Checking In

Tomorrow morning Mom will have an MRI to check the progress of the chemotherapy. Prayers, luck and everything her way!

Another long week - but halfway done!

Whew, that was another long week. First couple days after a treatment are OK, but then I get very tired, as Julie said, and every part of my body seems to move in slow motion and weigh a ton. This time I also find myself very sad and depressed, maybe because of Thanksgiving without Mom? I don't think anyone really liked being "home for the holidays" with me, and I didn't really like it much either. Plus food tends to taste funny (sort of metallic) after a treatment, and the stuffing and sweet potatoes just didn't taste the same on Thanksgiving. We did have a nice family day seeing the Harry Potter movie on Friday with a nice dinner following. And today I am starting to feel a little better, a little more energetic, a little less down. So now half the treatments are down, and half the "week afters" as well.

On Wednesday and Friday I go for repeats of some scans they did before chemo started. This will tell them if the chemo is working, and how well, and help line up treatment decisions for post-chemo (including whether I'll need any more surgery or not). So please keep me in your prayers, because I sure hope this chemo is doing something positive for all the negative effects it is having on me!

1/2 Way!

Three chemo's down, three to go. Mom had her third chemo Friday, *whilst Jenny was busy winning with Denison in Iowa at the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament and advancing to the Elite 8, where they lost in PKs*.

Mom's starting to get tired, as she has been the week following the chemo treatments. But hopefully will be feeling better in about a week.

Another quick note...

The Mayo Clinic has a Cancer Healing Blog, and in the post linked here, the writer addresses humor's role in healing. As many of you know, our family employs that method more than any other when it comes to our cancer encounters. Her post says there is actually a small link between literally laughing and healing. Worth taking a look at.

Today's a Holiday

In honor of Mom's 3rd Chemotherapy Treatment today, this post celebrates a holiday- and reminds us how we can control our own destinies. (at least a little bit!)

Today is National Public Health Day. Public Health is the preventative side of medicine. It is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals."

The field is responsible for things like the discovery of the link between lung cancer and smoking, and the biology behind the AIDS virus. When you read about various risk factors for cancer and other diseases, this is where it comes from.

You can join the Public Health Heroes Thank You Facebook Page, by clicking this link.

Taking steps now can help us all avoid cancer. There is a widget on this blog on the right from the American Cancer Society listing various risky behaviors associated with cancer. These include high dietary fat intake, low vegetable and fruit consumption, low physical activity, pollution, high alcohol consumption, smoking, and high UV ray exposure. A low fat diet, healthy activity, and adamant cancer screening are the best ways to prevent cancer in your life. Mom will tell you, she almost didn't get the mammogram that first diagnosed her, and waiting another few months could have been disastorous. Make sure you're getting your colonoscopies, mammograms, PSA tests, and other screening tests that you have been recommended for based on age and family history!

Also- yesterday marked the beginning of the Great American Smokeout! Below you can see the EXTREMELY HIGH correlation between smoking and lung cancer death. This figure does not even include lung cancer diagnosis. Just death. So please take care of yourself!

Sorry for the preaching- but a good day to look at our behaviors and what we can do to avoid the very reason for this blog. A lot of cancer is environmental and a lot of cancer is due to genetic susceptibility. But if we can get rid of the cancer that's due to our own behavior, that would be a great thing!

Be healthy! And send a prayer to Mom in her chemo!
Julie

A Cancer Vaccine!

A cancer vaccine has been shown to reduce tumor size in an animal model.

“Inserted anywhere under the skin — much like the implantable contraceptives that can be placed in a woman’s arm — the implants activate an immune response that destroys tumor cells,” Mooney said.

The technique may have powerful advantages over surgery and chemotherapy, and may also be useful in combination with existing therapies. It only targets tumor cells, avoiding collateral damage elsewhere in the body. And, much as an immune response to a bacterium or virus generates long-term resistance, researchers anticipate that cancer vaccines will generate permanent and bodywide resistance against cancerous cells, providing durable protection against relapse.

A nice message....

Second week seems to be easier

I'll second everything Julie said, but come Sunday night/Monday morning (so that's about 10 days after a treatment) I start getting my energy back. This week I'm feeling more like myself again, so I guess I get about 10 days of that before the next treatment. And it was lovely having my daughter home to hang out with me when I didn't feel like doing too much - be it doing nothing WITH me, or doing stuff so I didn't have to! Jenny's turn up next, as she will be home on Thanksgiving break when it hits next time!

1/3 Mile Checkpoint

By my calculations we are almost at the 1/3 checkpoint through this chemo process. Of course after that there is a bit left, but let's call that the warm down... Mom is very tired. She can confirm this, and I've been careful not to say how she's feeling since I haven't been there to see, but I'll venture to guess its something like when you just got done with the flu and you're totally wiped out and sleep in too late and need one more day to sleep it off. When you wanna cuddle up and just lay all day. Except she feels like that every day for a little more than the week after her treatment. So this weekend that's a lot of what we did!

Friday we sent Amy off to MND's homecoming dance. We ventured around to the little girls' city tournament basketball games which they were excellent at. And mom roused up enough energy to yell her "COUGARS" cheer and jibe the refs with me and dad. And then Mom and I spent all Saturday afternoon watching all three Back to the Future movies, which is confusing after a while because you see the same scene 8 times 10 different ways. We may have been tripping on Halloween candy a bit by the end. And the family came over for Becky's 10th birthday party on Sunday.

So from my dip back home for the weekend, that's my little update on how she's really doing. She's very tired, but not feeling ill. She's getting very dry eyes from the treatments, so if anyone has suggestions or tip for dry eyes with contacts she'll appreciate them! And Mom, you can correct any of this... The next chemo session is the week before Thanksgiving.

A Hug for Your Head

I found this company, L. Erickson, who is a high end hair ornament design company. They have a program that was recommended to me called "Good Wishes". I decided to post their program on here, because they have trouble getting the word out to breast cancer patients about this really generous thing they do for people. So spread the word if you know anyone else who is going through chemo and/or hair loss (this doesn't include the aging men in our families I believe...)!

Need a hug for your head?

Free Headwrap or Scarf from L. Erickson USA

If you are a woman or girl experiencing a loss or thinning of hair as a result of illness or treatment, we’ll send you a scarf in the pattern and color of your choosing, on us! Our beautiful It’s a Wraps or Good Wishes Scarves are made from soft and silky, hand-picked breathable fabrics that flatter your face, protect you from sun and cold, and carry with them good wishes wherever you go. To receive a complimentary scarf or headwrap due to chemotherapy and hair loss, contact Laurie Erickson for more information, or call 888.884.3653. Click here to see examples of our It's A Wrap.

Our Story

As a CEO of my own company and 20 years of experience in the fashion accessories industry under my belt, one of my most memorable moments came with a simple question asked by a loyal customer, Hillary, who had recently undergone chemotherapy. What did I have for someone who had lost the very thing that I had built much of my business around: Hair. I apologized and told her we did not carry anything of that nature, and then it hit me. Why not offer her something that in my view was arguably even more vibrant and beautiful? For years I had worked with the finest cotton and silk fabrics with the most beautiful and inspiring colors and designs. I offered to send Hillary a scarf at no charge. It was the least I could do for this woman who was just looking for a little something to make her feel pretty and feminine during a difficult time. At our staff meeting later that week, we took a moment for Hillary and we sent our very first scarf along with our good wishes for a quick recovery. It was at that time that the Good Wishes program was born. - Laurie Erickson, CEO/President, The Finest Accessories® Inc.

Our Mission

Our mission is simple: to provide, free of charge, one beautiful It’s a Wrap or Good Wishes Scarf to women and children experiencing the thinning or loss of hair as a result of illness or treatment, to in some small way, to ease their journey. Our goal is to provide a small bit of comfort and share the power of positive thinking and good wishes with these individuals on their path to healing and recovery.

About Good Wishes

Good Wishes, an L. Erickson USA® program, provides a scarf or an It’s a Wrap to women and girls experiencing a thinning or loss of hair due to illness or treatment at no cost. Each scarf is a gift of hope that carries with it the support and good wishes of our staff and represents the strength and beauty of the woman or child who wears it. All Good Wishes gifts are made with CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements as a special symbol to honor your courage and spirit. L. Erickson USA® and France Luxe® are designer brands of the parent company The Finest Accessories® Inc.

Its amazing how many people out there have thought of really kind ways to give people going through this a little nudge forward. And I know mom can really use it this week. So if you want to share this company with your doctors, or friends, or even shop there for some nice scarves or other things.... they donate 20% of purchase prices to Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation (TNBC) ®, which was launched in 2006 in honor of Nancy Block-Zenna, a young mother who was diagnosed at age 35 with triple negative breast cancer and died less than three years later.

Go DU!

Mom was feeling pretty tired and nauseous off and on so far this week. BUT she did make it up to Jenny's NCAC Conference Tournament game with Dad, which.... they won!! (Against Wittenberg University). Next they play Allegheny College in the Conf. Tournament Final Saturday at Denison. And if they win that game, they go to the NCAA Tournament.

But anyways.... just a baby update that mom was feeling well enough to venture up to Granville for a big win!