BOSTON -- I'm realizing cancer is not just an enemy you fight in your body, but one you battle in your mind as well. Last Thursday, we packed up the kids and headed to Florida for a few days. Brendan and I agreed we needed to take a break from all the worrying and talking about breast cancer. It had somehow found its way into nearly every hour of every day. Both boring and stressful.

So I boarded the plane and put on my compression sleeve and glove for the first time. I need those to help prevent lymphedema, a chronic swelling condition that can affect patients who have had lymph nodes removed. Then I settled down and realized Elizabeth Edwards was about to have her live press conference, and I was on the one airline in America with satellite TV. So much for taking a break from breast cancer!

I sat in my seat with tears welling as the Edwards walked out to the podium. Emotionally, any cancer struggle has hit me hard since my diagnosis. I knew before she started talking that Elizabeth Edwards is facing my worst-case scenario. But as she started to speak, my tears dried up. I took great strength from this woman who had the courage to face the public with less than a day to process this difficult information. For me, it was important they faced the media in person rather than issue a statement. In doing so, the Edwards made recurrence seem less scary. I took comfort in their analogy to diabetes, an illness that can be managed but not cured. I thought of the other stage IV patients I have met on this journey. They are strong and determined to live. When they are not in hospitals being treated, they are the moms on the soccer field and the lawyers in the courtrooms.

I followed the stories throughout the week as the nation began debating whether the Edwards made the right decision to continue with the campaign.

My thoughts turned to Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Martha Sosman who recently lost her battle to breast cancer at age 56. Though I only knew her as a court observer, I was deeply saddened by her young age and by how quickly cancer took her life. She was diagnosed in 2005. I heard from my colleagues how Justice Sosman continued to hear cases while on oxygen. That did not surprise me. She was doing her important work until the end of her life. Was she supposed to sit at home and wait to die? Is that what Elizabeth Edwards is supposed to do? She told the New York Times: "I am denying it (cancer) control over how I spend the rest of my life. We made the choice to live. We don't want to do it surrounded by a veil of tears."

My husband keeps saying to me you just need to keep living as long as possible so you can have access to new treatments. And there are new treatments coming with amazing speed and results. Because I am Her2 positive, I'm going to take Herceptin, which was only in trials just a few years ago. Tykerb is an exciting new drug that was just approved to provide a backup if Herceptin fails. So we live our lives hoping for the best and holding out for better treatments.

I have to believe all cancer patients are mindful of making every moment count because you’re unsure how many more you have. But when everything is turned upside down, you crave a certain amount of normalcy. I was offered the chance to go on long-term disability a few weeks ago instead of continuing working four days a week using short-term disability. I did think for a moment maybe I should be at home with the kids. What if my long-term prognosis changes? If it does, I may reconsider how I spend my time. For now, work has provided an important break from the cancer talk. I enjoy covering stories and being around my colleagues -- some of the most interesting people I know. And sharing my experience with the public has given me a chance to turn my cancer diagnosis into something positive.

People in Boston and beyond are talking about cancer screenings and seeing how you live with breast cancer not just die from it. I would not have the same forum if I did not work at this television station. I think what we do at Channel 5 is important. If I didn't, I wouldn't work here at all.

I enjoyed my time in Florida with my family so much. We did escape cancer and had fun like everyone else. I do treasure these moments playing with the kids at the beach and relaxing. I love seeing the smiles on their faces and want to keep them happy for as long as possible. I'm determined that cancer will not steal their joy. I pray this is just a time in our lives they will barely remember.

As we returned to Boston, my phone rang the moment I turned it on. It was Dana Farber with the results of my genetic tests. I had decided to do a test for two known breast cancer genes for several reasons. I was diagnosed at a young age, and I have three sisters and two daughters. Fortunately, the results came back negative. That means we don't know why I got breast cancer. Singer and BC survivor Sheryl Crow is supporting the Breast Cancer Environmental Research Bill, which would be the first coordinated national effort to study environmental connections to breast cancer. I hope we have answers before my daughters have to start worrying about this dreaded disease.

On a good note, I did not stress about my lack of hair too much in Florida. I wore something called Hat & Hair to the beach and on my daily walks. It’s a piece of hair you can Velcro into any hat. I bought a baseball cap with Velcro and it worked great. It was very windy, but this thing stayed put. I would have been very embarrassed to be bald and chasing my hat hair down the street! You can get them at the hospital oncology shops.