tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77573873886081379302024-03-06T15:05:18.512-05:00The Big C and MeHealing and dealing with life after a breast cancer diagnosis.Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-72530940630896430392017-12-31T19:09:00.003-05:002017-12-31T19:09:46.779-05:00SAYONARA, 2017!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYRyBYXsgtbi47fDArAcZMDi1EgqHbVP1YcHKEqTiURJ41VWi__fE_mMnmoBbe5-_6ZklCPwEKO2IqcmbK-dE7WfDtuaamIWCIVPK_6l-rMtzifhmnCRt8V9FGL_PwGkaLirR4_gPAXo/s1600/Sayonara+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1247" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYRyBYXsgtbi47fDArAcZMDi1EgqHbVP1YcHKEqTiURJ41VWi__fE_mMnmoBbe5-_6ZklCPwEKO2IqcmbK-dE7WfDtuaamIWCIVPK_6l-rMtzifhmnCRt8V9FGL_PwGkaLirR4_gPAXo/s320/Sayonara+2017.jpg" title="black_and_whie_child_with_hands_clenched_in_air_silhouette" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Copyright The Big C and Me 2017)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I apologize for not blogging at all in 2017. Yikers! I promise to catch you up soon, and am sneaking in this brief post before the clock strikes Midnight.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's hoping 2018 is kinder than 2017 seems to have been for so many of us. I am ready to take on a brighter new year. How about you? Wherever you are, I wish you peace, warmth, love, and the knowledge that you are not alone. Stay strong! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So so long, 2017. A Happy New Year to all.</span><br />
<br />Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-22411490456451159472016-12-31T14:58:00.002-05:002017-01-07T15:01:39.688-05:005 YEARS AND COUNTING<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjvQpaD4rFpAGuNGVNgiQspgWNTTc7j1KevgjoOQWf5wdfJOut8_VuNtvU7dLzEQCd8nDX4DeTNtcO8JBzWxzAr13E3hE7DMGbRVfmCWx6ujKNSK7xhxBdw6KTBsblFPHGZ6rXE9Z700/s1600/goodbye+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjvQpaD4rFpAGuNGVNgiQspgWNTTc7j1KevgjoOQWf5wdfJOut8_VuNtvU7dLzEQCd8nDX4DeTNtcO8JBzWxzAr13E3hE7DMGbRVfmCWx6ujKNSK7xhxBdw6KTBsblFPHGZ6rXE9Z700/s200/goodbye+2016.jpg" title="goodbye_2016_red_berry_green_leaf_on_wet_concrete_pavement" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo © TheBigCandMe)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been a good long while since I've updated this blog</span></b> (as you may have noticed!), and while I think about writing often, it never seems to happen. Today, faced with a new year, I have mere hours left to post an update. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">T</span>his will be my last post in 2016<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And also </span></span>my first. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I </span>guess I didn't write much in 2016<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">!</span> </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That doesn't mean nothing happened this year. Quite the contrary. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Plenty of good happened (and a bit of bad, too). </span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The short of it is,</span> my health is good (knock on wood!), <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">but</span> my mind is distracted<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span> I seem to have run out of time to write about it all. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Much of the </span></b></span><b>free time that I used to devote to cancer-related
activities has been replaced with camera-related activities. </b></span>And that is
a welcome and grateful reprieve!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>I</span> have been <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">busy photographing my dog Corrie for her Instagram page<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> — </span></span>yes, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">she has her own IG account, with far more followers than <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">me! <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can f</span>ind her </span>at </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/catchingupwithcorrie/"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">@catchingupwithcorrie</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span>I've <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">also been <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">traveling and chasing the view </span>for my own <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Instagram</span></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">account <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/chasing_the_view/">@chasing_the_view</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also </span></span>try to keep u<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">p</span> with my fellow <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">blogging buddies</span>, but in that regard<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> I have <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">fallen</span> w</span>oefully behind<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span> I haven't participated in the <b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://bcsm.org/">#BCSM</a></span></b> Twitter chat in months<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">keep</span> a running list of my fav cancer bloggers under the headline "RENN'S BIG C BLOGGING PALS"<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">on the right side of my blog page. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Recently I </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">combed through <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the</span> list <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">sadly <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">had to move</span></span> more bloggers <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">over to</span></span></span></span> the "IN MEMORIUM<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">" </span>heading<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. This happens.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">E</span></span>very. Single. Year.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Please remember</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.moodycountyenterprise.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=74&story_id=6815">Dee Sutter</a></b></span>,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://bcsm.org/good-night-jody/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Jody Schoger</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, </span><b style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?pid=182444297">Joyce Croker</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">,</span> <b style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sherrifillipo.com/2016/04/13/sherri-fillipo-obituary/">Sherri </a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sherrifillipo.com/2016/04/13/sherri-fillipo-obituary/">Fillipo</a></span></b>, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/12/01/maria-fowler-dies-after-breast-cancer-fight/76625692/">Maria Fowler</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, <b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/cincinnati/obituary.aspx?pid=176353847">Tami Boehmer</a></span></b>. And too many others.</span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also </span>had <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">an </span>anniversary <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">this year</span>. (Notice I didn't say I <i>celebrated</i> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">an</span></span> anniversary<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span> I merely noticed one.) <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I hit <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">my</span> five-year <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">anniversary post-can<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">c</span>er. My <i>c</i></span><i>ancerversary</i>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">SO W</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">HAT'S A CANCERVERSARY?</span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The crux of all the celebrating that surrounds these "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/fashion/Cancer-Survivors-five-year-Celebration-Day-known-as-cancerversary.html?_r=0">cancerversaries</a>" is that we're happy to be alive after a cancer diagnosis. And we mark that time by counting the years post-diagnosis. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This makes some people want to throw a party; others (like me) want to just <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">curl up by </span>the fire and forget the whole damn thing ever happened. (As if that were possible.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A Cancerversary is marked at various times by <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">each</span> individual. Some people denote the date they first learned they had cancer (aka <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marika-holmgren/its-my-cancerversary-and_b_444846.html">diagnosis date</a>), while others mark their <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">surgery</span> date. Some people <a href="http://yourcenter.uvacancercenter.com/celebrating-cancer-remission-cancerversary/">mark the milestone</a> in meaningful ways; others choose to <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ignore</span> it completely. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Like many others, I have mixed <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">emotions</span> about celebrating the day I learned I had cancer. (In my case, <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/04/joining-cancer-club.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>December 8th</b></span>.)</a> I
don't feel like giving props to a moment that so drastically altered my
life. (And yes, I was one of the unlucky ones whose doctor called <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">them</span> over the phone to tell them the news.) </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I do<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span>make note of <b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/07/surgery-daze.html">February 3rd</a></span></b> each year, though, because that is the day I got the cancer <i>out</i>. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Though along with the cancer went my breasts. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Again, not something I want to celebrate. But if I had to choose a cancerversary, that would be the one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUq9NXAEdPNA1oMvUAvIR2xoBLgnTOEJMeQKjDZhmxvROAziOiMzCm0X6ebmLAZXz6DrRhyphenhyphensTwJRHqYcYdTPLlJ5XKcsZyt7Y-gdrUOfrcXKeL9iDWAeCDhWKVerGtMn9FwJUksfEFwU/s1600/BC+survival+stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUq9NXAEdPNA1oMvUAvIR2xoBLgnTOEJMeQKjDZhmxvROAziOiMzCm0X6ebmLAZXz6DrRhyphenhyphensTwJRHqYcYdTPLlJ5XKcsZyt7Y-gdrUOfrcXKeL9iDWAeCDhWKVerGtMn9FwJUksfEFwU/s320/BC+survival+stats.jpg" title="breast_cancer_survival_stats_per_american_cancer_society" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy American Cancer Society)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">THE COLD, HARD STATS</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">W</span>ho lives and who doesn't post-cancer is a question for the ages<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span>is anybody's guess. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All we have are averages. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At right is a chart from the </span><a href="http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-survival-by-stage" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">American Cancer Society</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> showing the <i>average</i> stats for breast cancer patients based on their stage and type of breast cancer at the time of diagnosis. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer, and according to the chart </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I had a 93% chance of <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">being alive</span> five years after my diagnosis date. (<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Looking at it this way, I <i>do</i> have something to celebrate.) But I also had a 7% chance of not being alive at my five-year anniversary.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">With some types of cancer, the longer you go disease-free, the better your odds of remaining that way. Not so with breast cancer, which can recur at any time</span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's important to remember that the percentages listed in this chart are just </span><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">averages</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Some people diagnosed at Stage 0, 1, 2 or 3 will die before five years have been reached because their cancer will have metastasized (i.e., spread to other parts of the bo</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">d</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">y), while others who are diagnosed at Stage 4 defy </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">odds and live many years — 5, 10, 20+ years. It's a complex, complicated enigma, this cancer game. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">SO WHO IS NED?</span></span></b></div>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M</span>any factors are at play when it comes to cancer, and it is impossible to predict exactly what will happen to any individual patient. We all hope to live a full life post-diagnosis, and the five-year mark is a magical carrot that we aim for from the moment we begin treatment. But despite what you read or hear that certain types of cancer are curable, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">this isn't exactly true. <b>T</b></span></span><b style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">here is no cure for cancer. </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There is only No Evidence of Disease (NED). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">NED and I </span>have been dancing together now for <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">almost </span>six years, and I would like our relationship to continue!<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">HAPPY NEW YEAR</span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And on that no<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">te, I wish you a very happy <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">N</span>ew <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Y</span>ear, and strength to meet whatever it may bring. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I appreciate you still stopping by to read these words, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">however </span>infrequent<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span> And I promise to blog more in 2017,<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to </span>talk about hormonal therapy, the Breast Cancer Index <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">test,<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> compartmentaliz<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ing</span> </span>cancer and so much more that I have learned over these past six years. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Wishing you peace and love and warmth in <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">this</span> season <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of mixed emotions</span>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></div>
Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-37766287889841579732015-11-18T16:45:00.001-05:002017-01-07T15:09:03.416-05:00THOUGHT FOR THE DAY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTUIDERDrDgJ4XHquO6SB2YjEbMMgJUdHHpS40sPDJiAICYkZ2YId-QIgDyIF_ZXHX8NkpKmKY4d0I85TRwIObxLK1EWJkLLVG1HLiUMyeTdzrbMzOKqqE2hhiYBuRseN47aC9CxFlDA/s1600/Butterfly-2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTUIDERDrDgJ4XHquO6SB2YjEbMMgJUdHHpS40sPDJiAICYkZ2YId-QIgDyIF_ZXHX8NkpKmKY4d0I85TRwIObxLK1EWJkLLVG1HLiUMyeTdzrbMzOKqqE2hhiYBuRseN47aC9CxFlDA/s400/Butterfly-2+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Related posts:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/08/courage.html"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Courage</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/08/credo-of-cancer.html"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Cancer Credo</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-poets-cancer.html"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A Poetic Cancer</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/04/acrostic-breast-cancer-day-13.html"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Acrostic Breast Cancer</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/03/to-suffer-and-be-strong.html"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">To Suffer and Be Strong? Sublime!</span></a>Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-77726008797739911912015-10-20T00:41:00.000-04:002017-01-07T15:10:05.031-05:00THERE IS NO CURE FOR CANCER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqUv8Q6V6HAw0hGp2jkXl-6CeQudhp6WTru1mC1Qs-XKn-wjcv3VrOfS5W2ZEotfGPGwJvrFoDu61DJCUOk_eQIBCpPoazRD563RaAv2_shb5J9beNyb35gxfpi_odYT3r0_EjnP8NT0/s1600/Stop+buying+pink..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqUv8Q6V6HAw0hGp2jkXl-6CeQudhp6WTru1mC1Qs-XKn-wjcv3VrOfS5W2ZEotfGPGwJvrFoDu61DJCUOk_eQIBCpPoazRD563RaAv2_shb5J9beNyb35gxfpi_odYT3r0_EjnP8NT0/s320/Stop+buying+pink..jpg" title="stop-buying-pink-donate-directly_instead_breast_cancer_blog_quote_free_breast_cancer_meme_stop_buying_pink" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've been writing about Pinktober since I started this blog in 2011. See 2011's <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/10/hunt-for-pink-october.html">The Hunt for Pink October</a>, 2012's <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/10/six-word-memoir-pinktober.html">Six-Word Memoir</a>, 2013's <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/09/pinktober-preparedness.html">Pinktober Preparedness</a>, 2014's <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/10/stop-sugarcoating-cancer.html">Sugarcoating Cancer</a>. (For more about the Pinktober phenomenon, last October I compiled a list of posts written by my bloggy BC friends; click <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2014/10/opposing-pinktober-memes-and-more.html">here</a> for a good read to go with your coffee this morning.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This "Pinktober 2015," I'm writing about <b>Metastatic Breast Cancer. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last Tuesday, October 13, 2015, was <b>Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day</b>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PbJaIAvQ8mOFDDBhXgJdmEV4j98Haos1oWuFwpecWTTMLEK283a0UvgQYInz2X06MfzhM5ATZX-OFdRinI_joiRkZd1zY0zwdvknCKjNPXygkUEEk2Oap5Mt6ST4FecV7uJ_hvp7jvI/s1600/Leather+pinkwashing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PbJaIAvQ8mOFDDBhXgJdmEV4j98Haos1oWuFwpecWTTMLEK283a0UvgQYInz2X06MfzhM5ATZX-OFdRinI_joiRkZd1zY0zwdvknCKjNPXygkUEEk2Oap5Mt6ST4FecV7uJ_hvp7jvI/s320/Leather+pinkwashing.jpg" title="pinkwashing_Pinktober_free_meme" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Did you miss it? </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Exactly. There is but ONE day a year devoted to metastatic breast cancer. But an entire MONTH of October days devoted to breast cancer awareness. Shouldn't it be the opposite? <b>Shouldn't there be 30 days in October dedicated to metastatic breast cancer awareness</b>? Maybe the last day (Halloween) we could dress up in pink pumpkins and talk about "non-metastatic" breast cancer awareness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Seriously, we have to talk about these pink elephants in the room.</b></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let's say you are aware that you have breast cancer. How long will you live? No one knows, because:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There is no cure for cancer.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The medical community doesn't know who will and who won't become metastatic. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So let's review what Metastatic Breast Cancer is. </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When breast cancer spreads beyond the breast and takes up residence in a vital organ (your lungs or your liver, for example), it is still called breast cancer (</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">not</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> lung or liver cancer) but it is incurable once it spreads, or metastasizes. Try as we might, we can sometimes halt it's progression but not forever. That's because:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is no cure for cancer.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's a reality that in America in 2015, <a href="http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics"><b>more than 40,000 people will die of metastatic cancer</b></a>. (To understand the power of that number, check out <a href="http://metup.org/index.php/activism/"><b>METUP Dying for a Cure</b></a>.) All anyone diagnosed with <i>any</i> stage of breast cancer can hope for is a long courtship with NED (No Evidence of Disease). Why? Because:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is no cure for cancer. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yet we continue to open our wallets widely each October to buy pink merchandise that makes money for the person selling it (yes, yes, they also donate a bit of money to various charities, but that happens after you buy the product, which they are making money off of. Donating directly to <b><a href="http://mbcn.org/">research</a> makes the most sense.</b></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Until there <i>is</i> a cure for cancer,</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">there is only NED. So here are a few ways you can help.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>READ</b> <b>13 Facts About Metastatic Breast Cancer</b> (written by the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network), click <a href="http://mbcn.org/images/uploads/13_Facts_about_Metastatic_Breast_Cancer2014.pdf"><b>here</b></a>.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>FIND</b> help, insight and resources into living with <b>Metastatic Breast Cancer</b> (by Living Beyond Breast Cancer), click <b><a href="http://www.lbbc.org/node/1578">here</a></b>.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GET </b>involved<b> </b>by joining <a href="http://www.drsusanloveresearch.org/"><span style="color: black;"><b>Dr. Susan Love</b></span></a><b>'s</b><span style="color: #073763;"><a href="http://www.armyofwomen.org/"><b> Army of Women</b></a>,</span> which taps the people of the world to assist in the research itself. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><i><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"</span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You should sign up for your sister, mother, daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and the woman you met last week. We can be the generation that stops breast cancer once and for all by figuring out what causes this disease and how to prevent it!" —Army of Wome</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">n</span></span></b></i></span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dr. Love has also created the <a href="https://healthofwomenstudy.org/"><b>Health of Women (HOW) study</b></a>, which is really easy to participate in. <b>It's all-inclusive — meaning anyone, anywhere in the world, man or woman, can take part in this <i>totally online</i> study It doesn't matter if you have cancer, or never had it.</b> In HOW's words:</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>"The HOW study is a first-of-its-kind international online study for women and men with and without a history of breast cancer. We will collect information about your health, your job, your diet, and your family history that can help us get a better understanding of breast cancer and its potential causes."</i></b></span></span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To learn more about <b>The Army of Women</b>, click <b><a href="http://www.armyofwomen.org/"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>.</b> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To <b><span style="font-weight: normal;">learn more about </span>HOW</b>, click <span style="color: blue;"><b><a href="https://healthofwomenstudy.org/">here</a></b></span>. </span></li>
</ul>
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Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-88548308711080680762015-08-30T17:12:00.002-04:002017-01-07T16:01:54.592-05:00STUPID THINGS PEOPLE SAY TO CANCER PATIENTS<span style="color: #444444;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nancy</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> over at </span><a href="http://nancyspoint.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nancy's Point</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> recently </span><a href="http://nancyspoint.com/lets-stop-telling-cancer-patients-how-to-feel/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">blogged</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> about a phenomenon that many of us have to deal with post cancer: </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">people saying stupid stuff to us.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As Nancy points out, "There are way too many people telling patients how to feel, how to act, how to do cancer and yes, how to do survivor-ship." True, dat.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmEUYBdiwju8YkpWHbHu4CAzvAwyCl4mv40MBPLQqRuZxWoV2Didsflc4orWNQSGS2xTcSjcfnrj10WBV0SMjBRJdgGsKMFsXTN6eqiqS-FYTy_I0xIZ961god1e_DUhAh-2dwFoaRbw/s1600/man+in+the+mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmEUYBdiwju8YkpWHbHu4CAzvAwyCl4mv40MBPLQqRuZxWoV2Didsflc4orWNQSGS2xTcSjcfnrj10WBV0SMjBRJdgGsKMFsXTN6eqiqS-FYTy_I0xIZ961god1e_DUhAh-2dwFoaRbw/s200/man+in+the+mirror.jpg" title="man_holding_mirror_looking_at_himself_hiding_his_face" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 12px;">(Copyright 2015 TheBigCandMe)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And dat got me thinking. (</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Play along with me here.)</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmEUYBdiwju8YkpWHbHu4CAzvAwyCl4mv40MBPLQqRuZxWoV2Didsflc4orWNQSGS2xTcSjcfnrj10WBV0SMjBRJdgGsKMFsXTN6eqiqS-FYTy_I0xIZ961god1e_DUhAh-2dwFoaRbw/s1600/man+in+the+mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"></span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">See if you can recall something someone said to you during (or after) your cancer treatment. A comment that struck a negative chord inside you. Maybe it was something like, "You'll feel stronger soon, and then you'll be able to put this whole event behind you." Or "You'll be back to normal in no time." <i>Or maybe they said nothing at all. </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now imagine holding up a mirror and asking that person to repeat their words (or lack thereof) to themselves in the mirror.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Suddenly it becomes clear: </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">People are talking to </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">themselves</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> when they say stupid things to us! </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They are subconsciously trying to calm <i>their</i> inner turmoil and anxiety — not ours.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">People who give advice to cancer patients are really just saying the words <i>they</i> want to hear. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Words they </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">need</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to hear. No matter how awkwardly they may (or may not) say it, what they really <i>mean</i> is: </span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Please go back to normal so that I can go back to normal! </span></i></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You and me both. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Except normal doesn't live here any more. (</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That's another blog post for another time; I'm working on it.)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So here's what I think is actually going on. When someone tells you (and someone </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">will</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> tell you, if they haven't yet) to find your "new normal," they're trying to convince themselves that everything is going to return to normal. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In telling <i>you</i> to get back to normal, they're giving <i>themselves</i> permission to do so as well. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's like a game of opposites — t</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hey say it to us, but they really mean it for them. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This alleviates their guilt about putting our cancer experience behind them. I get it. They have to emotionally compartmentalize our cancer in order to move on with their life. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #444444;">Oh were it only that easy for us. </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Wait. Maybe it can be — a little bit, anyway. (Again, play along with me here.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You see, the flip side of the game of opposites is the game of </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">positives</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">These are the upbeat and intentionally warm and fuzzy comments people make </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">during (and after) our cancer treatment that </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">make us feel comforted and loved. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Comments like, "</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I love you no matter what you look like" o</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">r "</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Y</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ou are such an inspiration to me"</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> o</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">r "We'll get through this together</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">."</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">These comments feel <strike>good</strike> <i>great</i>. They nourish us when we are at our weakest, and</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> are vital to our well-being — and our recovery.( I'm not talking about the Pollyanna comments we all also hear; that's fodder for another blog post.) </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgqiJRR01mthE4OQ6RvrFQfdUJ5_HKnIfpIifWWCQtolyDTxwcPzLjKcExw8p6GCrcMNXhWAP7E22usejAlc-Asufa6Jpw0eHaq5ZGMm_4NfC8xhnRdjqMpe2V0EsbP3QqTwbDrBOhD0/s1600/Girl+in+the+mirra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgqiJRR01mthE4OQ6RvrFQfdUJ5_HKnIfpIifWWCQtolyDTxwcPzLjKcExw8p6GCrcMNXhWAP7E22usejAlc-Asufa6Jpw0eHaq5ZGMm_4NfC8xhnRdjqMpe2V0EsbP3QqTwbDrBOhD0/s320/Girl+in+the+mirra.jpg" title="woman_or_girl_reflection_in_mirror_talking_to_herself_in_mirror" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 12px;">(Copyright 2015 TheBigCandMe)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm talking about the comments that <i>truly</i> make us feel good. What if we only hear those once in a blue moon? </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What if we never hear them at all? </b><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What then?</span></i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgqiJRR01mthE4OQ6RvrFQfdUJ5_HKnIfpIifWWCQtolyDTxwcPzLjKcExw8p6GCrcMNXhWAP7E22usejAlc-Asufa6Jpw0eHaq5ZGMm_4NfC8xhnRdjqMpe2V0EsbP3QqTwbDrBOhD0/s1600/Girl+in+the+mirra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"></span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've got a trick. Try standing in front of a mirror and telling yourself the very words you most wish someone would say to you. The words you really, <i>really</i> need to hear.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"We'll get through this together" sounds lovely coming from a friend or loved one, but when spoken by you, to you? </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are </b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">absolutely, positively </b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">powerful.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Try it and see what I mean.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Related posts: </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/11/kvetching-correctly.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kvetching Correctly</a><b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </b></li>
<li><i style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/04/its-not-my-fault-i-got-cancer.html">It's Not My Fault I Got Cancer</a></i></li>
<li><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/04/our-lady-with-cancer.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our Lady With Cancer</a></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-81513660874297859222015-07-13T01:15:00.002-04:002017-01-07T15:12:42.135-05:0015 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3iGVlIMkpeR7XukqqxP_1cFVNwm1wMWb9BGc0kxhdQrbTtjlY8V9wvYQUKssDKaTvSonyTQbb79NrO4tDWL2MN3RdruIwmrdcg_1cZ0MzR9hx9WN2WxdhYZ49Uj5YMmzCurCbXHKyAg/s1600/15+random+facts+about+Renn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3iGVlIMkpeR7XukqqxP_1cFVNwm1wMWb9BGc0kxhdQrbTtjlY8V9wvYQUKssDKaTvSonyTQbb79NrO4tDWL2MN3RdruIwmrdcg_1cZ0MzR9hx9WN2WxdhYZ49Uj5YMmzCurCbXHKyAg/s200/15+random+facts+about+Renn.jpg" title="15_random_facts_about_Renn" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Copyright 2015 TheBigCandMe.blogspot.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thanks to <a href="http://nancyspoint.com/15-random-facts-a-blogging-challenge-too/"><b>Nancy's Point</b></a>, I'm tossing my sun visor into the "15 Random Facts About Me" ring. It's been too long since I've blogged, and this is exactly the push I needed. (Thanks, Nancy!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Without further procrastination, here are </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">15 random facts you probably didn't know about me</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">...</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">1. I was attacked by a German Shepherd as a kid. It took me 35 years to get over my fear of dogs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2. My husband had two dogs when we met. They enabled me to get over #1.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">3. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm currently hooked on<b> </b></span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856010/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>House of Cards</b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf1HuPRZtm8QOwZcO04OXqkG24ATQIqGPpijRokVI5cgIWIolRFeu6V0lJBZ7oI7uRYfXnCNfbJq28e6nI-K42cxN3M1qhQXiG0EXD6PxTyV7HU9GCUuLkhykpzgRVvmkoO8TYJL4pFw/s1600/HOC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf1HuPRZtm8QOwZcO04OXqkG24ATQIqGPpijRokVI5cgIWIolRFeu6V0lJBZ7oI7uRYfXnCNfbJq28e6nI-K42cxN3M1qhQXiG0EXD6PxTyV7HU9GCUuLkhykpzgRVvmkoO8TYJL4pFw/s200/HOC.jpg" title="Copyright_Netflix" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">4. I only read nonfiction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">5. When I travel, I buy household items rather than souvenirs — like ladles in Switzerland, a lemon reamer made from walnut wood in Sonoma, a coffee mug from the original Starbuck's in Seattle.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVo-6BMimnKO20bcpjFiB6lsTIoG9s6VRgTEOwzWC7UzyHezwkemDZGlve9ddhWm01YOpyFP26mGGQJYJgXroxZKyZpcg-Ja2EWxGoho6VmNMcVihq54JCcINnY2utP1TQdKHhFtbAo0/s1600/Ladles3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVo-6BMimnKO20bcpjFiB6lsTIoG9s6VRgTEOwzWC7UzyHezwkemDZGlve9ddhWm01YOpyFP26mGGQJYJgXroxZKyZpcg-Ja2EWxGoho6VmNMcVihq54JCcINnY2utP1TQdKHhFtbAo0/s200/Ladles3.jpg" title="silver_stainless_steel_ladles" width="146" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">6. Random Pet Peeve: I can't stand it when the waiter comes to the table with the food and doesn't remember who ordered what.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">7. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I love <i>all</i> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">weather. Especially a cold and cloudy day. Makes me want to cook. (See #8.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">8. I've been baking since I was a child. It's not Christmas (my favorite holiday; s</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ee #9</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">) until the house smells like </span><a href="http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-cookie-contest-rec2-20101216-story.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Peppermint Pinwheels</b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">9. I listen to Christmas music all year round. The only CDs you'll find in my car? Christmas classics. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaf0Fz10EEYS_zybzRLiDsRUBl0oLe9Yw-Khq2Xh4DqpoDqtvcuZ2lpK8tuyCYVrnvIXJOxe86pZ_ZuQRaXb2fWgkmRB2F6P_eBtNtWi8VOKAlEBHQlz3UO6uXWZil62q30gZ5AdbKb_o/s1600/1940s+Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaf0Fz10EEYS_zybzRLiDsRUBl0oLe9Yw-Khq2Xh4DqpoDqtvcuZ2lpK8tuyCYVrnvIXJOxe86pZ_ZuQRaXb2fWgkmRB2F6P_eBtNtWi8VOKAlEBHQlz3UO6uXWZil62q30gZ5AdbKb_o/s200/1940s+Christmas.jpg" title="1940s_Christmas_holiday_music_CD" width="196" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">10. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I collect wind chimes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">11. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm not a fan of public speaking. In fact, I freeze like a popsicle at the podium.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">12. In contrast to (or perhaps in spite of) #11, I was in summer stock theater, and later became a member of an improv troupe. Go figure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">13. I'm allergic to eggplant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">14. I dislike all sports, except baseball.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">15. I photograph headstones in cemeteries and </span><a href="http://www.findagrave.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>transcribe</b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> them. For fun.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VwjsFKRrXL3tjB069okAkohvtjq7jQVQFKE1oJjnjKfPb1pJUOsjJnTku5gbqDrafW4b5sDcDUJUJjM-5LjkAiprR_P2PmTnfghtixot0rcKw1nwupbfZFWSIWY-StAy07OM91O6lBA/s1600/Headstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VwjsFKRrXL3tjB069okAkohvtjq7jQVQFKE1oJjnjKfPb1pJUOsjJnTku5gbqDrafW4b5sDcDUJUJjM-5LjkAiprR_P2PmTnfghtixot0rcKw1nwupbfZFWSIWY-StAy07OM91O6lBA/s200/Headstone.jpg" title="headstone_with_flowers_at_grave_site_cemetery" width="142" /></a><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Feel free to join in on the "15 Random Facts" challenge!</b></span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-77761273230377051822015-05-07T18:50:00.005-04:002017-01-07T15:13:17.981-05:00MOTHER'S DAY: IT'S COMPLICATED<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNybvHvy9oIijICQF34Kq9eXRLiyD3JVEpyMRXvcmRXhHmWoRaj7UYdfUugayouwwwlQq-aA59Q8AJ3F-vq85AooCq_MYNNPAsTOWoFGyC4a0b6QC0pNaoB5iK2lLV0KAnxfs9ely6lg/s1600/buzzfeed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNybvHvy9oIijICQF34Kq9eXRLiyD3JVEpyMRXvcmRXhHmWoRaj7UYdfUugayouwwwlQq-aA59Q8AJ3F-vq85AooCq_MYNNPAsTOWoFGyC4a0b6QC0pNaoB5iK2lLV0KAnxfs9ely6lg/s200/buzzfeed.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I wanted to share a beautiful, personal and poignant essay that my friend <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/kimsacosta"><b>Kim</b></a> wrote about the many complications of motherhood. It's entitled </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>"<a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/kimsacosta/my-mother-mother-in-law-and-me-a-love-triangle">My Mother, Mother-In-Law, and Me: A Love Triangle</a>"</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and WOW, what a great read. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's featured on </span><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Buzzfeed</b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> today...</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But I don't want to give the story away by excerpting even one sentence. So I'll let you </span><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/kimsacosta/my-mother-mother-in-law-and-me-a-love-triangle"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">read it on your own</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Have a tissue ready!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Happy Mother's Day.</span><br />
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<br />Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-32472055595210778702015-04-04T15:44:00.004-04:002017-01-07T15:13:48.780-05:00ARE YOU A BC BLOG READER?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0woGmqukBFlbNTe36JpzpMD0YL-jXE2SucB7PVZLmltbuyuxBvfL2Flke1uB4sntbxWD9yPAeOzBCfuhZ3-h1wr0CFVgzOzNn1OEDWiMce2q365UybXmgQvb445703e-qALuTxNhG3j4/s1600/calling+all+blog+readers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0woGmqukBFlbNTe36JpzpMD0YL-jXE2SucB7PVZLmltbuyuxBvfL2Flke1uB4sntbxWD9yPAeOzBCfuhZ3-h1wr0CFVgzOzNn1OEDWiMce2q365UybXmgQvb445703e-qALuTxNhG3j4/s1600/calling+all+blog+readers.jpg" title="calling_all_blog_readers_embroidery_breast_cancer_blogger" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Do you find breast cancer blogs helpful? If so, please consider taking a brief survey by fellow breast cancer blogger </span><a href="http://rjh.goingeast.ca/about/"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rebecca Hogue</span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rebecca blogs over at </span><a href="http://bcbecky.com/"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">BC Becky</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and she is studying the impact that BC blogs have on breast cancer patients, their caregivers, their friends, and their family members. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you or a loved one has had breast cancer...</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and you read a breast cancer blog, this survey is for you. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It takes just five minutes to complete. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The link to the survey is <a href="http://fluidsurveys.com/s/blogimpact/"><span style="color: blue;">HERE</span></a>.</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thanks for participating!</span><br />
<br />Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-28350285383923819162015-03-07T02:12:00.000-05:002017-01-07T15:54:15.782-05:00PHOENIX, RISING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://lisabadams.com/2015/03/07/in-memorium/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Lisa Bonchek Adams</b></span></a> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">was like a phoenix, rising.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOYrV3jiPye8bYxKz2mPJN54_QigHcQXeQSE5XVFW5vU6d4KowlEgLeXd6uzzKQTJjbg8j_Fzui9TrvcNg80r28NDgfGWYpD09FVWqQzLtH4ZD4dvnSBitwQOiqPCshcUcai70Dh58MU/s1600/Lisa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOYrV3jiPye8bYxKz2mPJN54_QigHcQXeQSE5XVFW5vU6d4KowlEgLeXd6uzzKQTJjbg8j_Fzui9TrvcNg80r28NDgfGWYpD09FVWqQzLtH4ZD4dvnSBitwQOiqPCshcUcai70Dh58MU/s1600/Lisa.jpg" title="Copyright_Lisa_Bonchek_Adams_breast_cancer_blogger" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: xx-small;">(Copyright Lisa Bonchek Adams)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She was a beacon of honesty. The transparency in her <a href="http://lisabadams.com/blog/"><b>blogging</b></a> was unsurpassed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She wrote in great detail about her life with metastatic breast cancer — the good, the bad, the ugly. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She wanted — </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">needed</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> — to tell it like it really is. </span><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like it really was</span></b><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Like she really </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2014/11/14/days-dont/">felt</a>.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She didn't sugar-coat s#@%. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She wrote bluntly, </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2013/12/29/update-12292013/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">bravely</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, beautifully...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She wrote with </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2014/08/22/little-words/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>grace</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/tag/whole-brain-radiation/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">grit</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, and </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2013/06/26/the-changing-nature-of-the-parentchild-relationship-when-an-adult-child-is-diagnosed-with-cancer/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">clarity</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She wrote through her darkest hours, and her lightest days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She wrote, and she wrote, and then she </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2014/10/17/will-forever-re-post/">wrote</a> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">some more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She wrote with extraordinary </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2013/10/07/cacophonous-roar/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>insight</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2014/07/09/summer-camp-update-792014/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>foresight</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She wrote to dispel </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2014/10/22/things-tied-pink-ribbon-breast-cancer-done/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the myth of the pink ribbon</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2014/01/inside-kellergate.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">ruffled a few feathers</a>.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She wrote so we might know the life she <i>really</i> lived. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And tonight, she is gone, at the age of 45...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No more writing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No more words.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">EDITED TO ADD: </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So much has been written about Lisa since her passing. </span><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/lisa-bonchek-adams-tweet-memory?intcid=mod-latest"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> is a good example.</span>Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-68755042441265395752015-02-12T15:03:00.000-05:002017-01-07T15:20:00.080-05:00CAN YOU KEEP YOUR HAIR DURING CHEMO?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7D4pxQu8rnIRB7DfnpzEX36SyjORmAltcmOoyC2wx0yAAj9hqOGJjbllbrdm3MFBqjyvoY4QbwNIOu3dJGMI1-22_qJKAUiXrFzYZZ7ePIhYyIvHOgRtq5LDG2DuvANZCOLH_34HF_Uw/s1600/Pretty+Hair+curls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7D4pxQu8rnIRB7DfnpzEX36SyjORmAltcmOoyC2wx0yAAj9hqOGJjbllbrdm3MFBqjyvoY4QbwNIOu3dJGMI1-22_qJKAUiXrFzYZZ7ePIhYyIvHOgRtq5LDG2DuvANZCOLH_34HF_Uw/s1600/Pretty+Hair+curls.jpg" title="long_curly_brown_hair_with_blond_highlights" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Copyright 2015 TheBigCandMe)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm woefully behind in blogging. Six weeks into 2015 — and this is my first post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm jumping in today to talk about a topic I have absolutely no experience with: </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: red;">Hair loss during chemo. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Though I didn't have chemo, I feel the need to become knowledgable about a certain aspect of it. M</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">y good friend R. was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last week. She is still reeling from the diagnosis, still recovering from the (very) invasive surgery, still bereft about the thought of losing her cascading hair.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I did some research on Cold Caps...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>For the uninitiated, </b></span><a href="http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/hair_skin_nails/cold-caps"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Cold Caps</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> are specially designed, tight-fitting caps containing gel or silicon chilled to minus 22 degrees Farenheit. The caps are worn by chemotherapy patients while they are in the chair receiving their chemo infusions. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The premise? The icy cold reduces blood flow to the scalp — which in turn keeps the chemo from infiltrating the hair follicles and causing hair loss. The down side? Chemo is not reaching the hair follicles, which are awfully close to the brain — and for some oncologists or hospitals, that is too close for comfort. So they are not on board with the usage of Cold Caps.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That being said, thousands of women around the world have had success, including my Chicago-based friend Maria (also one of my </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/01/rubies.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Rubies</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and a fellow </span><a href="http://breastcancerwontdefineme.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>breast cancer blogger</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">). Maria used </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://penguincoldcaps.com/">Penguin Cold Caps</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">during her chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer several years ago, and she kept her long and lovely brown hair. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>It isn't without effort, but it is worth the effort.</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Last week, after I learned of my friend R.'s cancer diagnosis, I turned to the web to comb through what studies and articles I could find about Cold Caps. Specifically, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I was looking for </b><b>ovarian cancer patients </b><b>who had used them. </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What I discovered was that they are most often used by <i>breast cancer patients</i>.<i> </i>I wondered why this was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My friend Maria knows a couple of ovarian cancer patients who used Cold Caps successfully — turns out </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">they received the exact same chemotherapy as she did for breast cancer. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So why are Cold Caps more popular among breast cancer chemotherapy patients?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Cold caps are still considered risky and have yet to receive FDA approval here in the states. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They are commonly used by cancer patients in Europe;</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.dignicap.com/scalp-cooling/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">DigniCap</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">is one popular cold cap brand there that has recently</span><a href="http://www.dignicap.com/dignitana-ab-meeting-food-drug-administration-fda/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> been in talks with the FDA</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Because some cancers carry a higher risk of metastasizing to the brain (i.e., blood-related cancers), many want chemo to reach </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">every</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> cancer cell that could potentially spread. Hair follicles are very close to the brain, hence some doctors and patients flat-out resisting the use of Cold Caps. Studies and clinical trials are ongoing; it's definitely something to discuss with your oncologist. All that being said, </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">it's exciting to think you might be able to keep your hair (and thus keep your cancer private)</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This appeals to a vast number of people — especially my friend R. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As I gathered various links to articles, research and support, I realized I had a treasure trove of information which I needed to share with the cancer blogging community. Maybe it will help someone have the "please help me save my hair" conversation with their oncologist or nurse.</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you've tried Cold Caps and had success (or didn't!), </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'd love to hear from you.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Anything to get this discussion rolling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And now on to </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">THE INFO.</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdN7_-3ygo6ACwge5LFHj_Noyu-Pp6s3QFS_UWRn4cVJH9_vn0OdFK-HWq8bHmIL6dekIqvDNmDPFki0Xb5a3HeLSFIhyphenhyphenfeW2lLyX0gjJjWpDWn4AwYDkDPR8iimEhJYIvFu5JVTDY7uA/s1600/Brooke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdN7_-3ygo6ACwge5LFHj_Noyu-Pp6s3QFS_UWRn4cVJH9_vn0OdFK-HWq8bHmIL6dekIqvDNmDPFki0Xb5a3HeLSFIhyphenhyphenfeW2lLyX0gjJjWpDWn4AwYDkDPR8iimEhJYIvFu5JVTDY7uA/s1600/Brooke.jpg" title="Still_of_Brooke_Shields_in_Latisse_commercial_YouTube_Copyright_Latisse" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Copyright: Latisse)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>COOL FINDING: </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One thing of great interest that I discovered while doing this research is that </span><a href="http://www.latisse.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latisse</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, the eyelash product touted by </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux4Gud7QCWs">Brooke Shields</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> as a way to get lush lashes, </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">can actually help cancer patients keep their eyebrows and eyelashes.</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> That was news to me! See below.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Avenir;"><span style="color: red;">INFO ON LATISSE TO PREVENT EYELASH AND EYEBROW LOSS:</span>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://dermatologytimes.modernmedicine.com/dermatology-times/news/clinical/clinical-pharmacology/latisse-shows-long-term-success-according-rece"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Dermatology Times</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "avenir";"> (Latisse Shows Long-Term Success, According to Recent Study, Sept 1, 2012)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://cancer.about.com/od/chemotherapysideeffects/a/latisse.htm">About.com</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "avenir";"> (Using Latisse for Chemotherapy-Induced Eyelash Loss, Nov 14, 2010)</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0d7vAtXGvV9s_cuMpSFfjud2PvIKFuplK-Gc027kWvAfsESu4mlC1P-77lZIA0izIIEfVdRb7qprON5gfLxRh4NE8vmvS5_-WcMpl2RtZPex_jQjAgv2kvLOp4JWIcdpms-y-X0UqDo/s1600/Maria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0d7vAtXGvV9s_cuMpSFfjud2PvIKFuplK-Gc027kWvAfsESu4mlC1P-77lZIA0izIIEfVdRb7qprON5gfLxRh4NE8vmvS5_-WcMpl2RtZPex_jQjAgv2kvLOp4JWIcdpms-y-X0UqDo/s1600/Maria.jpg" title="Copyright_Maria_Breast_Cancer_Won't_define_me_" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Copyright: Breast Cancer Won't Define Me)</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: red;">MY FRIEND MARIA’S BLOG POSTS </span></b><b><span style="color: red;">ABOUT HER SUCCESSFUL </span></b><b><span style="color: red;">COLD CAP EXPERIENCE:</span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://breastcancerwontdefineme.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-journey-through-chemo-with-hair.html">My Journey Through Chemo With Hair</a> </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(Sept 7, 2011)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://breastcancerwontdefineme.blogspot.com/2012/01/penguin-cold-caps.html">Penguin Cold Caps</a> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(Jan 6, 2012) </span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://breastcancerwontdefineme.blogspot.com/2012/01/tips-for-using-penguin-cold-caps.html">Tips for Using Penguin Cold Caps</a> </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(Jan 17, 2012)</span></li>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">GENERAL INFORMATION:</span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rapunzelproject.org/"><b>The Rapunzel Project</b></a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Doctors: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6935hpVeeDY&feature=em-upload_owner">Preventing Hair Loss During Chemotherapy with Penguin Cold Caps (YouTube Video)</a></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Paxman-Coolers UK: <a href="http://www.paxman-coolers.co.uk/patients/#!/?filter=1&post=1&testimonials=1">Paxman Scalp Coolers FAQs</a></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Penguin Cold Caps:<a href="http://penguincoldcaps.com/faqs/">Penguin Cold Cap FAQs</a> </b></span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">DigniCap.com: <a href="http://www.dignicap.com/patients/chemotherapy-and-hair-loss/">Because Hair Matters </a></b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">BreastCancer.org: <a href="http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/hair_skin_nails/cold-caps">Cold Caps FAQs</a></b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">BreastCancer.org: <a href="https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/6/topic/735873">Cold Cap Discussion Forum</a></b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">American Cancer Society Survivors Network Discussion Board: <a href="http://csn.cancer.org/node/261199">How to Keep Your Hair During Chemo</a></b></li>
</ul>
<ul></ul>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>COLD CAPS IN THE NEWS:</b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/09/keeping-your-hair-in-chemo/?_r=0" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Keeping Your Hair in Chemo</a> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(NYTimes.com, March 9, 2015)</span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chemo-cap-helps-breast-cancer-patients-keep-their-hair/">How a Cooling Cap Could Change Breast Cancer Treatment</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chemo-cap-helps-breast-cancer-patients-keep-their-hair/"> </a>(CBSNews.com</span>, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oct 14, 2014) </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 28.600000381469727px;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/09/23/cold-cap-therapy-helps-cancer-patients-on-chemo-keep-their-hair/">‘Cold Cap Therapy’ Helps Cancer Patients On Chemo Keep Their Hair</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(CBSNews Denver</span>, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sept 23, 2014)</span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.11alive.com/story/money/personal-finance/ways-to-save/2014/05/15/cold-cap-may-prevent-hair-loss-in-cancer-patients/9089411/">Cold Caps May Prevent Hair Loss in Cancer Patients</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(11Alive.com Atlanta, May 15, 2014) </span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/24748153/2014/02/17/penguin-cold-cap-helps-prevent-hair-loss-during-chemotherapy">Penguin Cold Cap Helps Prevent Hair Loss During Chemo</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fox10Phoenix, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Feb 17, 2014)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 44px;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/UCSF-tests-cold-caps-to-reduce-hair-loss-during-5225989.php">UCSF Tests Cold Caps to Reduce Hair Loss</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(SF</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">gate.com, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Feb 12, 2014)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/blogs/daily-dose/2013/07/24/can-wearing-cold-cap-prevent-hair-loss-from-chemotherapy/x8WemSHnzRQ4YRasFBOUNK/blog.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Can Wearing a Cold Cap Prevent Hair Loss From Chemotherapy?</a> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(July 24, 2013)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-hope-freezing-cold-caps-can-prevent-chemo-hair-loss-15761282/?no-ist">Researchers Hope Freezing Cold Caps Can Prevent Chemo Hair Loss</a> </b></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">(</span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Smithsonianmag.com, </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">July 22, 2013) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2013/02/keep-your-hair-with-scalp-cooling-cold-cap-therapy-during-chemotherapy/">Keep Your Hair With Scalp Cooling</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (Feb 13, 2013)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.oprah.com/health/Saving-Hair-During-Chemo-Penguin-Cold-Cap">The Innovation Helping Chemo Patients Save Their Hair</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (</span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oprah.com, April 2012)</span><span id="goog_2097361839" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40718154/ns/health-womens_health/t/cold-caps-may-help-cancer-patients-keep-their-hair/#.VNaasSnNr8s"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cold Caps May Help Cancer Patients Keep Hair</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(ABCNews.com, Dec 20, 2010)</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 33px;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCallPlus/cold-cap-therapy-women-chemotherapy-hair/story?id=11985624">Cold Cap Therapy May Help Women Undergoing Chemo Keep Hair</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(ABCNews, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oct 28, 2010</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/judithpotts/100058852/chemotherapy-how-to-combat-loss-of-hair/">Chemotherapy: How to Combat Hair Loss</a> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(The Telegraph UK, Oct 14, 2010)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">COLD CAP STUDIES AND CLINICAL TRIALS:</span></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 36px;"><a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10549-014-3231-0" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">No Effect of Scalp Cooling on Survival Among Women With Breast Cancer</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (December 2014)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 36px;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://news.cision.com/dignitana-ab/r/dignitana-ab-in-meeting-with-the-food-and-drug-administration--fda-,c9665823">Dignitana AB in meeting with the FDA</a></span></b> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(October </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2014) </span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01831024"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Clinical Trial: Efficacy and Safety of Dignicap System for Preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia with DigniCap</b></span></a> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(June 2014)</span></span></li>
<li><a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cold-caps-tested-prevent-hair-loss-during-chemo"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cold Caps Tested to Prevent Hair Loss During Chemo</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (July 2013)</span></li>
<li><a href="http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/18/7/885.full"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Scalp Cooling in the Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia </span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(May 2013)</span></li>
<li><a href="http://ecancer.org/news/1632.php"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Scalp Cooling Does Not Pose a Risk for Metastasis</b></span></a><a href="http://ecancer.org/news/1632.php" style="font-family: Avenir;"> </a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(March 2011)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://aheadofourtime.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Alopecia-Study.pdf">Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia and Effects on Quality of Life Among Women With Breast Cancer</a> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(August 2007)</span></li>
<li><a href="http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/3/352.short"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Prevention of Chemotherapy-induced Hair Loss By Scalp Cooling</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "avenir";"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(2005)</span></li>
<li><a href="https://penguincoldcaps.com/clinical-trials/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Penguin Cold Cap Clinical Trial</b></span></a><a href="https://penguincoldcaps.com/clinical-trials/" style="font-family: Avenir;"> </a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(2000)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><i>Have you used Cold Caps?</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><i>Do you know anyone who has?</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><i>Where they even mentioned as an option before you started chemo? </i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><i>I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a note below!</i></span></span></div>
</div>
Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-76522616583978216182014-12-31T18:22:00.002-05:002017-01-07T15:20:38.373-05:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVou6BsF34RNMUpKReoriDAWE4_k5AcqhkGzaVIAfPdDI-h5oHOvHZg53Ujko5pyfULOyL8pPdOZnwwaxHd1vX3HWjNFV2UNMKxVWnpmUFUqiMuAqq49iTwDdG5nOvMIO6TG_xY00HMA/s1600/Happy+New+Year!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVou6BsF34RNMUpKReoriDAWE4_k5AcqhkGzaVIAfPdDI-h5oHOvHZg53Ujko5pyfULOyL8pPdOZnwwaxHd1vX3HWjNFV2UNMKxVWnpmUFUqiMuAqq49iTwDdG5nOvMIO6TG_xY00HMA/s1600/Happy+New+Year!.jpg" title="happy_new_year_scratched_out_in_icy_frost_black_white" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As we say so long to 2014, here is my wish for us all in 2015:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">May you have...</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The strength to say NO to the things you <i>don't</i> want to do</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The confidence to say YES to the things that you <i>do</i></span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The wisdom to know </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">when it's just the fear talking...<a name='more'></a></span></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">May you feel strength and peace and joy in the coming year!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-59160272392364690292014-12-08T19:03:00.001-05:002017-01-07T15:22:00.598-05:00CANCER IS MY INFAMY<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6j1MnhMvWiQOPvqiGA4uNkHJdsKRvEi_e_S1G09xnle76ASiK1XE6c72K6mwln7nT2-pDIpP_Q_AtHn8CF4w5z_kwC6NT5YurdxYeA2nbEOQs262ahnj4TgUvpT08jmhpSgPQyIrX1U/s1600/lonely+alarming+telephone+off+hook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6j1MnhMvWiQOPvqiGA4uNkHJdsKRvEi_e_S1G09xnle76ASiK1XE6c72K6mwln7nT2-pDIpP_Q_AtHn8CF4w5z_kwC6NT5YurdxYeA2nbEOQs262ahnj4TgUvpT08jmhpSgPQyIrX1U/s1600/lonely+alarming+telephone+off+hook.jpg" title="old_beige_telephone_off_the_hook_on_red_carpet_the_big_c_and_me_blog" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Copyright 2014 TheBigCandMe)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Four years ago today, December 8th, 2010, </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">cancer called my house.</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (Actually, Dr. S. called; he gave me the news </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/04/joining-cancer-club-part-ii.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>here</b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fast forward two years, and in an attempt to put a </span><a href="http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Six-Word Memoir</b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> face on the beast that is breast cancer, I wrote these six words on this blog: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/05/six-word-memoir-cancer.html">"Cancer called. Wish I hadn't answered."</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Do I still stand by those words? </i></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No and Yes and No and Yes...</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No,</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> I don't regret answering the phone. (That would mean I was ignoring my cancer, not a good thing to do.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Yes,</b> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was certain the news would be good. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>No, </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was not (yet) out of my mind with worry. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Yes, </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was in <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/04/joining-cancer-club.html"><b><span style="color: blue;">denial</span></b></a>. S</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">o much denial, in fact, that I hadn't even told my husband I'd had a biopsy until the night before that phone call! I was trying to spare him the emotional upheaval and unnecessary worry, because I was </span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">so</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">certain</span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> the news would be benign. He had already lost his first wife to breast cancer; I couldn't imagine the universe being so cruel and unkind as to give one man two wives with this dreadful disease.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One ring-a-ding-ding of the phone later on that breezy late-autumn afternoon (a day <i>after</i> December 7th, already a date that lived in infamy for me — not because of <a href="http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/"><b>Pearl Harbor</b></a>, but because it's the day my father died), and </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">December 8th would now </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">live in infamy too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>CANCER BECAME MY INFAMY.</b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO4Katck7ZtRG6xUAHFj-2mEONt09ZbsZ0TLft1620NQt1fIIdWuS5q78kQEHiApea5AbwPzzBGG4NaJx8WUaZop7CgGXnchW5jYET5Qpwb3BMgxVvVLsP_i0btJBhtA_9KvvBi7DITY/s1600/Dec.+8+2010008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO4Katck7ZtRG6xUAHFj-2mEONt09ZbsZ0TLft1620NQt1fIIdWuS5q78kQEHiApea5AbwPzzBGG4NaJx8WUaZop7CgGXnchW5jYET5Qpwb3BMgxVvVLsP_i0btJBhtA_9KvvBi7DITY/s1600/Dec.+8+2010008.jpg" title="notes_I_wrote_when_I_found_out_I_had_cancer" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Actual notes that I took while on the phone with Dr. S.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here's how it went down four years ago:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Dr. S: </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Well, I have your test results!" </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Me: </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Yea! I'm so glad."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Dr. S: </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Unfortunately, it IS cancer." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19px;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: auto;">
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: left; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Me (long pause):</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> "I was not expecting that."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: left; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I struggled to comprehend the few words I heard Dr. S. saying: "</span><i style="line-height: 19px;">Invasive Ductal Carcinoma... Well differentiated... Not a tumor... One inch in size..."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">I ended the call, and immediately had what I <i>now</i> know to be a panic attack. I'd never felt such fear so fast. I couldn't get enough air in my lungs; it seemed to be missing from the room. I felt like I was going crazy. </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/04/death-valley.html" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like I was going to die</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: left; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 19px;">That's the one-two punch: I </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">am</i><span style="line-height: 19px;"> going to die. </span><i style="line-height: 19px;">And so are you.</i><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">As humans, we are experts at suppressing our fears surrounding our demise. Our existence on this beautiful planet seems at once long yet short. We busy ourselves supporting and caring for the families we are part of and the families we create, sometimes forgetting to care for ourselves in the process.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Then cancer calls, and it shoves a huge cracked mirror in your face, and forces you to see it, feel it, taste it, touch it, breath it — the very thing you spend your life trying <i>not</i> to think about or address, the ultimate antithesis of this wonderful life: DEATH.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And death will not be denied. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, neither will cancer. </span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>And that's really why I answered the phone four years ago. </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had to know. (And then had to </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/04/sharing-news.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: blue;">tell</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> my husband.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cancer is my infamy. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">So what have I learned over the last four years of "cancerversaries"? If there's one takeaway I can share in a single sentence:</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">The gist of the cancer journey </span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">is coming to terms with your fear </span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">of death, then managing that fear in your daily life.</span></b></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">How we do this (and when) is as individual as we all are. And an ongoing process. I'll share a few of the ways I manage my fear of death in an upcoming post. Stay tuned... </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Until then, take care. In the hustle of the holiday season, it's easy to overlook taking caring of yourself. </span><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>D</i><i>on't overlook YOU.</i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>PS: </i></span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/us/08edwards.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">Elizabeth Edwards</a> died on The Date of Infamy — December 7th — in 2010. I remember being completely shaken by the news. The next day, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.</i></b></span></div>
Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-15487698066264291902014-10-15T21:40:00.003-04:002017-01-07T15:23:05.474-05:00OPPOSING PINKTOBER, FREE MEMES AND MORE<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We are smack dab in the middle of Pinktober. Hmmm.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3v_dvAhNw_xoibrYJIRFXjadY6aqXS8zLjk5EOqeZoIwn5N8WJlzTRYBFrwGhKZI9mZX6YdpmpU7BiV6W6gOQoYQXl-eOAXXzxLiypHAtO_IbYcB3gqghKXPZXD4ZIgPSm6y3Okzi_LY/s1600/Leather+pinkwashing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img alt="" border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3v_dvAhNw_xoibrYJIRFXjadY6aqXS8zLjk5EOqeZoIwn5N8WJlzTRYBFrwGhKZI9mZX6YdpmpU7BiV6W6gOQoYQXl-eOAXXzxLiypHAtO_IbYcB3gqghKXPZXD4ZIgPSm6y3Okzi_LY/s1600/Leather+pinkwashing.jpg" title="Pinkwashing_Keeps_Us_From_a_Cure_copyright_theBigCandMe_blogspot" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhGA0KY6rJ_VztjqTlIIASby5oIuQSTuwF1gEesRHjUS1vJ-70kTAkTeHkM5IP7awW4m09Yej8pWHKDes_ldv524wrQG-1r0FG3B5iHHQsR7b-QLJUKI6J0qV2hkBtoSblu8RKFRbRWg/s1600/Stop+buying+pink..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I <a href="http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/profile.php?uid=81008">created</a> a couple of <a href="http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/">Six-Word Memoir </a>memes a while back, and thought I'd share them now. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: red;">Feel free to reuse them and repost them!</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">To learn more about "<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta;">Pinktober</span></b>," please read any (or all) of the following posts from some of my favorite blogging sisters...</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhGA0KY6rJ_VztjqTlIIASby5oIuQSTuwF1gEesRHjUS1vJ-70kTAkTeHkM5IP7awW4m09Yej8pWHKDes_ldv524wrQG-1r0FG3B5iHHQsR7b-QLJUKI6J0qV2hkBtoSblu8RKFRbRWg/s1600/Stop+buying+pink..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhGA0KY6rJ_VztjqTlIIASby5oIuQSTuwF1gEesRHjUS1vJ-70kTAkTeHkM5IP7awW4m09Yej8pWHKDes_ldv524wrQG-1r0FG3B5iHHQsR7b-QLJUKI6J0qV2hkBtoSblu8RKFRbRWg/s1600/Stop+buying+pink..jpg" title="Stop_Buying_Pink_Donate_Directly_Instead_copyright_theBigCandMe_blogspot" width="200" /></a>
<li><a href="http://www.butdoctorihatepink.com/2014/09/anns-october-hall-of-shame-2014-version.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ann's October Hall of Shame</b></span> </a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://www.butdoctorihatepink.com/p/breast-cancer-videos.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ann Silberman</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://www.butdoctorihatepink.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Breast Cancer? But Doctor...I Hate Pink!</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://anotheronewiththecancer.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/blinding-light/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blinding Light</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and </span><a href="http://anotheronewiththecancer.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/as-close-as-it-gets/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>As Close As It Gets</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> by the </span><a href="http://anotheronewiththecancer.wordpress.com/about-2/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cancer Curmudgeon</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://anotheronewiththecancer.wordpress.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Another One With the Cancer</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://journeyingbeyondbreastcancer.com/2014/10/04/weekly-round-up-pinktober-is-here/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Weekly Roundup: Pinktober is Here </b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://journeyingbeyondbreastcancer.com/about/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Marie Ennis-O'Connor</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://journeyingbeyondbreastcancer.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2014/10/10/al-jazeeras-stream-breast-cancer-awareness/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Stream on Pinkwashing</span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b> </b>(video)<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/2014/10/01/october-re-post-yet-morning-comes/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">October is Here Again</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> by </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Lisa Bonchek Adams</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://timetoconsiderthelilies.com/2013/09/24/avoiding-pink-ribbon-traps/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Booby-Trapped This October? </b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://timetoconsiderthelilies.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yvonne Watterson</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://timetoconsiderthelilies.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Consider the Lilies & Lessons from the Field</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.womaninthehat.com/pink-dark-side/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pink: The Dark Side</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> by </span><a href="http://www.womaninthehat.com/sample-page/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Eileen Rosenbloom</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://www.womaninthehat.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Woman in the Hat</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://accidentalamazon.com/blog/2014/09/29/attack-of-the-pinktober-sharks/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Attack of the Pinktober Sharks</span></b> </a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://accidentalamazon.com/blog/who-is-this-chick/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kathi Kolb</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of the </span><a href="http://accidentalamazon.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Accidental Amazon</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://nancyspoint.com/its-time-for-breast-cancer-awareness-month-to-grow-up/">It's Time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month to Grow Up! </a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://nancyspoint.com/about/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nancy Stordahl</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of <a href="http://nancyspoint.com/">Nancy's Point</a></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.boobyandthebeast.com/2014/10/around-web-mets-edition.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Around the Web - Mets Edition </b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://www.boobyandthebeast.com/p/about.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jen</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://www.boobyandthebeast.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Booby and the Beast</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://carolinemfr.blogspot.com/2014/10/when-will-this-end.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>When Will This End?</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://carolinemfr.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Caroline</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://carolinemfr.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://cancercancerbo-bancer.blogspot.com/2014/10/pinkwashing-is-not-normal.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pinkwashing: The Truth Behind the Sale</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> by </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/14325123433332928441" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dee Anne</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://cancercancerbo-bancer.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cancer, Cancer bo-Bancer</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://sisterearthorganics.wordpress.com/2014/09/30/breast-cancerexactly-what-are-we-fighting/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Breast Cancer...Exactly What are We Fighting? </span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://sisterearthorganics.wordpress.com/about/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Susan</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://sisterearthorganics.wordpress.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Savvy Sister</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://myleftbreast.net/2014/10/the-faces-of-breast-cancer.html/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Faces of Breast Cancer </span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://myleftbreast.net/about-me/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Claudia Schmidt </a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of </span><a href="http://myleftbreast.net/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My Left Breast</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://bethgainer.com/goodbyepinktember/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Goodbye Pinktember, Hello Pinktober </span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://bethgainer.com/about-me/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Beth Gainer </a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of </span><a href="http://bethgainer.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Calling the Shots</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wherewegonow.com/debbies-blog/pinkwashing-why-im-not-buying-it"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pinkwashing: Why I'm Not Buying It </span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://www.wherewegonow.com/about/about-debbie" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Debbie Woodbury </a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of </span><a href="http://www.wherewegonow.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Where We Go Now</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.chemobrainfog.com/2014/10/let-buyer-beaware.html">Let the Buyer Be(a)ware</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://www.chemobrainfog.com/p/blog-page.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">AnneMarie Ciccarella</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://www.chemobrainfog.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chemobrain...in the fog</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://cancerfree2b.com/2013/05/05/brinker-stinker-a-reminder-of-what-susan-g-komen-is-not-about/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brinker Stinker </span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cancerfree2b.com/2014/10/06/pinktober-one-week-down-three-to-go/">Pinktober: One Week Down, Three to Go</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by </span><a href="http://cancerfree2b.com/about-2/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Lisa</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://cancerfree2b.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">CancerFree2B</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Check out the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://tellingknots.org/archives/category/uncategorized/page/4">October guest posts</a> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">over at </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.tellingknots.org/">Telling Knots</a></span></b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Finally</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, please read </span><a href="http://www.metavivor.org/blog/we-are-here-for-you/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>We Are Here For You</b></span></a> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">by the new President of </span><a href="http://www.metavivor.org/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">METAvivor</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, Lori Marx-Rubiner (read more of Lori's posts at her blog <a href="http://regrounding.me/">Regrounding</a>).</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PS I know there are many, many more wonderful blog posts out there about Pinktober, please feel free to leave us a link to yours!</span></i><br />
<br />
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-oWcDjtFVt_A%2FVD8gwD8JxgI%2FAAAAAAAADJQ%2FpnaiJ7UUxBE%2Fs1600%2FStop%252Bbuying%252Bpink..jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhGA0KY6rJ_VztjqTlIIASby5oIuQSTuwF1gEesRHjUS1vJ-70kTAkTeHkM5IP7awW4m09Yej8pWHKDes_ldv524wrQG-1r0FG3B5iHHQsR7b-QLJUKI6J0qV2hkBtoSblu8RKFRbRWg/s1600/Stop+buying+pink..jpg" -->Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-22164381986978553742014-09-29T20:36:00.004-04:002017-01-07T15:23:58.538-05:00ACT WITH LOVE!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HoLYz5rfgrW7G7UE8KAeNiO64J3J8PBxLDvvEdv6m07ovp27-Hkexa4siKgtxMqhf0xknqdZPO-1Ew80c3gS8hjSxsFMDm81l66KTEtTCZysQ_IGK56LxY5IN5sV__vP4hBUekYE5Zk/s1600/i+blog+with+love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HoLYz5rfgrW7G7UE8KAeNiO64J3J8PBxLDvvEdv6m07ovp27-Hkexa4siKgtxMqhf0xknqdZPO-1Ew80c3gS8hjSxsFMDm81l66KTEtTCZysQ_IGK56LxY5IN5sV__vP4hBUekYE5Zk/s1600/i+blog+with+love.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In two days, the first day of "Pinktober" will have arrived. Again.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rather than rehash my feelings about the pinkification of breast cancer (read that October 1, 2011 post </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/10/hunt-for-pink-october.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>here</b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">),</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">let's act with love and make history together </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">by signing up for the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.healthofwomenstudy.org/">HOW</a></b></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.healthofwomenstudy.org/"> (Health of Women)</a><a href="https://www.healthofwomenstudy.org/"> study</a></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">...</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is HOW? </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's an international online research study that will track thousands of people over time</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> in an effort to determine not only <i>what</i> causes</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">breast cancer, but HOW to prevent it.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Who is HOW? </span></b><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://dslrf.org/actwithlove/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Dr. Susan Love's Research Foundation</b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> is behi</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">nd this ground-breaking study.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Who is eligible? </span></b><i><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">EVERYONE! </span></b></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It doesn't matter if </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">you have had breast cancer or not. Doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl. Doesn't even matter where you live on this great big planet — </span><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the study is all done ONLINE! </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Just be 18 years of age or older.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">To sign up for HOW, click</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><a href="https://www.healthofwomenstudy.org/"><b>HERE</b></a></span>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Speaking of Dr. Susan Love</b>, s</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">he also heads up the </span><a href="https://www.armyofwomen.org/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Army of Women</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, which enables many of us to participate directly in breast cancer research. Please check out the list of current Army of Women projects </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.armyofwomen.org/current">HERE</a></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. If you don't quality, maybe you know someone who will! Please pass the link (http://www.armyofwomen.org/current) along. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It helps us all. Let's #popthepinkballoon!</span></div>
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Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-68159160423808029012014-08-18T18:48:00.001-04:002017-01-07T15:55:33.364-05:00THE ICE BUCKET BACKLASH<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_osbH4nU6kvlhgGx7cj8Rz77c0P5fOI1LvfgBsqZrl9VpOHkDiOQMtBFMhows1t4-Jy2VYyhVJDy57XA0uwYRgZQBdLG92fQbrWz6jcY2ETtIAcZ7GSvy0Tg9_KgLcz_eoytD0mFq30/s1600/IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_osbH4nU6kvlhgGx7cj8Rz77c0P5fOI1LvfgBsqZrl9VpOHkDiOQMtBFMhows1t4-Jy2VYyhVJDy57XA0uwYRgZQBdLG92fQbrWz6jcY2ETtIAcZ7GSvy0Tg9_KgLcz_eoytD0mFq30/s1600/IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You've seen the videos all over Facebook and other social media: People participating in The Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money and awareness for </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ALS </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(</span><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/basics/definition/CON-20024397" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">). </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A vast array of my Facebook friends participated, too. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A few have mentioned making a monetary donation. Fewer still have made an attempt to educate people about ALS in their videos. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most only mention money as a penalty.</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Most opt for the ice water dousing, though some also donate dollars <i>and</i> get doused. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It took some time for me to figure out why I felt so </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">uncomfortable</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> when viewing these videos. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Then it hit me: </b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This challenge isn't really about ALS at all...</b></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's a vehicle for folks to shoot cute videos and have some summer fun with their friends on Facebook under the guise of bringing awareness to a disease.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>(Does this sound familiar to anyone else in breast cancer land?)</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Let's not confuse The Challenge with awareness — or with advocacy. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When a Facebook friend posted a recent <i>Slate</i> article by </span><a href="https://twitter.com/WillOremus"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Will Oremus </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">entitled "</span><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/08/12/icebucketchallenge_you_don_t_need_an_ice_bucket_to_donate_to_als_research.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Take the 'No Ice Bucket' Challenge</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">," I read it and had an AH HA moment. The author's words struck a real chord. See if you feel the same way.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"The challenge is simple," says Oremus </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">as he explains the </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">origins of The Challenge (it had nothing to do with ALS initially, by the way):</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> "Either donate $100 to a given cause, or douse yourself with ice, film it, and pass the challenge on to others via social media." </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then he added: "<span style="color: blue;">...</span></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><i>it's hard to shake the feeling that, for most of the people posting ice bucket videos of themselves</i> </span><i style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://vine.co/">Vine</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/">Instagram</a>, </span></b></i><i style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">the charity part remains a postscript." </i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That's exactly how I was feeling.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Remember, the way the challenge is set up, the ice-drenching is the alternative to contributing actual money," Oremus says. "Some of the people issuing the challenges have tweaked the rules by asking people to contribute $10 even if they soak themselves. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even so, a lot of the participants are probably spending more money on bagged ice than on ALS research."</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes! YES! But wait. <i>There's more!</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>"As for 'raising awareness,' few of the videos I've seen contain any substantive information about the disease, why the money is needed, or how it will be used," he continues. "More than anything else, the ice bucket videos feel like an exercise in raising awareness of one's own zaniness, altruism, and/or attractiveness in a wet T-shirt."</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I didn't really notice the wet T-shirts, but what bugged </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">me</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> was that the majority (not all, but <i>many</i>) of the people I saw in the videos peppering my Facebook feed thought they were doing something <i>good</i> by dumping ice water on their heads, nominating their friends to do the same, then NOT donating money to ALS. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Anyone else see the similarity between the Ice Bucket Challenge and the wearing of pink during October? </i></b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But I digress (as usual). Stay with me here.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After digesting Oremus' article, I decided to repost it on my own Facebook page. I added a simple "I couldn't agree more." </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was met with a speedy reply by a childhood friend whose entire family did The Challenge. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"The campaign is working," she posted to my wall, quoting from the very article I posted that it was raising a lot of money. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>"Why find fault in it?" </i>she asked.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then another childhood pal backed her up: </span><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"I think either way is OK. A little donation, a little ice water and a lot of entertainment. Let's do both." </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My friend replied to him: "Exactly!" </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now I felt conflicted. Is that what I'm doing, finding fault with something that is obviously raising a lot of money for a good cause? Am I that jaded? </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Was I misguided in posting Oremus' article? I wasn't going to respond. (Really, I wasn't.) I was just going to let it lie.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Except I couldn't.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Instead, I sat with it for a while. And then </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I did a little research. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few hours later, here's what I wrote on my Facebook page: </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">"It's been fun watching dozens of my FB friends getting doused with ice water this week. But each time I watched a video, I had a nagging feeling, for a couple of reasons: Awareness alone does not stop disease. (I know, call me Debbie Downer.) And a $100 donation in lieu of getting doused — that's a lot of dough. So yes, most people are opting to make cool (pun intended) videos instead of donating money. I get it. And the videos <i>are</i> entertaining. And ALS <i>is</i> in the spotlight, and they <i>are</i> pleased about <a href="http://www.alsa.org/.../arc.../als-ice-bucket-challenge.html">that</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. </span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">"Unfortunately, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/icebucketchallenge">Facebook link</a> to this ice bucket challenge doesn’t mention donating <i>any</i> money at all</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. The good news? As [my unmentioned friend] mentions above, ALS funding has <a href="http://www.alsa.org/.../ice-bucket-challenge-inspires.html">increased</a> dramatically since this online challenge began two weeks ago</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. So what have we learned about ALS through this challenge? (Pause.) Here’s one tidbit: 'More work is needed to conclusively determine what genetics and/or environment factors contribute to developing ALS. It is known, however, that military veterans, particularly those deployed during the Gulf War, are approximately twice as likely to develop ALS.' So I am grateful for this Facebook ice challenge, because I would not have researched ALS at all otherwise.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">"I guess that's my point. Scientific research costs money. ALSA needs money. Let's see folks donating whatever they can afford, even $1, while <i>also</i> making ice-bucket videos. To anyone about to do the challenge: I challenge you to make a donation, before you make a video, to make a difference. To learn more about ALS, see <a href="http://alsa.org/">ALSA.org</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> or go to <a href="http://www.ninds.nih.gov/.../amyotrophicla.../detail_ALS.htm">NIH</a>."</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The response to my little Facebook rant?</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Crickets.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I heard from two close friends who also took The Challenge; both explained that they had donated </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> done The Challenge. That's cool, I thought.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">But no one else weighted in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Then this morning I read <a href="https://twitter.com/emilysteel">Emily Steel</a>'s </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/18/business/ice-bucket-challenge-has-raised-millions-for-als-association.html?_r=0" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">article</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> about The Challenge in </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">t</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">he<i> New York Times</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">— and saw myself reflected in that one, too. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">First, Steel </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">shares some impressive stats: More than 1.2 million ice bucket videos have been posted on Facebook between August 1-13, 2014; The Challenge has been mentioned on Twitter more than 2.2 million times since July 29, 2014; and as of August 18, 2014, the </span><a href="http://www.alsa.org/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ALS Association</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.alsa.org/news/media/press-releases/ice-bucket-challenge-0818.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">has received over $15.6 million in donations</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All good. Really, <i>really</i> good. <i>Right?</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But then I hit the paragraph that had me nodding my head all over again. Steel writes, </span><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"There has been a backlash. Some have </span></b></span><b style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">criticized the campaign for so-called slacktivism, where people click and post online for social causes with little impact on the actual cause." </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">YES, I said to myself, that's exactly what I am feeling! The article then went on to quote Arielle Pardes, a writer for <i>Vice</i>: </span><b style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"There are a lot of things wrong with the Ice Bucket Challenge, but the most annoying is that it is basically narcissism masked as altruism."</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Ummm, yeah, that kinda sums it up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And doesn't that also sum up what happens during "Pinktober"? (Sorry, again I digress.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This afternoon I read a <a href="http://time.com/3107510/ice-bucket-challenge-als-we-need-to-do-better/"><i>Time.com</i> article</a> written last week by <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeD">Jacob Davidson</a>, a man whose father died from ALS. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Initially, I was overjoyed all this attention was now focused on ending a disease that had caused me so much pain," </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Davidson says. "But when I looked closer, I became uneasy.... Most of its participants, including [Ethel] Kennedy and Matt Lauer, didn't even mention the disease at all." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Davidson goes on to explore the rules of The Challenge, according to the ALS Association:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"The challenge involves people getting doused with buckets of ice water on video, posting that video to social media, then nominating others to do the same. Those who refuse to take the challenge are asked to make a donation to the ALS charity of their choice."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No mention of the $100.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But Davidson understands the difference between action and awareness. </span><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"That means everyone you've ever seen dump water on themselves, per the rules, is not asked to donate. They may choose to, but the viral nature of this fad appears centered around an aversion to giving money."</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Bingo.</i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Ice Bucket defenders would argue </span></b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this is all just meant to 'raise awareness,' </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">meaning those who participate are still doing good without donating," Davidson continues. "ALS needs all the awareness it can get, but </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">somehow I doubt many learned a whole lot from contextless tweets of wet celebs smiling and laughing...</span> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Maybe people could dump ice water on friends who haven't donated as a goofy way of encouraging others to give, or dump water on themselves before promising to donate. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe helping ALS could at least have been presented as something other than a consolation prize.</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Amen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This all reminds me rather eerily of how I feel during </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/10/hunt-for-pink-october.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Hunt for Pink October</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. When people buy pink things thinking they are "raising awareness" — often never knowing where the money goes or what it's used for or if money is even donated — yet feel all warm and fuzzy thinking they are helping put an end to cancer.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">None of this puts an end to any of it. Not to ALS, not to cancer. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of the main reasons I still blog (albeit infrequently these days) is because it gives my breast cancer advocacy a place and a voice. I simply couldn't watch any more ice videos without connecting the dots of that so-called awareness campaign to the pinking of October. We can do better. We must do better. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ALS is incurable. So is cancer.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Speaking of doing it better, Will Oremus is encouraging everyone to take the </span><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">#noicebucketchallenge</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">:</span></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">1) Do NOT fetch a bucket, fill it with ice, or dump it on your head.</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">2) Do NOT film yourself or post anything on social media.</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">3) Just DONATE the damn money, whether to the ALS Association or to some other charity of your choice. And if it’s an organization you really believe in, feel free to politely encourage your friends and family to do the same.</span></span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Jacob Davidson — the man who lost his dad to ALS — sums it up best: </span><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"In an age where hashtag activism and information-free awareness campaigns are becoming more and more common, we should be very conscious of how to make viral trends as useful as possible."</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Let's remember this during upcoming Pinktober. Let's not let it lie.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>PS: How do YOU feel about The Ice Bucket Challenge?</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>AUGUST 19, 2014 UPDATE: </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://time.com/3139602/als-ice-bucket-challenge-fundraising-change/">Time.com</a> posted an article this morning by <a href="https://twitter.com/bilsap">Bill Saporito</a>: "The Perks — and Pitfalls — of Using Gimmicks to Raise Awareness" (find it beneath the auto-playing video). According to Saporito, The Challenge could change fundraising forever. "The Ice Bucket Challenge became a virtual, and virtually frictionless, cost-free way to raise funds," he says. "Keep in mind that many charities can spend 50% of their incomes on fundraising." (</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the pinkified world of breast cancer fundraising, we know all too well how few donated dollars (or cents, in some cases) make it into fueling actual research, don't we?) </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But back to The Challenge. <a href="https://twitter.com/MargaretAinDC">Margaret Anderson</a>, executive director of </span><a href="http://www.fastercures.org/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">FasterCures</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, a think-tank arm of the Milken Institute, is also quoted in Saporito's article. “Nobody knows what the formula is," Anderson says. "From [FasterCure's] vantage point, we think about these issues all of the time.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"In the case of ALS," Saporito concludes, "the benefit of The Ice Bucket Challenge is that it might give us a chance to find out." </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Time will tell. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here's hoping.</span><br />
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Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-42854560992797084242014-06-28T00:28:00.002-04:002017-01-07T16:03:20.491-05:00BLOG ENVY REVISITED<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PzVWjP4gAw3jW2AI87-Tt-TMl4o7JNO_u24EyFmcOhPBGfdrQ01Hy5ALGkR3B5Z8vVDy-wu1gPBTF4MJHvB7c5C5S-gSSd-l5SSVBwY0nu5zPgCuoXqFP4GSGGAgn_6F4MVawYXhV44/s1600/blog+envy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PzVWjP4gAw3jW2AI87-Tt-TMl4o7JNO_u24EyFmcOhPBGfdrQ01Hy5ALGkR3B5Z8vVDy-wu1gPBTF4MJHvB7c5C5S-gSSd-l5SSVBwY0nu5zPgCuoXqFP4GSGGAgn_6F4MVawYXhV44/s1600/blog+envy.jpg" title="blog_envy_definition_from_urban_dictionary" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Below is something I wrote two years ago. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(My writing mojo seems to have taken some kind of summer sabbatical, so I'm dusting off a popular post and revisiting it.) </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The topic? </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Blog Envy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">P</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">rior to May 2012, when this post first ran, I had never even <i>heard</i> of such a thing. <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=blog%20envy">Urban Dictionary</a> describes blog envy as "the jealousy you feel when you see another blog getting recognition in the mainstream press" and "the jealousy you feel when you realize your friend's blog is more popular than yours." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Seriously?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And that's how my morning started off May 11, 2012...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Three things happened this week that birthed this blog post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>First, I was catching up on my blog reading when I checked in on Jan from <a href="http://janhasak.com/blog/">Mourning Has Broken</a>; her post title caught my eye. </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By the time I was done reading it, my emotions had run the gamut. She had shared a secret she'd been harboring for years, and was so brave in revealing her truth that I couldn't comment quickly enough! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is what I wrote:</span><br />
<h4>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">"When I first started reading this post and saw the words “blog party,” I thought oh, this is going to be a funny post. As I started reading I realized it was serious — but I thought you were telling the story of the girl in the video. THEN I finally realized you were telling your own story. And then I watched the video. And now I want to give you a great big hug and say you are AWESOME and brave and amazing for sharing your secret! So proud of you!! And so sorry you have suffered with this disorder on top of suffering with BC and lymphedema. It ain’t fair. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Truth be told I think we all have idiosyncratic behaviors that we use to keep our anxieties at bay. Some people drink too much. Some eat too much (as you have described). Some have compulsive routines that bring a measure of calm to a very topsy turvy world. Some are hooked into being drama queens. Some people exercise too much. Oh, the list goes on. The important thing to know is that we’re all just trying to cope. And you are definitely not alone. I suspect you have helped more than one person with your sharing today. Good on you!"</span></span></li>
</ul>
</h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That's a cancer surviver for you: Strong, brave, and not afraid to tell the truth. (To read Jan's revealing post, click <a href="http://janhasak.com/blog/?p=1984"><b>here</b></a>.) I continued on with my blog reading.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Next, I popped in and out of a number of blogs (you know how that goes: One blog leads to another, and another...) before I landed on a sweet little one that (again) caught my eye: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">"Things I'm afraid to tell you."</span> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Intriguing title. <i>Sounds like what Jan just did. </i>I keep reading.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I quickly learn that <b style="color: #351c75;">blogging has gotten too pretty, too perfect, and too polished</b> (not my words, but those of other writers). In fact, a movement is underway </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">to bring more honesty to the blogosphere</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>More</i> honesty? <i>Really? </i>Again, I think of Jan's post. And I keep reading: A </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">group of bloggers have challenged each other to be more authentic by writing about the stuff </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">they don't normally discuss on their blogs. You know, <i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">t</span></b></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b>he things they are afraid to tell you.</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>As I'm sure you guessed by now, these are <i>not</i> cancer bloggers. </b></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So what's this 'movement' all about? <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Blog envy. </span></i></b>It's (apparently) a real thing. Bloggers see beautiful things on other beautiful sites and have a misperception that the blogger has a beautiful life too — free from the many things that make us all human. Bloggers want to see that their fellow bloggers aren't perfect.</span><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well come on over to Cancerland! </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'll show you a community of bloggers that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">is not shy about sharing its dirty laundry. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Heck, it's why we're here in the first place! Our blogs are our attempt to make sense out of cancer, purging our minds of the darkness that hides within its cracks and crannies. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I had a good laugh at the humor of it all. But d</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">on't get me wrong — I mean no disrespect to anyone out there who is blogging about something other than cancer. (Talk about blog envy — I wish I wrote about travel, not tissue expanders!) We need those kinds of blogs too: The ones focused on the pretty things, the ones we go to in order to forget (for a moment, anyway) our troubles. They're all important. It's just that I had no idea that "blog envy" existed. 'cause I have never felt it. So </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I decided to leave a comment. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And here is what I wrote:</span></span><br />
<h4>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"This is my first time visiting your blog (I followed a link to 'Things I'm afraid to tell you' and landed here). I feel compelled to leave you a post. I started blogging after a breast cancer diagnosis, and honesty is the backbone of my little corner of the blogosphere. I am stitched into a supportive, witty community of cancer survivors who tell it like it is every single day. No holds barred over there. No one afraid to tell their truth. There is transparency aplenty. And talent. And humor! Lots of humor. Really. But I had no idea that it wasn't like that in other web niches. Never really thought about it before. Kinda having an AHA moment over here — seeing a benefit to cancer I never noticed before. Thank you!"</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I felt a great deal of honesty and transparency in leaving my comment. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Maybe one person will check out my blog and discover some of your blogs too. We never know the ripple effect that one toe in the water can create. (Ever hopeful am I.)</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Lastly, I read a brilliant post by <a href="http://secretsofcancerhood.com/about/">Suleika Jaouad</a>, who writes a column in <i>The New York Times</i></b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> about her experience as a young adult with cancer (in Suleika's case, it is acute myeloid leukemia). The title of her article also caught my eye: </b></span><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/life-interrupted-posting-your-cancer-on-facebook/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">"</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Posting Your Cancer on Facebook</span><span class="Apple-style-span">."</span></span></b></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Whoa. </i>Talk about truth telling. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I don't share in that way on Facebook. <i>That's my cancer-free zone. </i>I'm just not comfortable talking about all my 'stuff' to all my peeps when all of them probably don't really want to know all the gorey details. That's why I have this blog. If you are a regular reader, you're not afraid of my truth or my cancer. And that makes me feel safe. Facebook does not feel safe to me in that regard.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Suleika was deep into chemo when she decided to finally "come clean" on Facebook. She writes that it felt "inauthentic, even dishonest" that her FB profile did not reflect her current reality as a cancer patient. I have to give her props; I'm just not ready to do it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And that's not blog envy. That's just the truth.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(To read <i>Suleika's</i> revealing post, click <b><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/life-interrupted-posting-your-cancer-on-facebook/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0">here</a></b>.)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Amended to add: </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-rossi-totten/things-im-afraid-to-tell-you_b_1553773.html" style="color: blue;">The Huffington Post</a> has picked up on this "truth-telling" phenomenon (aka, TIATTY). OY. </b><i>Too bad no one mentions cancer bloggers...</i></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">JANUARY 2017</span> ADDENDUM: </span></b><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's been four and a half years since I wrote this post and I have yet to "come clean" on Facebook about my cancer diagnosis. I prefer to write about cancer under my pen name (Renn) and not my real name. I realize that makes me unusual. How did you/do you handle talking about your diagnosis on Facebook and other social media? I would love to know how you did it. </i></span></span></div>
Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-6686382217018936432014-05-24T21:18:00.000-04:002017-01-07T15:29:53.727-05:00GREEN MONKEY UPDATE<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccIoZEFbqNCY61Xut6kHIHSADIWVdTZwC7n4e252v79Zjpl9g4aFJBTaplnBk_RLYjY5WZzxHTmbqhu1BjPUTSFXYMTWw1tt0MKeABnNPtMdQJeZJ0dOqAI7v6s6frs0CO3tUCiOQBIk/s1600/Shannon's+love+steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccIoZEFbqNCY61Xut6kHIHSADIWVdTZwC7n4e252v79Zjpl9g4aFJBTaplnBk_RLYjY5WZzxHTmbqhu1BjPUTSFXYMTWw1tt0MKeABnNPtMdQJeZJ0dOqAI7v6s6frs0CO3tUCiOQBIk/s1600/Shannon's+love+steps.jpg" title="we_will_love_you_every_step_of_the_way_Shannon_Green_Monkey_Tales_blog_image" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Copyright 2014 Green Monkey Tales)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You may remember my blogging buddy, Shannon, a la </span><a href="http://greenmonkeytales.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Green Monkey Tales</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> fame; we bonded over our breast cancer, our bilateral mastectomies, our subsequent surgeries and our complications.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One year ago, she was diagnosed with rectal cancer...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've written about Shannon a few times on the blog (see </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/05/wrecked-tales.html"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-tale-of-two-shannons.html"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/09/wordle-wednesday_26.html"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">), but it is her recent update that has me breathing a sigh of relief. I've worried about her, as many others in the blogosphere also have, and her post is music to my ears.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Shannon is a fabulous writer and she's done a fabulous job of writing a recap of the past 12 months. You can read that update </span><a href="http://greenmonkeytales.blogspot.com/2014/05/happy-anniversary-to-me.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>here</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Please show her some of your famous bloggy love! <i>And w</i></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>elcome home, Shannon!</i></span><br />
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<br />Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-15265662418652407162014-04-23T02:42:00.002-04:002017-01-07T15:33:49.456-05:00BLOG SOUP<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thank you to my blogging buddy extraordinaire </span><a href="http://janhasak.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Jan Hasak</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> for asking me to participate in
a world-wide "Blog Tour" that asks </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">four simple questions to reveal the essence of why and how we write</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am honored to participate from Southern California.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's fascinating to see
how each blogger answers the same four questions. Read what Jan has to say about </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">her</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> writing process on
her insightful blog, </span><a href="http://janhasak.com/blog/?p=2822"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mourning Has Broken</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4LQnj2x8l9Kp8zdiRoLA0j0i1ufxvy8Wz7zfmR7sR65HMHzBu5F0_q5CCl4xWOVH6PneysamiqEnX_Q6SNuy0F1A9cNXEDIqMhCpEPbqfb_HoxNg_51PDRrOymkwf5ux7qa6KEVts0E/s1600/baton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4LQnj2x8l9Kp8zdiRoLA0j0i1ufxvy8Wz7zfmR7sR65HMHzBu5F0_q5CCl4xWOVH6PneysamiqEnX_Q6SNuy0F1A9cNXEDIqMhCpEPbqfb_HoxNg_51PDRrOymkwf5ux7qa6KEVts0E/s1600/baton.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Besides answering the queries, the best part of the Blog Tour is that each participant gets to pick two bloggers to continue the Tour! (To find out who I am passing my Blog Tour baton to, keep reading.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here are my answers to the four Blog Tour questions...</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Q1: What am I
working on?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This question should come last, because what I'm
working on isn't <i>really</i> about writing. Or is it…? </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I began 2014 by writing down three words:
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Discard. Energize. Create.</span> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This 3-word salutation to the new year is something
many bloggers do, including </span><a href="http://feistybluegeckofightsback.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/three-little-words-five-years-running/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Philippa</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://feistybluegeckofightsback.wordpress.com/">Feisty Blue Gecko</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (who resides </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">in Myanmar and </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">created this Blog Tour, by the way) and </span><a href="http://journeyingbeyondbreastcancer.com/2014/01/01/three-little-words-an-alternative-new-years-resolution/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Marie</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://journeyingbeyondbreastcancer.com/2014/01/01/three-little-words-an-alternative-new-years-resolution/"><b>Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer</b></a><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(who participated from Australia). </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But back to those three little words. </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I started with </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Discard</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. My goal? To toss stuff daily, no matter how small. Emails,
recipes, bank statements, rusty nails — it all counts. I also systematically
slim down my bloated photo library, which grows each time I
upload new photos and neglect to delete the less-than-ideal images. So I
made a pact: </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If I download, I must edit. </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Period. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So far I've weeded out 5,000 photos. But I've still
got 28,000+ photos in my library. Which means I'm running out of memory. (</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So is
my computer.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Next word up: </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Energize</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Which is absolutely how I feel after I discard <i>anything</i>.
And when I'm energized, I feel creative.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hence my final 2014 word: </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Create</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Freeing up <i>physical</i>
space frees up <i>mental</i> space to create. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>It's like magic! </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Turns out those
three words have a very symbiotic relationship. (Who knew?)</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>My creative endeavors</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> currently run the gamut, from
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>blogging</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (which feels the most like work, if I am to be truthful), to my guilty pleasure: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>genealogy</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. When I need to relax and take my mind off my troubles, </span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I get lost in the lands of my ancestors</span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>.</i> I'm a
detective in my own history novel. Hours go by when I'm on <a href="http://ancestry.com/">ancestry.com</a>. I
love, love, love digging through records to piece together tidbits that, when strung together, form a storyline such as the following
about the grandfather I never knew: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: blue;">April 17, 1912.</span> F<span style="color: #262626;">irst trip from Austria to the U.S. Arrives with $80 in his pocket;
New York City his final destination. He's 5' 6" tall, with brown hair
and blue eyes, and is listed as a dressmaker/tailor.</span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>My other addiction?</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> My camera. But then I end up
adding to my earlier problem of having to purge excess photos. (I'm seeing a
circular pattern emerging here…)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Q2: How does my
work differ from others in its genre?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I began telling my breast cancer story back in
April of 2011 (find my first
post <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/04/joining-cancer-club.html">here</a>), the words tumbled out of my head and they made me laugh. How
could this be? I was writing what seemed like serious accounts of my multiple surgical procedures and complications, yet I was finding humor in it. <i>Where did THAT come from? </i>Not everything was funny, of course, but I discovered,
through blogging, that I had the ability to lighten up a heavy topic with
humor. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Which is exactly how I got through the whole breast cancer thing at home too. </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Husband and I found ourselves laughing about the most inane, insane things, Every. Single. Day. And that is how I kept my sanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, we laughed the most during the most stressful time </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">which I've dubbed "the in-between time" — post-diagnosis but pre-treatment, when your
fate is unknown and your worries are of epic proportion. </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Those days and weeks when
you know you have cancer growing inside you but you haven't figured out how to
make it go away. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You're sleeping on a time bomb, and it's a wonder sleep
ever comes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That frustration and swirling anxiety fueled the words
which formed the blog. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>This</i> blog. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Which means my "work" does not differ much from the many others
in my genre of cancer blogging: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">We write because the keyboard is the sticky edge of the ledge — it's the keys that keep us from falling off into the black abyss. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Which leads me into question No. 3...</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Q3: Why do I write what I do?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My initial need to blog was to chronicle my healing process
after my bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. I had several setbacks, and so much was happening in such a short amount
of time that I feared I would forget what I went through if I didn't write it
down. I was very afraid something important would fall through the cracks. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was afraid <i>I </i>would fall through the cracks. </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So it became critical </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">to my mental and emotional health</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
that I document the journey. I also knew that there were other women going through similar setbacks — I'd seen them on <a href="http://breastcancer.org/">breastcancer.org</a> — and I didn't want them to feel they were alone. So what began as a way to help myself morphed into a way to help someone else who was going through something similar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>With my writing came inner revelation</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> — insights
into how I was </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">really</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> feeling, where I was struggling, how I was reacting (or not reacting),
dealing (or not dealing). Those kernels of wisdom were not evident to me
until I read them later on the finished blog page. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sort of like making a
magical soup. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I would gather the ingredients (words), and throw them in a pot
(my head) and stir them around and around (my flying fingers in the keyboard)
and let it all simmer with the lid off (and often with the lid on) in my
drafts folder. And over time, everything distilled down into a (hopefully) tasteful Blog Soup. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>And now I have the title of this blog post! </i>Sometimes the
title presents itself first, sometimes it's the last thing I type. However it
arrives, the title always binds it all together. <i>Blog Soup.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ultimately what I learned through my writing was that
</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">my delayed physical healing was a direct reflection of my delayed mental and
emotional healing</i><b style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</b> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And that's why I still make myself blog on days when I most want
to do something else. And in doing so, I have found my voice. That was probably my biggest
realization: that </span><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">my voice had been completely buried beneath my breast cancer</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">,
and my delayed healing forced me to dig through my hardened core and befriend
my vulnerability. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And that lead to another big surprise: My involvement with breast cancer advocacy. Though the blogging friends I've made over the past three years, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I'm now part of a social media truth-in-breast-cancer movement. </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We meet weekly on Twitter: #BCSM breast cancer social media tweet chat every Monday evening at 6 PM EST/9PM PST. We discuss everything from dealing with depression to how to talk to your doctor to what to say to folks who say insensitive things to cancer patients. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We also blog about the stark realities of breast cancer. </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My involvement in advocacy? Never saw that one coming. But talking about the hard issues, the stuff that's not pretty or pink? That's raising awareness. And for people with Stage IV (incurable) metastatic breast cancer, like my friend </span><a href="http://janhasak.com/blog/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jan</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> who I mentioned in the first sentence of this post, they need our support. Remember, 30 percent of patients diagnosed with earlier-stage breast cancer will eventually develop Stage IV metastatic cancer. (For more, please see</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://metavivor.org/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">METAvivor.org</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.)</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Q4: How does my
writing process work? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oh Lordy, I wish I knew. I know it involves
procrastination — I am a wickedly slow writer. And yet a wickedly fast typist.
My fingers are flying before my brain can catch up. So I type a LOT that never
makes it onto the page. And I edit even more. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That is my true Achilles heel,
the editing thing. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I imagine other bloggers sitting down and typing out a
nice clean paragraph and pressing PUBLISH. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I see how
frequently other people post I wonder, how do they do that? </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How can they blog every day? Sometimes it takes me two weeks to write a post.(I told you I was slow!) It's not simple at all to me. I start at the
beginning, and I craft each word, each sentence, each paragraph.
I fix punctuation as I go. But I never look at the big picture when I'm writing. I am stuck deep within the forest,
in the thorny thick of the trees, taping words together, trying not to be
obvious, playing with alliteration, and still resorting to overused phrases and cliches.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Clearly my writing process is bogged down by my
inevitable pursuit of perfection. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I know this, and yet I struggle to change it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After I write a draft, I never, ever, re-read it. I save it. And then I step back and walk away. I find
something else to do. Sometimes for a few hours. Or a few days. Even a few weeks or months. Occasionally a few years. (</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I currently have 88 draft files. My oldest draft
is dated February 2012.)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Guilt drives me back to my drafts folder. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I always feel guilty when I neglect my blog, even though I always have so
much to say. I feel pressure to write. It's like exercise. It doesn't
always feel good, it takes more time than it should, it's darn hard to do, and I get
down on myself for not doing it often enough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I start rifling through half-written posts.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I begin to read, and I
start the slow burn of the editing process. And as I edit, I rewrite. And still I
don't read the whole thing. I edit and write and stop, edit and rewrite and stop. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And just when it seems I'll never leave the loop, </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">something magical happens</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. I get to the
end, the very end, after I've tweaked from top to bottom, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>after I've done <i>the cold read</i></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, and I am amazed that I'm able to weave together a
story with a beginning, a middle, and an end without consciously doing it. It's a very organic process. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And it starts with three words: <span style="color: blue;">Discard. Energize. Create.</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now to passing on the Blog Tour Torch: Allow me to introduce you to two of my favorite
bloggers.</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozYomOtB5SOTh42KOCTqZ_M3qWFTI4xVKNDs7FFoWGJowsRuSfE9S7Zy_rpFyn78GN1t5JWA23NcMnbWIaeHiKW2M8RroUYkKA-0LPdQIBhsJuW5a_TSNZyAsObgjLE9qGxaS3EKVSy4/s1600/A+Pain+in+the+Neck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozYomOtB5SOTh42KOCTqZ_M3qWFTI4xVKNDs7FFoWGJowsRuSfE9S7Zy_rpFyn78GN1t5JWA23NcMnbWIaeHiKW2M8RroUYkKA-0LPdQIBhsJuW5a_TSNZyAsObgjLE9qGxaS3EKVSy4/s1600/A+Pain+in+the+Neck.jpg" title="a_pain_in_the_neck_copyright_Josie" width="320" /></a><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1) </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My friend </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Josie</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> writes about her experience
with refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma in her often-humorous blog entitled </span><a href="http://apainintheneck.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Pain in the Neck</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Josie is currently preparing for a stem-cell transplant and is blogging from her bed on the bone marrow floor of a New York City
hospital. Having recently finished 20 sessions of radiation, she is enduring chemo as I type this. I've
written about her before (at the end of </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2014/02/cyber-support.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">this post</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">),
but </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Josie deserves an <i>extra</i> dose of bloggy love right now</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Though getting ready to go through hell, she was excited to
participate in the Blog Tour:</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Thank
you for passing the baton to me! I'm going to try to write this post before the
brain fog sets in." Please visit </span><a href="http://apainintheneck.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Josie's blog</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, and check back to read
her answers to the Blog Tour questions. I can't wait to read about her process — she is such gifted writer.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">EDITOR'S NOTE: </b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Josie just posted her answers to the Blog Tour challenge </span><a href="http://apainintheneck.com/2014/04/24/blog-tour-my-answers/" style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">here</a><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is <i>amazing</i> since she has her stem cell transplant tomorrow (April 24). Please send her your very best good thoughts!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXiPSn6ldWDAEeRrMnFuezEfkzCvI888ZR-xFiGaca6msFqKbZv6zZEKd1Pt4qD6Jff9JnwpibhTq6xCjaueje0y2M3FKWItcdDC30YeNi1o695OVZ3-O09RCVT6L9XZdnofvE-SWi1s/s1600/Yvonne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXiPSn6ldWDAEeRrMnFuezEfkzCvI888ZR-xFiGaca6msFqKbZv6zZEKd1Pt4qD6Jff9JnwpibhTq6xCjaueje0y2M3FKWItcdDC30YeNi1o695OVZ3-O09RCVT6L9XZdnofvE-SWi1s/s1600/Yvonne.jpg" title="Yvonne_Time_to_consider-the-Lilies" /></a><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2) </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Many of you already know </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Yvonne</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of </span><a href="http://timetoconsiderthelilies.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Time to Consider the Lilies</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> blog fame. I also have mentioned her in a
</span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-review.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">recent post</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Yvonne's blog grew out of her own breast cancer experience, and I have greatly admired her writing, and her Irish chutzpah. This fall, though, she was dealt an unimaginable blow when
her husband of 20 years passed away suddenly. I hope you'll join me in welcoming Yvonne to the Blog Tour, and discovering what goes into what she writes and how she writes it!</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>EDITOR'S NOTE: <span style="color: red;">You can f</span></b></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>ind Yvonne's Blog Tour contribution</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://timetoconsiderthelilies.com/2014/04/25/me-the-live-tour/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And do tell me what you think of the Blog Tour!</span></div>
Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-42897594311656589372014-03-31T15:33:00.000-04:002017-01-07T15:54:52.236-05:00MOVING ON AFTER CANCER: SUE (SECOND IN A SERIES)<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/01/rubies.html"><b>The Rubies</b></a><b> </b></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">are back! </span></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Diagnosed with breast cancer within weeks of each other, we were a string of strangers that met via </span><a href="http://www.breastcancer.org/community" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">breastcancer.org</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. We jelled like a good marmalade, forming a cohesive support system for each other that saved our collective sanity. We grew close, as real besties do, and I have since dubbed them The Rubies (read more about them </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/01/rubies.html">here</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As you can imagine, each Ruby has her own unique breast cancer story to tell, and I want to give each Ruby space to share her story on my blog. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My first guest blogger was the marvelous Melanie, our youngest Ruby. (You can read </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/09/melanies-story.html"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Melanie's story here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqq-VEvoJz8RkPch3SO5IFM-IISS0q6Mxt_XYQ1I9soYcq3Bvr0S1hC30I-YoI8lXUmc7L-vjH0L9vf7reOZY7zBMwgwDjtd2dxM8jQbD14do8Bv5DM2FpOKmHCuMhmKrCcOZUl-Suut8/s1600/Sue+headshot+reversed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqq-VEvoJz8RkPch3SO5IFM-IISS0q6Mxt_XYQ1I9soYcq3Bvr0S1hC30I-YoI8lXUmc7L-vjH0L9vf7reOZY7zBMwgwDjtd2dxM8jQbD14do8Bv5DM2FpOKmHCuMhmKrCcOZUl-Suut8/s1600/Sue+headshot+reversed.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Today I am introducing you to my second guest blogger, <a href="http://libraryvillage.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html">Sue</a><span id="goog_368628880"></span><span id="goog_368628881"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>. </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You'll soon see why Sue wears the "inspiring" crown in our group for making the most changes since her diagnosis. Sue is a military spouse who took stock of her personal circumstances, pushed through her limitations and pursued her dreams in the face of breast cancer. I'll let her tell you how she did it. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So without further ado, <span style="color: blue;">here's <a href="http://libraryvillage.blogspot.com/">Sue</a>!</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>"One thing that being a military spouse has taught me</b></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">is to take control when I can, and give up the desire to control when I have no other choice. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">W</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">e learn to just deal with it, uncomplaining, silently carrying on. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I sucked it up and decided to just deal with it like I did everything else. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No one told me that was impossible. You don’t just <i>deal</i> with cancer...</b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In my 14 years as a military spouse, I have lived wherever we were sent, giving up my 'suit career,' my beloved hometown (Boston), my friends, sometimes my husband for months on end, and my sense of what is normal. It wasn't easy. Sometimes I thrived, and sometimes I was broken. Some days I just wallowed in my brokenness.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
But with every military move came hope. I told myself: I can do this. I'll stand up again. I’ll make new friends. My kids will adjust. I’ll adjust. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'll find a reason to like our new life in our new ‘home.’ Again.</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
In 2010, my family and I were sent to Ohio on assignment with the Air Force. After three overseas assignments </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">in Belgium, Hawaii and Japan, Ohio was the biggest culture shock of all for this Boston girl. We shipped the contents of our entire house, packed up 14 suitcases, and flew out of Belgium in a snowstorm.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We bought a home in the Ohio suburbs, and nestled our two kids (ages 10 and 12 at the time) into a great school system. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then a reminder that I had <i>absolutely no control</i> crept in as silently as a freaking fighter jet. </span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEild9VZgvX-JnVOdXkOeWUDhNWTa9D02XDQiY7i6Jo4YOXtaZ-1Ja6lHYMLCVzFurZENadniDgDYY_u3GT38NqoQKuOZ5ELqny1r2O3Ph2T-JZci644wRCAsjgJ1oRg6xZe4-8IA-kEs_A/s1600/Sue+and+family+deployed2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEild9VZgvX-JnVOdXkOeWUDhNWTa9D02XDQiY7i6Jo4YOXtaZ-1Ja6lHYMLCVzFurZENadniDgDYY_u3GT38NqoQKuOZ5ELqny1r2O3Ph2T-JZci644wRCAsjgJ1oRg6xZe4-8IA-kEs_A/s1600/Sue+and+family+deployed2.jpg" title="family_in_bleechers_at_Cincinnati_Reds_baseball_game_photo_copyright_of_family" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b>(2010) Here we are at a ball game</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-size: x-small;">a week </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">before </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">my husband's deployment.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: x-small;">I was tired </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">of looking and feeling </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">tired</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">all of the time. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My diet was </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">horrible,</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I didn't exercise at all, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and I had no passion.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The bombs came swiftly, and repeatedly. First, there was an unexpected military rule-change which forced my husband's earlier-than-anticipated retirement. (We never would have moved to Ohio if we had known we'd only be there a year before he retired.)</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then we learned that <i>half</i> of my husband's final year with the military would be spent deployed on a ship with the Navy.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For all the non-military folks out there, a deployment is <i>not</i> like a business trip, nor is it an assignment; </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>deployment means your spouse is gone for months or more at a time, in a remote (and often dangerous) location</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. We have no contact with each other for long stretches. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Deployments are unimaginably stressful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">During our settling-in period in Ohio (b</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">efore my husband shipped out), I had my first mammogram — sort of a catch-up on medical needs of the family before he left.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The radiologist was not comforting. 'I see something,' he </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">said. '</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hop up on this table and we can biopsy it now.'</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<i><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></i>
<i><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh no you don't! </span></b></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After a battle of wills, the radiologist conceded that he had no baseline to compare this mammogram to, and he was unsure whether the irregular cells he saw were active or not.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We decided to have a re-do mammogram in six months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was worried, but I put it out of my mind. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Half denial, half too busy to think about it. </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I told my husband, but I brushed it off as nothing; after all, he was deploying soon and I had a </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">lot</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to do. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We sent my husband off with great fanfare, and I resumed the lioness position, which is really what it’s like to be the spouse of a deployed airman: awake half the night, waiting for anything to happen so you can pounce.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />
Over the next few months, I dealt with the settling in part and tried to find new friends. I also lost 20 pounds by attempting diet and exercise for the first time <i>ever</i>. (This was so my husband would come back to a sexy new wife, I thought.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
Begrudgingly, I went back for my six-month follow up mammogram. I was sure it was nothing. Even when the nurse said, 'We need you to come back for a biopsy,' I still thought it was nothing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
It was something.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><b>(Nov. 2010) Homecoming.</b><b> How do I<br />tell this man </b></span></span><b style="color: red;">what's going on</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b style="color: red;">inside my body?</b><span style="color: red;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>What a </b><b>heartbreak</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>to come home </b><b>to breast cancer.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;">
</span><b>Tough, tough times.</b></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">November 4, 2010</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, three weeks before my husband's return, I had that biopsy. I didn’t need the followup appointment with the breast surgeon to tell me what was written all over everyone’s faces. The cells were incredibly active. The area was growing. Yet I still had to wait for that followup to hear the inevitable: 'We have to act NOW.' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></b></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was that Charlie Brown Teacher voice: <i>mwa mwa mwa </i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>survival rate </b></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>mwa mwa mwa</i> mastectomy <i>mwa mwa mwa</i> questions? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Three weeks until that long-awaited reunion with my husband, and all I could think was: </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">They are taking my breast away</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Welcome home, honey, and by the way, I have cancer. Happy retirement.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I won't bore you with the details of my cancer, but I <i>will</i> tell you that, like so many others, I didn’t fit the pattern. I had no risk factors. No one can tell me the ‘why’ of it all.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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When you live overseas with the military, </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">you learn how to make friends fast — but the friendships aren’t terribly deep. We generally have just three years between each move.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was still in that 'make friends quick' groove when I met a nice group of women in Ohio. But that was <i>before</i> cancer. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">After cancer these relationships became intrusive. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Everyone wanted to help me so much that I felt claustrophobic, embarrassed, and overwhelmed by all the attention. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I shut away these new friends when I realized </span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I </span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">was the one consoling <i>them</i> about this whole cancer business! 'Oh, I’m OK, really,' I'd say. 'It’s not that bad. I don’t have to have chemo.' (As if <i>not</i> having chemo takes the sting out of having cancer!) I consoled all the concerned looks. 'My survival rate is really high,' I found myself mumbling after a worried sigh from a new friend. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>What bullshit</i>! </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Why am I consoling everyone <i>but</i> <i>myself</i>? </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Cancer was </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">much</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"> too hard of a topic for these new friends to deal with. It was much too hard for ME to deal with. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I just couldn’t do it. (I have very healthy friendships with these people now, but that was another hurdle after recovery — and another story for another day.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Treatment-wise, I decided on a unilateral mastectomy followed by reconstruction, and the process took what felt like forever to heal. My incision split open, I developed poor range of motion in my shoulder, and a brand new pain in my arm (that still plagues me today) developed. I had pulled back from all my new friends in Ohio (a state I didn’t even want to be in). <i>Now what?</i></span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thankfully, I found </span><a href="http://breastcancer.org/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Breastcancer.org</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (BCO), and the women there became my Bosom Buddies. We could vent it all to each other. Whatever the problem, there always seemed to be someone else on BCO going through something similar. There was the 'military spouse' friend, the 'split incision' friend, the 'WAH-I-have-no-friends' friend, the 'this-sucks' friend. On BCO,<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I always had someone to bitch with, someone I didn’t have to console about <i>my</i> situation. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>And I didn’t have to apologize for how I was feeling.</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJ7J4sWTlMd_JhAQIvCgCeSpd6UeLWhj_2PePALncmZzyOyehyJKTViKN3ZIBXbQGEeFVCxHQdeoZV33LaZrAvYT4A0vbZj3tMLCia3qj1fchY-0hQm3lRyjq3kEracJw35zM-FV7kOE/s1600/Sue+at+Wooman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJ7J4sWTlMd_JhAQIvCgCeSpd6UeLWhj_2PePALncmZzyOyehyJKTViKN3ZIBXbQGEeFVCxHQdeoZV33LaZrAvYT4A0vbZj3tMLCia3qj1fchY-0hQm3lRyjq3kEracJw35zM-FV7kOE/s1600/Sue+at+Wooman.jpg" title="woman_biker_bicyclist_at_Wooman_ride_pink_and_black_photo_copyright_of_bicyclist" width="224" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>(2011) My first ride event ever,</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>3 months after my second surgery.</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>It was the day that I learned,<br />27 miles into a 52-mile breast</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>cancer </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>ride, </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>that my arm could feel</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>searing pain while </b></span><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>riding.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>I sobbed for miles, but I finished.</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Change came again six months after my mastectomy. I was sitting in my recliner at home in my jammies, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">wallowing in my brokenness,</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> my family afraid to speak to me, no nearby friends to call. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Suddenly I realized: This. Has. Got. To. Change. I needed to start feeling </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">powerful</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, not powerless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took my power back the day I saw my oncologist. </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'Your risk of recurrence is about 7 percent,' she said. </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'You can take <a href="http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/hormone-therapy-breast">Tamoxifen</a> for five years and reduce your recurrence risk by 40 percent, or your can start exercising and really watching your diet, and reduce your risk by 30 percent.' </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Stop. Right. There. She just said that I could </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">take something </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">or I could </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">do something</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I could </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">keep taking it or I could actually DO something about my situation? </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That was my AH-HA moment: It was <i>MY</i> choice! </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have control over <i>my</i> choice! What an amazing moment. Thanks Onc — and no thanks to taking drugs. Nothing she said convinced me that Tamoxifen was a good idea for me, so I made peace with my decision to take matters into my own hands.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then and there I decided I was going to </span></b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">live out loud</b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> I heard my mother's voice in my head: 'You can do anything you put your mind to.' </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I did. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXFe7wIGKYi5CeUPDjT72207Dg3MyWcPVhSg5HFrINVBXZyB3oCytBj_1dqdw4h9zlQ5apVCH4XNPzPllcJeBlk2NKIol1tK7NwuXmWGw9zRu9cl3KvweS0NDHmPBNyCvoFP3Jj4tSY0/s1600/Sue+holding+bike+high.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXFe7wIGKYi5CeUPDjT72207Dg3MyWcPVhSg5HFrINVBXZyB3oCytBj_1dqdw4h9zlQ5apVCH4XNPzPllcJeBlk2NKIol1tK7NwuXmWGw9zRu9cl3KvweS0NDHmPBNyCvoFP3Jj4tSY0/s1600/Sue+holding+bike+high.jpg" title="woman_holding_bicycle_overhead_on_ohio_bike_trail_photo_copyright_of_bicyclist" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>(July 2013) Celebrating a 1,000-mile biking</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>season and defiantly lifting my bike a day after<br />searing arm pain kept me on the couch all day.</b></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I bought a bike. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Simple as it sounds, I bought that bike so I would feel powerful. I could go places. I could be by myself, ride as long as I chose, and feel free.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My arm pain still tries to derail me, and one doctor even told me, 'If it hurts to ride, </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">don’t</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.'</span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Um, wrong answer! I kept riding — until my arm could handle longer distances. First it was 8 miles. Then 10 miles. 20 miles. 50 miles. A metric century. My arm was in agony many days, but it was </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">my</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> choice. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX81uNTfzdlRn4ZiOpxzKNnxrSG21VsRlbFQqN7EhGrtx6hDyOzAJSukT1FGy-WkW8i2qeweWpHYncAoNBn_hougtDC9E0ue-oTbr6kU6fWHkEbMrHVHE-FLmMhWjKN3TzBEWHfuVlk-k/s1600/Sue+%2526+family+on+first+bike+ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX81uNTfzdlRn4ZiOpxzKNnxrSG21VsRlbFQqN7EhGrtx6hDyOzAJSukT1FGy-WkW8i2qeweWpHYncAoNBn_hougtDC9E0ue-oTbr6kU6fWHkEbMrHVHE-FLmMhWjKN3TzBEWHfuVlk-k/s1600/Sue+%2526+family+on+first+bike+ride.jpg" title="family_bike_ride_Cincinnati_photo_copyright_of_bicyclist" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>(June 2013) A family affair: </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Our new family </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>tradition of</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>doing this ride together. </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>We decided to do it for</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>all of the moms </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>who CAN'T ride with their kids.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I had power in my decision to thrive and not wallow in my brokenness. </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now I do charity rides with my family. And I even started running — not only as a dare, but because I CAN.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I do everything now because I CAN.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have always wanted to be a librarian. After my surgeries were complete, I applied for every library job I could find, eventually taking a 15-hour-per-week clerk job.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtq5alZDgF4ovVrNY-UxuSq2tY_dN28r-L_o_HxDZp24G9dNgfVn_tIIJvTzPACkpMkzOGNg2CsT1MntICD4H6fhM9bLmA6X4gabnNXfyHJoZMHSlckH_aFziQWJczXI3GPDUD8fyXa8/s1600/Sue+%2526+DH+on+first+5k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtq5alZDgF4ovVrNY-UxuSq2tY_dN28r-L_o_HxDZp24G9dNgfVn_tIIJvTzPACkpMkzOGNg2CsT1MntICD4H6fhM9bLmA6X4gabnNXfyHJoZMHSlckH_aFziQWJczXI3GPDUD8fyXa8/s1600/Sue+%2526+DH+on+first+5k.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate;"><span style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;"><b>(Nov. 2013) </b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="color: red;">My first running event,</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="color: red;"> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Turkey Trot: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Five miles in 18-degree weather.</b></span></span></td></tr>
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Six months later, I applied (and was accepted!) to Kent State’s Masters of Library and Information Science program. Two months after <i>that</i>, I landed a position as a part-time Youth Librarian. Less than two years later, I was offered a plumb job (one I thought I would have to wait much longer for) as a full-time youth librarian in an excellent library not far from home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Now I put on my virtual cape and mask every day, and I </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">live out loud</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">to the best of my bad-ass-librarian ability!</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thanks to inspiration from my Bosom Buddies, I started a blog called </span><a href="http://libraryvillage.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Library Village</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and developed such a following that I'm now recognized as 'Miss Sue' in library circles. And I just debuted a second blog, </span><a href="http://librarianoutloud.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Librarian Out Loud</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, named after my living-out-loud mantra. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Living out loud is working for me.<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>(2014) My latest library digs.</b></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Last week, I was offered a new position as Head Librarian (which is unheard of for someone still working on her MLIS degree!). Passion. Drive. </span><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Living out loud</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My advice: If it works for you, and you're happy with it, keep doing it — whatever it is. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But if you find that you're spinning in the wallow of your brokenness</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, stop. DO SOMETHING instead.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />I could spit out a thousand clichés of motivation that keep me going, but I'll tell you two that drive me: My Mom’s 'You can do anything you set your mind to' (by Ben Franklin, my favorite librarian) and 'Whether you think you can or you think you can't — you're right' (by Henry Ford).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Go </span><span style="font-size: small;">live out loud!</span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>(Aug. 2012) N<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate;">early two years after my breast cancer diagnosis,<br />and I felt brand new. This was taken at our oldest daughter's wedding.<br />Diet, exercise, a new career — and an entirely new attitude.</span></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span>Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-77674681356421805682014-03-24T19:49:00.002-04:002017-09-04T14:51:53.421-04:00TOP 10 TIPS FOR A HAPPY LIFE<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO252oR_Tatr1mSAzwWxi2tk6djy2Snn-69BIih5bQVbi7ElqKZlgVP2unl9Z2CLP9w11oKveqj9_HbwWr8hM4kZowF6F4W9hWZg3_2u07zYuNcDvRWI4lZpX3O7usLxGzcO9_LmYFT-8/s1600/coffee+cup+blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1160" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO252oR_Tatr1mSAzwWxi2tk6djy2Snn-69BIih5bQVbi7ElqKZlgVP2unl9Z2CLP9w11oKveqj9_HbwWr8hM4kZowF6F4W9hWZg3_2u07zYuNcDvRWI4lZpX3O7usLxGzcO9_LmYFT-8/s200/coffee+cup+blue.jpg" title="cup_of_black_coffee" width="144" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left;">© </span><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">TheBigCandMe.Blogspot.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I came across a blog post that feels worthy of a <i>repost</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Originally written as </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/04/dear-16-year-old-me.html"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a letter to my 16-year-old self</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, these tips apply to folks of all ages — not just to teens. <i>After all, we're never as young as we are right now, right?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've renamed them <span style="color: blue; font-weight: bold;">RENN'S TOP 10 TIPS FOR A HAPPY LIFE. Sit down, grab a cup o' coffee, and...</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #1 </span>Appreciate your physicality. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You won't always look this good, feel this good, be this flexible, be this thin, or have such perfect skin.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #2 </span>Stay true to <i>you</i>. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">teenage</i> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">you</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> is the same you as the you you were in elementary school (stay with me here). The teenage you is also the same you that you become when you're older (and supposedly wiser). </span><i><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Never lose sight of her. </span></b></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The good news is, the young you is your beacon and your compass when the stormy seas arrive; she always knows what makes you happy. She always knows the people and things you can trust. The bad news? </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">She doesn't always know what's best for you. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(That's why you need Tip #3.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #3 </span>Develop a strong backbone. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Define what is important to you and then follow your instincts. For example, if you're certain that marriage and family are what you want, don't</span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">waste your prime childbearing years in the wrong relationship. (I'm just sayin'.) If you don't want to give your life over to your work, don't give up all your hobbies and then blame your lack of them on the fact that you haven't the time or energy because you're always working.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #4 </span>Say NO more often.</span> </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(This becomes easier after you have mastered</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> Tip #3</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.) People-pleasing skills are highly over-rated.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #5 </span>Cultivate a rich network of supportive friends</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, particularly those with varied interests and ages. That way you're not left scrambling for new social groups when everyone does (or doesn't) get married, or has (or doesn't have) kids. Build yourself a nice support network on which to fall back on; you'll need these folks to catch you when you fall. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And you <i>will</i> fall. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oh, and remember that in order to have a supportive friend, you have to </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">be</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> a supportive friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #6 </span>Exercise every day. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But not obsessively. Find things you enjoy and do them daily. Working out will keep your weight (and your stress level) down, your hormones in check, your mood more balanced — and your jeans in single digits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #7 </span>Be conscious about what you ingest. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Again, no need to be obsessive; just be smart. Your food should be of good quality, not processed, nor laden with chemicals or pesticides. If you're going to drink alcohol, have a glass of water before every drink. And please don't drink on an empty stomach. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #8 </span>Don't worry so much about what other people think of you. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Because guess what? <i>They're not thinking about you. </i>They're thinking about themselves. So ditch the worry and just be yourself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #9 </span>Kindness is king. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Embrace what you love about you and don't get down on yourself for what you don't. Always, always, always be kind to others — but be especially kind to yourself. And always, always, always choose a mate that is kind to others — and who is <i>especially</i> kind to you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">TIP #10 </span>Keep your naturally positive attitude and sense of humor. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You're going to need it.</span><br />
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Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-79134701331198612432014-02-28T19:23:00.000-05:002017-01-07T15:42:56.886-05:00CYBER SUPPORT<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmLECAlviFI2EG80zQVOFclyE_HGTmNZikE9vsGKlJHRpoTumb6_l4qtrp6-kJ_1e5FqoOtddABB_3OU4Ih-fH0L3CYA7HBETpCWUR56aowCOwbt441ttug5p5ubfWjGMTLR3DbkMgqw/s1600/old+blog+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="54" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmLECAlviFI2EG80zQVOFclyE_HGTmNZikE9vsGKlJHRpoTumb6_l4qtrp6-kJ_1e5FqoOtddABB_3OU4Ih-fH0L3CYA7HBETpCWUR56aowCOwbt441ttug5p5ubfWjGMTLR3DbkMgqw/s1600/old+blog+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">My first blog logo, circa April 2011</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's been nearly three years since my </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2011/04/joining-cancer-club.html">first blog post</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hit cyberspace. It was April 2011, and I was in the thick of my frustration, anger and sadness following a breast cancer diagnosis. I</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">f I didn't write down what I was feeling, I thought my head would explode. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Blogging became a natural way for me to process my cancer "situation."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I wasn't always aware of what I was dealing with; enlightenment often came after I hit the "publish" button.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i> Writing is weird that way...</i></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The dichotomy between my being a private person blogging about very personal matters in a very public forum was not entirely lost on me. (</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It helped that few people outside my daily orbit knew that I had breast cancer; I told even fewer of </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">them</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> that I was blogging.) </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I write under a pseudonym, and still have no desire to change that.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I guess I'm weird that way.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also don't discuss this blog or my breast cancer on Facebook. I like a strict separation of church and state. <i>And </i></span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I realize not everyone feels that way. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At this point in my "cancer recovery," people that know no longer ask how I'm doing. Some days that's OK with me. And some days it's not. </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That's one reason why I'm still blogging.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of my first online friends was </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maria</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. We "met" on one of the </span><a href="http://breastcancer.org/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Breastcancer.org</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (BCO) discussion forums. I can't emphasize enough what a fabulous resource BCO is; no matter what you're going through breast cancer-wise, you will find others dealing with a similar issue. I started a thread there on an issue I was having due to a reconstruction complication, and it has been a lifeline not only to me, but to hundreds of women the past two years. Over 100,000 people with breast cancer the world over are on the BCO discussion boards. Check them out, and please spread the word.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So back to Maria. She started a blog entitled </span><a href="http://breastcancerwontdefineme.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Breast Cancer Won't Define Me</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> in late 2010, and I found myself thinking with every post: <i>T</i></span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">his is me. This is what I'm feeling, too! </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I cant describe how good it felt to realize I wasn't alone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And that's how this blog began. Though </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I didn't understand how anyone would </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">find my blog, <i>let alone find it helpful</i>. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now I've hit 100,000 page views, and I remember being astounded when the page counter hit 100 — which </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">both perplexes me and sends me over the moon.<i> </i></span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The blogosphere is so weird that way!</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Another reason I still blog: </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I've had the great fortune to connect with a vibrant, diverse and dynamic cancer blogging community. B</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">eing a small voice for this community that helps educate, support and demystify the breast cancer experience has been an unexpected and humbling experience.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">But the icing on the cancer cake </b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">has been the connections I've made in cyberspace. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Who knew cancer could bring so many new people into my life? Two of my first bloggy readers were </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://atoosassygal.blogspot.com/"><b>Debbi</b></a><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">and </span><a href="http://countryclublivin.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sandy</span></b></a><span style="text-align: justify;"> —</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and both ladies are now gone. (To honor the many others who have passed away since I began blogging, please see my </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"We'll Never Forget"</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> heading on the right side of my blog).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Several non-cancer bloggers found me, including </span><a href="http://lettersfromlaunna.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Launna</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mary</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://carrie-ourjourney.blogspot.com/">C</a><a href="http://carrie-ourjourney.blogspot.com/">arrie</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">; then the BC contingent followed. Many of you know many of these folks, </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">but </span></b><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'd like to give a special shout out to them here</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><a href="http://www.beingcancer.net/">Dennis</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://nancyspoint.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Nancy</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://matildamutterings.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Holly</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://theriverandthesea.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Cynthia</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">; </span></li>
<li><a href="http://unendingcuts.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Alli</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://accidentalamazon.com/blog/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kathi</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://www.facingcancer.ca/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Catherine</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://janhasak.com/blog/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jan</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">;</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span></li>
<li><a href="http://journeyingbeyondbreastcancer.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Marie</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://www.chemobrainfog.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">Anne Marie</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">and </span><a href="http://regrounding.wordpress.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lori</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.chemobabe.com/">Lani</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">;</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span></li>
<li><a href="http://thesarcasticboob.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Scorchy</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://womenofteal.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">Dee</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://womenofteal.blogspot.com/" style="font-weight: bold;"> </a>and </span><a href="http://thefranco-americanflophouse.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Victoria</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://whatkindofcancer.blogspot.com/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dee</span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://mina-anne.blogspot.com/">Mina</a></span></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://secondbasedispatch.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Jack</b></a><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://secondbasedispatch.com/">ie</a> </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </b></span><a href="http://bethgainer.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Beth</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://feistybluegeckofightsback.wordpress.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Phillipa</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">; </span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bringingupgoliath.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stacey</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">and </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://katebreastcancer.blogspot.com/">Kate</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></b><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and </span></span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://tellingknots.wordpress.com/">T.K</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and</span></span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.boobyandthebeast.com/">Jen</a></span></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><a href="http://boo-bee-trap.blogspot.com/">TC</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">and </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://timetoconsiderthelilies.com/">Y</a><a href="http://timetoconsiderthelilies.com/">vonne</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">and</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://bumpyboobs.wordpress.com/">Catherine</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://greenmonkeytales.blogspot.com/">Shannon</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">;</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span></li>
<li><a href="http://afterfiveyears.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Lauren</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://pinkunderbelly.com/">Nancy</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and</span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.womaninthehat.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Eileen</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://doublewhammied.com/">Diane</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">;</span></span></b></li>
<li><a href="http://angelsteppingstones.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Robyn</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://www.paw-paw-salad.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Liz</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><a href="http://mainelyhopeful.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Susan</span></b></a><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span></span><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Karen The Commenter</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">; </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Lindsey</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dawn</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tina</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> … oh, the list goes on! There are many more; apologies to anyone I left out. Feel free to leave me a shout out with your blog link below.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">My core online gals — whom I've dubbed</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b> The Rubies </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">(Barbara, </span><a href="http://breastcancerwontdefineme.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Maria</b></span></a><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, Marilee, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/09/melanies-story.html">Melanie</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, Shannon and </span><a href="http://libraryvillage.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sue</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">; read about them </span></span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/01/rubies.html" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">) — and I "tawk" every day on a private Facebook group page.</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I've had the pleasure of meeting Shannon in real life twice, Marilee once, as well as several bloggers: </span><a href="http://www.afreshchapter.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">Terri</a><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">twice</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.pink-link.org/" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Vicki</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://a4bc.wordpress.com/">Susan</a> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">once</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">. Such a treat! And I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout-out to my Twitter peeps over at </span><a href="http://www.bcsmcommunity.org/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">#BCSM</a><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">(</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Breast Cancer Social Media</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">). If you're ever on Twitter and have been affected by breast cancer (yourself or a loved one), join us every Monday evening at 9PM ET/8PM Central/6PM Pacific time </span><a href="http://www.tchat.io/rooms/bcsm" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">. It's a fast-paced hour you won't soon forget! So much community.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>One of my greatest joys of blogging is highlighting <i>other</i></b><b> bloggers. </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So many talented voices are out there, so much to learn from them all. A few of my favorites have been mentioned </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/07/mets-monday.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>here</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/04/9-mbc-mavens-day-25.html"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/04/mets-monday-day-15.html"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">here</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/05/wrecked-tales.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>here</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">; besides all the folks I mentioned above, you also can find my running list under the heading </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Renn's Favorite 'Big C' Blogs</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> on the right side of my blog page. That's right — they write about a variety of cancers.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RRQgglvt0BOa1gQBRLBtNRbgemzTV2nE9QqAJcyTkqMKIHYbnRwPSuz19knDzSc4kYYzjLO7pDvQIax2ZNY5g_86kEb_9jCyjYiP2a-SRvGOdAK4KAG2JZ77GeUT8StTHozHLdUoNgI/s1600/Josie+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RRQgglvt0BOa1gQBRLBtNRbgemzTV2nE9QqAJcyTkqMKIHYbnRwPSuz19knDzSc4kYYzjLO7pDvQIax2ZNY5g_86kEb_9jCyjYiP2a-SRvGOdAK4KAG2JZ77GeUT8StTHozHLdUoNgI/s1600/Josie+logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In that vein (pardon the pun), I'd like to introduce you to </span><a href="http://apainintheneck.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A Pain in the Neck</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, a witty blogger who writes with humor about her experience with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Like me, she is a private person who prefers not to use her real name when blogging. We worked together, A Pain in the Neck and I, and believe me when I tell you she is as far from a pain in the neck as a person can be! (Which makes her choice of blog titles even more humorous.) Diagnosed with cancer <a href="http://apainintheneck.com/2014/02/27/a-year-after-my-hodgkins-lymphoma-diagnosis/"><b>one year ago</b></a></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, she is currently undergoing chemo again, and hoping for an autologous stem cell transplant in her near future. A few of her recent blog posts include </span><a href="http://apainintheneck.com/2014/01/30/choose-your-own-adventure/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Choose Your Own Adventure</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://apainintheneck.com/2014/02/22/a-happy-suprise/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A Happy Surprise</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://apainintheneck.com/2014/01/29/on-cancer-blogging/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On Cancer Blogging</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://apainintheneck.com/2014/02/19/my-ideal-winter/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My Ideal Winter</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Please show her some bloggy love — I guarantee she will make you laugh!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So you see, </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it really takes a village to build a blog. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I thank you, always, for being the supportive </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>bloggy universe</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> that I love.</span></span></div>
<br />Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-73150997567832573282014-01-15T04:30:00.001-05:002017-01-07T15:50:09.559-05:00A BLESSING AND A BLUNDER<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub1v2TgxbJ2x7ryu-sKxemT3FRQ2eqGjp5Pjxluidx6k-OnNOD2JDUWLwXJWYm0qh5stYzNnErXStfqAUClT-cl4zB-HpTQboP7-F9A9KsuaNDZSD-G_btwY5Md9tS8PCHS1HxWLR7p8/s1600/Emma+Keller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub1v2TgxbJ2x7ryu-sKxemT3FRQ2eqGjp5Pjxluidx6k-OnNOD2JDUWLwXJWYm0qh5stYzNnErXStfqAUClT-cl4zB-HpTQboP7-F9A9KsuaNDZSD-G_btwY5Md9tS8PCHS1HxWLR7p8/s200/Emma+Keller.jpg" title="Emma_Keller" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Emma Keller</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once there was a writer named </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://emmagkeller.com/blog/">Emma Keller</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">who posted a very disruptive article last week on </span><i><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Guardian</b></span> </a> </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">website about a highly regarded breast cancer blogger named </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lisa Bonchek Adams</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. (I have written about Lisa many times on this blog.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The article in question has since been retracted by The Guardian "</span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/08/lisa-adams-tweeting-cancer-ethics"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">pending investigation</span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">" — but </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>you</i> can find it <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140109033020/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/08/lisa-adams-tweeting-cancer-ethics" style="color: red;">here</a>! </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(Oh, the wonders of the internet, where nothing ever really disappears…)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Continuing on...</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Emma's article (again, you can find it <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140109033020/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/08/lisa-adams-tweeting-cancer-ethics">here</a>) has the breast cancer community (and social media at large) abuzz. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Why? </span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABCLdL4EFJeQgjhrYpG6Y6RIAIliNRqsdVnSrbuSbGZU0E2dADyvw3ZvrDwzz7AsCUL6VtOBm1P9xuMjyPRvdnzgRWiaRv6P0qsjsFtX8lFE_Q02iA8AkdeFUc_0tNUKjvUBWjA6aF6E/s1600/Lisa+Adams2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABCLdL4EFJeQgjhrYpG6Y6RIAIliNRqsdVnSrbuSbGZU0E2dADyvw3ZvrDwzz7AsCUL6VtOBm1P9xuMjyPRvdnzgRWiaRv6P0qsjsFtX8lFE_Q02iA8AkdeFUc_0tNUKjvUBWjA6aF6E/s1600/Lisa+Adams2.jpg" title="Lisa_Bonchek_Adams" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Lisa Bonchek Adams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's crazy, the why. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">These two women, Emma and Lisa, have more in common than meets the eye. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Emma had early-stage breast cancer; Lisa also had early-stage breast cancer. But Lisa's </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">metastasized six years later and she is now Stage IV, incurable. Yet </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Emma is lambasting Lisa</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>for sharing </b><b>TMI.</b></span><br />
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<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Say what? </i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Of course there's more to it. As Emma herself has said on her own <a href="http://emmagkeller.com/blog/2012/06/my-40-day-breast-cancer-a-handful-of-atypical-cells-one-week-a-double-mastectomy-and-reconstructive-surgery-the-next-its-a-cure-but-its-brutal/"><b>blog</b></a>, "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">My goal all along has been to put this experience behind me as fast as possible before carrying on with life as normal." More commonalities. W</span>ho among us who has heard </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"You. Have. Cancer."</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> hasn't </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">tried</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to do that? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We all have. We </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">all try. Until we can't. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lisa tried too, until she couldn't. When Stage IV rapped on her door, she chose to write about it. With grace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But grace is woefully missing from Emma's article. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Luckily for Emma, recurrence has steered clear of her door. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But we all know there are no guarantees when it comes to The Big C. It sneaks up on you, just like a Fort Lee road closure. We keep our doors locked, but cancer has a hide-a-key. It comes home to roost whenever it wants to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Getting back to the issue at hand: </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Emma's story questions the value and ethics of "<span style="color: blue;">tweeting a terminal illness</span>" </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the way Lisa is doing.</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rather than rehash every detail, here's a link to </span><a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2014/01/lisabadams-keller-ugh/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Maryn McKenna's wonderful piece on wired.com</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> It recaps the controversy beautifully. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So many of my blogging friends have written posts about the brouhaha (find my pals listed under my "Renn's Favorite Big C Bloggers" sidebar) that I haven't read them all, but I have to give </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">a shout-out to </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Marie over at</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"> <a href="http://pinkunderbelly.com/2014/01/13/the-tmi-saga-continues/">Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer</a></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, because it was </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maria's blog post yesterday that gave me my AH HA! moment today...</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">It's a blunder and a blessing</span> that Emma's denial of her own fear of recurrence/death </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">has played out in such a public forum — the entire world — and by her own hand, no less! </span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How's that for irony?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But at some point, I hope </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Emma Keller's denial mechanism will crack and crumble. And i</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">f she is self-aware enough, she will learn to face her fear and work through it rather than subconsciously lash out at a wonderful woman with incurable cancer. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>It will take an awful lot of chutzpah on Emma's part to write about <i>that</i>. </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But I truly hope she does. Even if it's years down the road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So </span><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I will take the high road here </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and hope at some point Emma Keller can reflect on her own "overwhelming experience" and see it for what it truly is: the spark that helped changed the way the world views metastatic cancer. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Because without Emma's flub </i></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(and her husband Bill's failed attempt to save her in the </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">New York Times</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, no less! Read that ditty </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/opinion/keller-heroic-measures.html?_r=2"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>here</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">), fewer people in this world would know about </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Lisa Bonchek Adams, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the beauty of her life (which she is still living!), </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the truth of her story. </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And that is the upshot here. </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Everybody's </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">talking about it. And that sheds much-needed light on </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">metastatic cancer</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now back to Lisa. </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She is, tweet by tweet, blog post by blog post, helping to erode that layer of denial that stands between each one of us and our fear of cancer and death. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">None of us get out off this ferris wheel of life alive. So enough with the magical thinking. Enough with the inept logic that anyone going through cancer should just "get on with it." And </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">that is the magic of Lisa</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> She forces those of us brave enough to read her work to face our own fears, to push aside our denial, to freely embrace her path and provide her empathy and offer her support as a human being. Lisa deserves that. We all deserve that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>So I'm going to forgive Emma Keller, and her husband, too. </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For they know not what they do. (Or did.) They unwittingly cracked open the cancer convo and allowed Lisa to shine for all to see. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That is a beautiful thing. And for that I am </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">thankful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now if only Emma and Bill could take the high road and apologize to Lisa...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you are on Twitter, you can show your support by using the hash tag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23IStandWithLisa&src=hash">#IStandWithLisa</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">UPDATE:</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></b>Lisa Bonchek Adams passed away in March 2015. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My </span>post about her is <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2015/03/phoenix-rising.html">here</a>.</span> </span><br />
<br />Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-29255635733428908842014-01-01T05:30:00.001-05:002017-01-07T15:56:40.503-05:002013 REVIEW<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2013? That was so <i>yesterday</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was a year in which I wrote 30<i> fewer </i>blog posts than I did in 2012. The year I forgot my diagnosis anniversary. The year I started focusing on other stuff. Stuff I haven't felt a need to write about. And t</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hat, my peeps, is progress. (For me.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I <i>did</i> review the 50 posts I managed to pen in 2013, and found a few snippets to highlight here...</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>To recap, here is why</b></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2012/12/happy-new-year-2013.html">blog</a></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/01/feeling-invisible.html">feel invisible</a></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/02/rashes-and-scars-and-cancer-oh-my.html">hate rashes</a></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I believe in <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/02/of-funerals-and-friends.html">friends & funerals</a></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I'm put off by <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/02/of-funerals-and-friends.html">+ thinking</a></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-road-from-anxiety-to-resilience.html">Anxiety and resiliency </a>are a perfect match </b></span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: large;">♥</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As much as I try to add some levity, it has been a </span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">shockingly, unbelievably awful year</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> for too many others that I know. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I'm sending some V.B.H. {{{very big hugs}}} to.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/05/karen-tc-update.html">Karen the Commenter</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, whose husband Hugh died suddenly in </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">May</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Still swimming in grief, Karen was then diagnosed with a second cancer: uterine.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/05/wrecked-tales.html">Shannon</a> of <a href="http://greenmonkeytales.blogspot.com/">Green Monkey Tales</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, who was diagnosed with a second cancer as well: rectal cancer in </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">May</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. A few months later she learned that her marriage died.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://fromnewmomtoobb.blogspot.com/">Kate</a> of <a href="http://fromnewmomtoobb.blogspot.com/">The Adventures of OBB</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, who found out in </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">February</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> that her breast cancer had recurred.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Catherine of <a href="http://bumpyboobs.wordpress.com/">Bumpy Boobs</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, who learned in <b>July</b> that her breast cancer had metastasized.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Katy of <a href="http://katydidcancer.blogspot.com/">Katy Did Cancer</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, who also discovered in <b>July</b> that her breast cancer had recurred. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Brooklyn of <a href="http://apainintheneck.com/">A Pain in the Neck</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, who was diagnosed in </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">March</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Yvonne, of <a href="http://timetoconsiderthelilies.com/">Time to Consider the Lilies</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, who was widowed in </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">November</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> following the sudden death of her husband, Ken. </span></li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">♥</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Everyone has a story. </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While those mentioned above were dealt devastating news in 2013, many others have been dealing with the devastation of Stage IV cancer all year long. These lovely folks include </span><a href="http://lisabadams.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Lisa</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.butdoctorihatepink.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ann</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://janhasak.com/blog/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Jan</a> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://thesarcasticboob.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Scorchy</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="https://tellingknots.wordpress.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">T.K.</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://regrounding.wordpress.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Lori</a> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://womenwcancer.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jody</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://katebreastcancer.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Kate</b></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. I could (unfortunately) go on and on. Please, check out my "RENN'S FAVORITE 'BIG C' BLOGS" section on the right side of this blog. You'll find links to these and many other fine bloggers. Show your support by reading their words, leaving a comment, and learning from their journeys. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">♥</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, I would like to pause to acknowledge the passing of four breast cancer bloggers in 2013 who touched my world:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>RIP <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-fallen-star.html">Debbi Chapman Dempsey</a></b></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>RIP <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/04/so-long-to-cindy-day-18.html">Cindy Bellinger</a></b></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>RIP <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/10/jen-jelebelle-vennes.html">Jennifer Ledda Vennes</a></b></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>RIP <a href="http://donnapeach.com/">Donna Peach</a></b></span></li>
</ul>
Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-15189601787359126562013-12-02T04:55:00.000-05:002017-01-07T15:35:54.511-05:00REAR-VIEW MIRRORING<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lately I've noticed friends on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a> participating in a sharing game about their lives. Maybe you've seen it: You leave a message on a pal's wall who has already shared details about themselves; your friend then emails you a number — that's how many tidbits <i>you're</i> supposed to reveal about yourself. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I never found that game enticing</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">...</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Facebook is not a very private forum (some may argue that neither is blogging, to which I say: Touché!). But I do admit to being intrigued by my FB friends' revelations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And that reminds me </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of a <a href="http://thebigcandme.blogspot.com/2013/04/day-18-of-hawmc-post-vintage-image-of.html">post</a> I wrote back in April </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2013 (part of the <a href="http://info.wegohealth.com/HAWMC/">WEGO Health Activist's Writers Month Challenge</a>) which was revelatory in its own unique way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My writing prompt? Post a vintage image of myself and </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">write a caption about it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sounds simple enough; but I couldn't do it. I had nothing to say. Nothing </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">good</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, anyway. </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I mean, h</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>ow do you tell a kid she's going to get cancer? </b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But I found a baby picture anyway, and as I peered into the eyes of my childhood self, many good and bad emotions washed over me (flooded me, really). And it was those feelings that morphed from merely writing a caption to framing my picture against the backdrop of my unraveling life experiences. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's a powerful exercise if you've never tried it. I tweaked of few of mine since my original post; see what I've come up with below. If you try the exercise, do come back and leave a link to your blog in the comments section; we'd love a glimpse of <i>your</i> life as seen through the rear-view mirror!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>This photo was taken:</i></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQSqgH7Xzq-7rb_jhNP10C1SdbujzhFw6kUxYRzHzgG5wTDHd2cO2Qg65aNFjUAw7QRRHapA3FWbhjrEjaN35lQi1SugGxqj7sG6UpQCf2q0NBYFyA_mQrcVD4zVb0UtepnUp92GCYgs/s1600/vintage+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQSqgH7Xzq-7rb_jhNP10C1SdbujzhFw6kUxYRzHzgG5wTDHd2cO2Qg65aNFjUAw7QRRHapA3FWbhjrEjaN35lQi1SugGxqj7sG6UpQCf2q0NBYFyA_mQrcVD4zVb0UtepnUp92GCYgs/s200/vintage+me.jpg" width="178" /></a></i></span></b></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6 months </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">after my siblings spun me around in my father's office chair, sending me flying into the furnace.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>3 years </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before I sliced my mouth on a broken china cup while pretending to sip tea with my dolls.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 years </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before I saw the <a href="http://www.nywf64.com/vatican04.shtml"><b>Pieta</b></a> at the New York World's Fair.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>7 years</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> before I developed a life-long fear of dogs after being bitten by a German Shepherd.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>11 years </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before I hit the brakes while peddling my best friend's banana-seat bike, sending me flying over the handlebars — and into the hospital with a concussion.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>14 years</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> before I saw Anne Frank's house in person.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>16 years</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> before I took to the stage in summer stock theatre.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>24 years </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 31.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>25 years</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> before I moved into Manhattan.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>26 years </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before I ran in my first (and hopefully not last) marathon.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>28 years </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before I drove cross country on a whim.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>33 years</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> before I was diagnosed with </span><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/graves-disease/DS00181" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Graves Disease</b></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>34 years</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> before I lived through a major earthquake, which caused me to re-access my life, reach out for support and move to a more tight-knit community.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>41 years</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> before 9/11 — which caused me to <i>re- </i>re-access my life, call it quits with my boyfriend and move closer to my family.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">45 years </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before I met my husband and overcame my fear of canines.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>47 years </b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before my dad died.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">48 years </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before I got married.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">49 years </span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before I became a step-grandmother.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>50 years before I was diagnosed with <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-cancer/DS00328">breast cancer</a>.</b></span></li>
</ul>
Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7757387388608137930.post-53429578997836994422013-11-25T01:39:00.000-05:002014-04-09T19:57:47.155-04:00ON FEELING ALONE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22WHubbRxkX0RoQWkHcBeTHJ5xfGlwN9LJgfnsjMDgSwiuEK72nCaNNr9NoJA9YKRkiruOknL71TGRs1axGJcL_tXSyAEDcVzUmkOzVyZYfzoTPNf4SAP5Cdpq-JQPt8_51SZxDlVqRI/s1600/alone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22WHubbRxkX0RoQWkHcBeTHJ5xfGlwN9LJgfnsjMDgSwiuEK72nCaNNr9NoJA9YKRkiruOknL71TGRs1axGJcL_tXSyAEDcVzUmkOzVyZYfzoTPNf4SAP5Cdpq-JQPt8_51SZxDlVqRI/s400/alone.jpg" height="202" title="you_are_alone_in_this_life" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08617626526633867494noreply@blogger.com10