my recent diagnosis will affect my military service. I’ve been really nervous about it too, to be honest.
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I said I was going to be honest with everyone, so here it is- chemotherapy sucks.
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Some of Crystal’s viewers asked that I write a post from a parent’s point of view. The following is what I wrote the night before her first chemo treatment and the day of. It is now two days later. Crystal is extremely tired and has lost her appetite, but is starting to feel a little […]
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My last week in Virginia was crazy, to say the least.
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Not to brag, but apparently I have great ovaries.
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I haven’t been completely upfront with everyone.
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It was nothing. I was overreacting, being paranoid, and doing a little too much Google self-diagnosing. But what if? No, it could never happen to me. Plus, I’m so young and have always been healthy. Yeah, I’m definitely overreacting.
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