When I learned on August 27 that I had won the Terry Fox Wrexham Run contest, I was worried that I might not be up for a trip abroad given my breast reconstruction surgery planned for September 12, just four weeks before I would leave for Wales on October 10.

Contrary to my fears, however, my surgeon had no concern about my readiness for travel. With her confidence wringing in my ears, I accepted the win, knowing that if I encountered complications after surgery, I could always back out.

It turns out that my surgeon was right. I recovered well in the four weeks following the operation. Of the five surgeries I have had in the past four years, this latest one has been the easiest to bounce back from.

Despite getting little sleep on my Thursday night flight to London, I powered through the day on Friday, feeling surprisingly unfazed by the lack of sleep. I had plenty of energy throughout the trip even though I had a few late evenings working on my blog posts. I averaged 12,500 steps per day as Shane and I walked around Wrexham. I had little pain, and what pain I did experience was most acute at night (I missed my wedge pillow).

Even today—despite getting up at 6:00 AM Wrexham time yesterday and going to bed at midnight Ottawa time (which actually felt like 5:00 AM Wrexham time)—I felt great. I woke up in time to have breakfast with my daughter this morning, before slipping back into bed for a little additional sleep. I had the mental and physical drive to unpack, tidy up the house, and bake some squares.

All of this makes me feel very lucky. I hope that my surgeon confirms that my healing is progressing well when I return to her office tomorrow for the next augmentation of my expandable implants.