Frosting For The Cause- Cinnabon Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Glaze

I came across Frosting for the Cause on Twitter and as soon as I read about Paula's mission. I knew I wanted to be involved. For much of my life, I have been lucky enough not to have had a close brush with cancer. None of my close friends or close family had been affected. My grandmother passed away from breast cancer before I was born but that's as close as it got.

I lived a carefree and happy life until on my 27th birthday, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I'm a very private person and this is the first time I'm opening up about my fight with cancer. Many of my closest friends don't know I had it!  And what a shock that it was to hear those words- 'I'm sorry- the results are in and it's Hodgkin's Lymphoma.''

No 27 year old would ever think that they would get affected by this horrible disease and no 27 year old should have to hear those words. I had just had a baby and believe it or not, my first reaction was- I'm going to lose my beautiful long hair! 

I had chemotherapy for four months (and yes, I did lose most of my hair!) and radiation for one month. I'm happy to say I've been in remission for over a year. My purpose for writing this post is to tell you that YOU need to be vigilant and be your own advocate. Check your body for lumps regularly and if you suspect anything, then get it checked out. NOW.

I was lucky enough that I was diagnosed at an early stage. The earlier you go, the better your prognosis. And be positive, have hope. Paula put it best in her first post for Frosting For A Cause that cancer patients are draped in a pashmina of hope, right from the time they initially find a lump to ...... forever. Hope helped me overcome my fear- my fear of what chemo would be like, my fear of pain and needles, my fear of losing my hair. Hope made me stronger- stronger physically knowing that the pain would end at some point, mentally stronger and more positive so I could beat cancer. Hope made me look forward to the next day-  plan my baby's first birthday, celebrate my tenth wedding anniversary, make sure I was cured so I could attend my sister's wedding. Hope brought my family together and I live in hope that this was my last encounter with cancer. And I'm sure we all collectively hope that a cure for cancer is found soon. 

It was because of my brush with cancer that I started this blog and took a keen interest in photography. I needed a distraction and now it's become a passion. For that, I will forever be grateful. Today, I'm going to share with you a recipe for Cinnabon Cupcakes with a Cream Cheese Glaze. If you like the classic cinnabon rolls, you will love these cupcakes. The cake itself is super moist with a tender crumb and the frosting is basically a clone of the original in my opinion. I have made the frosting slightly runny so it is more like a glaze that you get at Cinnabon, but you can always just use your favourite cream cheese frosting that will stand up to piping.  

You can catch the recipe here. And now onto the the giveaway winner, Random.org picked comment # 33 as the winner. Please email me on lickmyspoon247@gmail.com to claim your prize as your comment or profile does not have your email address. You have until Monday 21st February to do so. Otherwise, another winner will be picked.