Cancer! An Update

Hello Dear Readers,

Thank you so much to those who reached out after my last post. I wasn’t able to reply, but I’ve seen them all and felt loved.

When I last wrote to you I’d been newly diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time I was still getting scans to see if it had spread to my brain and other parts of my body. It was a really scary time. Thankfully those scans were clean. I was still diagnosed with a stage three breast cancer, which is still scary.

I started a cancer diary, but I still haven’t decided if the sun should smile, frown, or look like it’s screaming.

I am now over 2/3 of the way through neoadjuvant chemo (aka chemo before surgery). I’m not going to lie, it’s been rough. I had all sorts of bonus side effects that took two months to get under control. I’m three months into treatment and I still have down days, but they have become predictable. All going well, I have one more month of weekly infusions, then I get a little break to recover before having surgery. Depending on what they find during surgery will determine my treatment going forward.

That all being said, when I started chemo at the beginning of December, I got really depressed seeing everyone start talking about their hopes and goals for the new year. I wasn’t sure what my future held other than treatment. Now that I’m having predictable good days and I know the odds are good that I’m going to get through this, I’ve been able dream about the future again and reflect about the past year.

Some Good Things That Happened In 2025

I became a mom! I wasn’t someone who grew up wanting to be a mom, so I wasn’t sure how I’d do at it. It turns out, I love it. Bub is exactly the kid for me. Although I wouldn’t be able to do it without all the wonderful support I’ve gotten from our extended family.

I joined a small children’s book critique group. Despite knowing me for such a short time, these lovely ladies have accommodated me during my cancer diagnosis and let it be no big deal. It made me feel like a human rather than a cancer patient, which I will always appreciate.

I got into Gallery Nucleus’s Power In Numbers show. Bullfrog Brand Fly-Catcher happens to still be looking for its forever home.

I was able to go to a friend’s wedding in Washington state. While Connor and I were there we also got to go birding, visit the Spincycle Yarns brick and mortar store (a bucket list item for me) and buy a whole pile of books at Henderson’s, Kingfisher Bookstore, and the Coupeville, WA library sale.

I read 180 children’s books and 14 non children’s books, including the giant final book of the Stormlight Archive.

Some Wishes For 2026 And Beyond

I’d like to collect all 10 years of my comics into a book or two, so I and anyone else who wants to can have a physical copy.

I’d like to get commissioned to make at least one Magic: The Gathering card. I had revamped my website and submitted my portfolio to Wizards of the Coast just before my diagnosis. They haven’t called yet, so I need to keep making pieces for my portfolio.

My spelt appears to have survived being under ice for over two weeks. It’s looking likely that it’ll make it to harvest and I’ll be able to make the straw hat I was talking about back in September.

I’d like to try to have one finished dummy book for one of the children’s book stories I’m working on. I had been working on one before cancer so rudely interrupted me.

Before my diagnosis, I had contemplated starting a second newsletter about knitting and knitwear design. I think I’d still like to do that at some point, even if it isn’t this year.

This Newsletter Going Forward

I’d still like to keep writing here, although for now my limited energy is going to keep me from doing it weekly. And as I evolve, what I write about is understandably going to evolve. I still want to share comics, but maybe not as intensively as I have in the past.

I was really inspired by Amy Stewart’s recent post The Self Appointed Writing Residency. In it she talks about pretending that you are writing a column for a newspaper. The goal is to write 700-1000 words and find a place to share it. When you are done with a topic, you end the column and start a new one.

Although I don’t want to make this place all about cancer, that is what is going on in my life right now. I’ve thought about writing a column about what it is like to have cancer, what it’s like to be in treatment. I came into it thinking that most breast cancer patients don’t make it. When I was growing up I saw people going through years of treatment and still not surviving or thriving, but treatments have come so far forward that even stage 4 patients are starting to be treated as if they have a chronic disease, like diabetes. Research is being done to not only end cancer, but also how to make treatments more tolerable.

In Summary

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for sticking with me! Although I struggle to get back to people right now, just know that I have appreciated being reached out to. Cancer is an isolating experience. When I’m low, I re-read messages and comments and it helps remind me that there are people who care if I make it through this. Thank you.

Ready to read more comics? Check out audrywithoutane.com

Interested in what other projects Audry is involved with? Go to audrynicklin.com

Enjoy knitting? Visit Audry’s knitting pattern site at bear-ears.com