Cookies are now bagged and ready for cookie exchanges tomorrow and Friday. I put three of each in a self-sealing bag and attach a small note with cookie information.

cc @hcil-umd.bsky.social & @dmgreene.bsky.social

Update: I made two batches of each cookie, which made way more than I needed. To my colleagues' delight, I was still baking away during some meetings.
*Gochujang -- 10/10, amazing
*Peppermint Choc -- 9/10, great if you love brownies

And if you're curious about my cancer experience, I wrote a post about it last year for the five-year anniversary of my diagnosis.
jessicavitak.com/2024/12/04/f...

I implore you--especially those in their 40s who may not think they need screenings yet--to get regular check-ups and scans. Your body and your health are the most important thing you can take care of! Don't put off seeing a doctor when something changes or a new symptom appears.

When I had my lumpectomy, they also removed five lymph nodes, and my surgeon told me at least one of them was bright blue--something she hadn't seen before. I'd gotten a half sleeve on that arm three months earlier.

"He's the Pepsi fan of the game til he gets thrown out."

So I encourage women experiencing symptoms to do some research and talk to their doctors about HRT if they're interested in pursuing this treatment. And everyone, cut us 40/50-somethings some slack. Our bodies really are not being nice to us.

Peri-menopause symptoms generally start in people's 30s/40s and are quite unpleasant for many. You've probably heard about hot flashes, but night sweats, mood changes, sleep disturbances, cognitive changes like brain fog, weight gain, vaginal dryness and joint/muscle pain are also common.

Women's health has long been neglected and women's symptoms long ignored/minimized, so this is extremely good news for women, especially considering every person with a uterus who lives long enough will experience menopause.

I cannot take HRT because my breast cancer was hormone positive for estrogen and progesterone (the two main hormones used in HRT), but I have heard many positive things from other women taking it, with a significant increase in quality of life.