<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Lipstick and Light]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lipstick and Light]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:33:32 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Where I Am Right Now]]></title><description><![CDATA[Recently, I found out that my cancer has progressed. After my initial diagnosis and treatment for ovarian cancer, including surgery and chemotherapy, recent imaging has unfortunately shown new metastatic areas, affecting the liver and lymph nodes. It’s still something I’m processing, and I don’t think it has fully settled in yet. There are moments where it feels very real, and others where it still feels distant. What feels important for me to acknowledge and to remember, is that I’ve done...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/where-i-am-right-now</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ce468140e74dbec4fdc70d</guid><category><![CDATA[Diagnosis & Discovery]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:57:44 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Healing Nerves, Healing Me: Two Months After Lung Surgery]]></title><description><![CDATA[Two months ago, I had lung surgery to remove a cancerous nodule, marking my second cancer diagnosis in one year. I prepared myself for the usual recovery symptoms: soreness, fatigue, and limited movement. But what truly caught me off guard was the nerve pain. It wasn’t just surface-level discomfort. It was sharp, tingling, sometimes burning sensations wrapping around my ribs and incision area. Some days it came in waves. Other days it lingered quietly in the background. And my biggest fear...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/healing-nerves-healing-me-two-months-after-lung-surgery</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a894621fb1895eb27158c4</guid><category><![CDATA[Tips & Lessons Learned]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:53:04 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Hardest Move: Starting Over in a Body That’s Been Through Too Much]]></title><description><![CDATA[I took the first step back into exercise and breathing after lung surgery, and nothing about it felt strong, empowering, or graceful. It was slow, painful, emotional, and deeply humbling. Needing help with things that once felt automatic reminded me just how fragile my body feels right now and how far I am from the woman I used to be. Lifting my arms felt like lifting concrete. Breathing felt tight, unfamiliar, and scary. And yet, I showed up. Healing this second time hits differently. There...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/the-hardest-move-beginning-again-after-my-second-cancer-diagnosis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69835aa04ef7940ceeef04fa</guid><category><![CDATA[Tips & Lessons Learned]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:48:02 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Post-Surgery Peace: Trusting the Process]]></title><description><![CDATA[The days after surgery are quieter, slower, and sometimes filled with uncertainty but for me, they’re also filled with gratitude. Grateful for skilled hands, for caring nurses, for family and friends who check in through messages and most of all, for the small victories each day: a deep breath without pain, a walk down the hall, a smile that doesn’t feel forced. Trusting the process has been my lifeline, and I want to share how embracing it can bring peace even in recovery. Coming out of lung...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/post-surgery-peace-trusting-the-process</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6970e3c26582220b65f24148</guid><category><![CDATA[Treatment Journey]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:54:21 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Letter to 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dear 2026, I’m entering you with mixed emotions of hope, caution, and a determination shaped by experience. Last year, I shared my cancer journey: the discovery, the surgeries, the treatments, and the long road toward healing. I truly thought that chapter was coming to a close. But as you arrive, I find myself facing another diagnosis—cancer cells in my lung—and preparing once again for surgery and treatment early in your days. I won’t pretend I’m not afraid. Fear has a way of showing up...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/a-letter-to-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69567d4fac028de7556fd062</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 14:30:09 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Twice in One Year]]></title><description><![CDATA[I still struggle to find the right words for what the past year has been. Surreal is the closest one I can think of because none of this feels real, even as I’m living it. Yes, I have been diagnosed with cancer again. Yes, within one year. Two different cancers. How unlucky can one person be? Earlier this year, around March and April, my life was turned upside down with an ovarian cancer diagnosis. I went through a full hysterectomy, the removal of a cancerous cyst, and chemotherapy. It was...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/twice-in-one-year</link><guid isPermaLink="false">694415221a6ea3dfc2402b8b</guid><category><![CDATA[Diagnosis & Discovery]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 11:42:23 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[October, Awareness, and My Journey]]></title><description><![CDATA[October is widely known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month . Pink ribbons, campaigns, and fundraisers appear everywhere, reminding us of...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/october-awareness-and-my-journey</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68ea8e9fd0b62263357415e7</guid><category><![CDATA[Life Beyond Cancer]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 11 Oct 2025 18:44:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_29f868ff89664865adee7c80936204ca~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Ovarian Cancer Journey and What I Wish Every Woman Knew]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Night It All Began It was supposed to be just another night. Instead, I woke up to a wave of sharp abdominal pain that left me...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/my-ovarian-cancer-journey-and-what-i-wish-every-woman-knew</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68cd712911fb48eaec1a0dda</guid><category><![CDATA[Tips & Lessons Learned]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 16:06:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_d1a6e78aa22f46b48c3e505563132048~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_970,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Slow Healing, Gentle Movement: My Journey Back to Yoga After Hysterectomy and Chemo]]></title><description><![CDATA[After going through my hysterectomy and rounds of chemo, I thought my body had completely given up on me. More than anything, I was...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/slow-healing-gentle-movement-my-journey-back-to-yoga-after-hysterectomy-and-chemo</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68c45ec938f238548746b429</guid><category><![CDATA[Life Beyond Cancer]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 18:58:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_5676637b043f4f72bec7fee92dcd68ee~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The End of Chemo: Surreal Beginnings]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today, I got the official word: I am done with chemo. It’s a sentence I’ve dreamed of saying, a milestone I’ve longed to reach. Yet now...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/the-end-of-chemo-surreal-beginnings</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68b825094a088b9f00c449d1</guid><category><![CDATA[Treatment Journey]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 15:41:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_706a500f047247c0a5da67f3d6625e81~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_662,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chemo Change: Heatwave, Shivers, and Hard Truths]]></title><description><![CDATA[Last Thursday’s chemo knocked me off my feet in a way I didn’t expect. My oncologist said this new mix would be “milder” than my previous...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/chemo-change-heatwave-shivers-and-hard-truths</link><guid isPermaLink="false">689f25dc627ec51b7e7a85d1</guid><category><![CDATA[Treatment Journey]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2025 13:22:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_81a72286a7574e2aa189f03059ade421~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[One Day at a Time: Living and Healing Through Chemo]]></title><description><![CDATA[Chemo is strange. One day I wake up with a burst of energy - like I could run a marathon (not literally, but that kind of excited,...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/one-day-at-a-time-living-and-healing-through-chemo</link><guid isPermaLink="false">688f5487703020ba46e51023</guid><category><![CDATA[Tips & Lessons Learned]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 03 Aug 2025 13:57:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_f2e14bbdcb944a2d9e660212bef9170c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cold Hands, Fierce Heart - Chemo Session 5 of 18]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I walked into chemo session  #5 , I came in with my mind ready. My body may have been tired, but my spirit was in fight mode. At...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/cold-hands-fierce-heart-chemo-session-5-of-18</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68837f2ca885b55f7a90fad6</guid><category><![CDATA[Treatment Journey]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2025 13:35:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_e9788eb5e4c849b8813f9890d8d089ca~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[GRWM Before Chemo: Light Makeup, Big Energy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Chemo days aren't cute - but I am ;) Okay, seriously though - on the mornings I head to treatment, I carve out a little time for a soft,...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/grwm-before-chemo-light-makeup-big-energy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">687b4e1a7a5bc82a935a75e5</guid><category><![CDATA[Tips & Lessons Learned]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 19 Jul 2025 12:40:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_1f81828d671046deb9ffd43225a34b7c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hot Flushes After Hysterectomy: The Summer Struggle Is Real]]></title><description><![CDATA[Let’s talk about hot flushes , because if you’ve had a full hysterectomy and your ovaries removed, you probably know exactly what I mean....]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/hot-flushes-after-hysterectomy-the-summer-struggle-is-real</link><guid isPermaLink="false">686a947c36d58b89f7b5dcf0</guid><category><![CDATA[Tips & Lessons Learned]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2025 17:05:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_eb9a9cf2ac6d46e78a288c8172a7eda7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Tribute to the Nurse Who Helped Me Heal]]></title><description><![CDATA[I recently received heartbreaking news that one of the kindest, most compassionate people I’ve ever met-my nurse during a critical...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/a-tribute-to-the-nurse-who-helped-me-heal</link><guid isPermaLink="false">686641a4313711f211ec3794</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 10:21:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_9a1c04512ef6498e856a04311f97c282~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[My First Day of Chemotherapy: Walking Into the Unknown]]></title><description><![CDATA[Facing the Unknown When you hear the word "chemotherapy," your mind races. You think of the side effects, the IV bags, the exhaustion,...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/my-first-day-of-chemotherapy-walking-into-the-unknown</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6857012115867b0b911f4de6</guid><category><![CDATA[Treatment Journey]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2025 22:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_c928bef7bbb247e2aa3a7a83202ccb30~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Making the Choice: My Journey into Chemotherapy After Stage 2 Ovarian Cancer]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I first heard the words “ stage 2 ovarian cancer,” everything around me seemed to freeze. It was as if I stepped into a world I never imagined I’d be part of. The diagnosis brought a flood of emotions, fear, confusion, grief, but also this strange, flickering hope. I had questions I didn’t even know how to ask yet. After the biopsy confirmed that the cancer hadn’t spread, my doctor talked to me about next steps. That’s when the word “chemotherapy”  entered the conversation in a real,...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/making-the-choice-my-journey-into-chemotherapy-after-stage-2-ovarian-cancer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">685011bd0daa1dfa62f844b4</guid><category><![CDATA[Treatment Journey]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2025 13:48:20 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Second Opinion, a Life Changing Discovery ]]></title><description><![CDATA[(Continuation of my last blog dated 1st June 2025) After that hospital stay, I was sent home to recover. But my follow-up appointment...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/a-second-opinion-a-life-changing-discovery</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6853fac5c2b68b3576cf0aeb</guid><category><![CDATA[Diagnosis & Discovery]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 07 Jun 2025 22:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/217ca1d0ae8c4ae696caa30387872a4b.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Night Everything Changed: My Unexpected Ovarian Cyst and the Road Ahead]]></title><description><![CDATA[It all started with pain I couldn’t explain, an excruciating, searing kind of pain that woke me up at 2 a.m., two weeks ago, and brought...]]></description><link>https://lipstickandlight.wixsite.com/blog/post/the-night-everything-changed-my-unexpected-ovarian-cyst-and-the-road-ahead</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68502148355e04d3497600f4</guid><category><![CDATA[Diagnosis & Discovery]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 01 Jun 2025 14:10:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20ca26_b13533f544f743598a119fe2961a3c00~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yusnimah</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>