Tracy Ruckman

I promised readers of The Pink Pages that I would provide occasional updates on my cancer journey, so here’s the latest. I’m grateful these updates are getting shorter and less frequent. Tuesday, I visited my favorite doctor - my surgeon. Never thought a surgeon could be on my list of favorite people, but this one is the best, even before today’s appointment. He removed the Medi-port! As I was driving to his office, I was praying and thanking God for the inventor of the Medi-port device (the apparatus also known by other names including port-a-cath.) At one point during my waiting time, I calculated that the Medi-port had saved me sticks from at least 18 IV needles and all the pain, anxiety, and aggravation that would have gone along with each one. What a blessing that Medi-port was for 16 months. I’m truly grateful. I’m equally grateful that it is now gone. The procedure was done in the surgeon’s office and took less than 15 minutes. I laughed when they asked if I wanted to keep the ...

Earlier this year, TMP Books put out a call for submissions for two anthologies, requesting stories from cancer warriors/survivors, and from cancer caregivers. We received several submissions, but not enough to fill either book, so for now, the books are postponed. When I notified the writers who had submitted, one of them suggested running the stories on my blog, and I loved the idea. My goal was to share people’s stories, to give encouragement and hope to other cancer warriors and caregivers, so why wait? I’m sharing the stories each Tuesday, in the order they were submitted. Today, I welcome author April Whitt sharing her story as a cancer warrior. A Joyful Warrior As I begin a new season in my life, I look back over the past few years and my struggle with cancer. I consider that even though cancer has consumed much of my time, energy and thought life, it is NOT the sum of who I am. It is not even the whole of my struggle, it has even become part of my joy. My journey began back in...

When I saw a few social media posts this morning reminding me that it’s #ThankfulThursday, I decided it was time to write a long overdue letter and share it with all of you. Dear MercyMe: I’ve wanted to write this letter for a few years, but never made it a priority. But after all that’s happened, I can’t not write to you. Thank you for writing the songs you do. I know many of them are born out of your own trials and tribulations. I’m truly sorry for the pain you’ve experienced, but I’m incredibly grateful that the Lord is using you so mightily to help others through their own struggles, including my own. Your song “Even If” was released the year my younger son was diagnosed with many more mental illnesses, when the first diagnoses were overwhelming enough. I resisted the song at first, because I didn’t want to / couldn’t / wasn’t ready to admit that there might be an Even If kind of answer to all my fervent prayers for him. But reality finally sunk in, and I found the Hope in your lyr...

Earlier this year, TMP Books put out a call for submissions for two anthologies, requesting stories from cancer warriors/survivors, and from cancer caregivers. We received several submissions, but not enough to fill either book, so for now, they’ve been postponed. When I notified the writers who had submitted, one of them suggested running the stories on my blog, and I loved the idea. The whole goal of the books is to share people’s stories, to give encouragement and hope to other cancer warriors and caregivers, so why wait? Today, I begin sharing those stories once a week. Share your comments with the authors - I know they’d love to hear from you. Can’t See by Maureen Miller “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Cor. 13:12). Cancer seems to be everywhere, and although there aren’t many things I can say, in good conscience, that I truly hate, I honestly do feel as though I hate cancer. It c...

This morning, I woke up and didn’t come to my computer immediately, so before I knew it, the day had slipped by without me writing a blog post. Late afternoon, I found I missed the writing, but so much has happened (mentally, emotionally, physically) in the past 72 hours, I discovered the creativity was missing. So I decided to just freewrite some random thoughts (and questions) of the day as my challenge. If you’re struggling to write, I challenge you to try a freewrite – they always help me.  I thought once I was done with all my chemo treatments, I’d be done with doc visits for awhile. But June has been full of them, and this week, four of the five days are all doc visits, two of which weren’t scheduled until the last minute (including a Friday appointment that was scheduled today). I’ll give another health update next week, but there’s nothing to worry about. One appointment is Tim’s eye checkup, the others are mine. Morning writing is so much easier, even though waking up earl...

I lost an elderly friend yesterday. She was born six weeks after my dad, so I always felt a special connection to her. She was intelligent, kind, and creative. When I learned of her death yesterday morning, of course I was sad, but I also experienced immense relief and gratitude. My friend gifted me with one of her paintings, Summer Sun, a couple of years ago. She painted this one in her 80s, after much of her sight had diminished.  My friend had been in pain for many years – physically and emotionally. We’d talked a lot last year about Jesus, and she knew Him well, so my relief and gratitude came from knowing that now she is safe, she is well, and she is now living her very best life. She’s no longer in pain, has no more sorrow or heartache, no more tears. I imagine she’s already painting some masterpieces in Heaven, and that makes me extremely happy. I’ll see her again one day. I’m grateful for the Hope and Blessed Assurance we have as followers of Jesus. My friend’s emotional pa...

It’s FRIDAY! And it’s SUMMER! (The calendar may say otherwise, but with record temperatures forecasted in Georgia for this weekend, summer has already arrived.) Today’s blog challenge from the 540 Writing Community was to write about anything, so let’s kick off summer with some lists! First some fun activities for summer, and then a great summer reading list!  Fun ideas for Summer, even when you’re not on vacation: 1) Local farmer’s markets are always fun and practical. Many markets offer entertainment, most offer local, fresh produce, proteins, breads, honey, and baked good. Some even allow hand-crafted goods by local artisans. Your state’s website may provide a list of farmer’s markets in your area, but also check on social media, because many of them now use these outlets so share their entertainment schedules, produce offerings, and more. Here’s a national list , although it may not be as updated as social media. 2) Splash pads have become more common, even in small towns. Many...

This challenge topic feels like the final exam of blog posts. Me, writing about wisdom? Ha. I see those eyes roll. Since we had a doctor’s appointment this morning, I pondered the challenge during our drive time. When we were placed in the exam room, I glanced at the motivational art on the wall, and then did a double take. The quote from Ginni Rometty, former executive chairman and CEO of IBM, was a nugget of wisdom: “Growth and comfort do not coexist.” I agree with her statement, although I admit that a couple of decades ago, I might have resisted that thought. We’re trained or conditioned to seek comfort, aren’t we? Once I got back to my desk, I decided to look up other quotes on wisdom and was shocked to discover that I was on the same wavelength as Socrates! “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” ~ Socrates The older I get, and the more I know, the more I realize I know nothing. Then I read this one, from Isaac Asimov, who died in 1992: “The saddest aspect of life ...

I belong to several writing groups, and this week, the 540 Writers Community issued a blog writing challenge and I’m participating. Today, we’re challenged to write about turning points, so I thought I’d share how I became a writer. In the 80s, we moved from Georgia to Oklahoma, where I got saved, and got active in church. I joined a Baptist Young Women’s group and received their monthly magazine Contempo. I loved that magazine filled with inspirational and educational stories about missionaries, so I sent a letter to the editor, just to thank them for such a quality magazine. Didn’t think anything else about it and went about my life. A year later, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, my toddler son and I attended a community-wide Thanksgiving worship service. As we walked in the door of the hosting church, we were bombarded with posters everywhere about giving. This hit me hard, because we had nothing. My husband had been sent to Germany with the military and his pay had been delayed,...

Until my cancer diagnosis, I’d never heard of hospital Navigators. But now that I have, I think EVERY hospital should have navigators on staff. I’d like to introduce you to Felicia, my own Navigator.  Felicia went to most of my doctor’s appointments with me – all year – and took notes. At first, I thought the notes were for her records or for the doctor’s, but after each visit, she handed me the note paper for my own records. She visited me during each treatment. She called me every week between treatments to check on me, offer encouragement, made note of any side effects and advised me if I needed to alert the doc’s office (like with the blood clots from my nose). She answered any questions I had along the way. She helped me navigate through the maze of all things medical – which hospital/clinic/facility I needed to be for which test/procedure, etc. (Rome has three major hospitals, but they offer different procedures, equipment, or doctors for the cancer journey. And during the ti...