So one year ago, I started this blog. One year ago, I was terrified and devastated and had no idea what was to come next.
And then the support came, from all of you lovely people. You sent messages, books, blankets, cards, flowers, BBQ pork ribs, Persian magic, jewelry....and most importantly, love and belief that everything would be okay.
And it is more than okay. Had scans this week -- still no progression and I feel great. I feel incredibly lucky and blessed, and I want to thank you ALL for your kind comments on this blog -- it really made it worthwhile to write.
Which brings me to...The National Lung Cancer Partnership has asked me to blog on their site, and I have accepted the challenge of trying to write meaningful, inspiring words without swearing too much -- so I will let you know when it is up -- probably a few weeks from now -- and I will also give you a link. That doesn't necessarily mean that I will totally give up this blog, but with my new addiction to FB, and this new venture, my updates about this adventure will probably be more accessible in those two spots.
Again, I will send out a link as soon as I am up and running on the other website. Happy Fourth of July weekend, my wonderful friends and family! Thanks for helping me get through this year -- all in all, it's been more wonderful than not -- which is a happy surprise.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Rodeo in Joliet
I think this might be a must read. Hard to read, sure (try being someone who HAS cancer while reading it!), but I think definitely worth it. It is lovely, heartbreaking, brilliant, funny, and TRUE.
Available on amazon.com. Glenn Rockowitz. Rodeo in Joliet.
Available on amazon.com. Glenn Rockowitz. Rodeo in Joliet.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Hey Oprah!
Tell Oprah About Lung Cancer!
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is sending a six-foot tall
letter to the Oprah Winfrey Show imploring Oprah to dedicate a show to our
common cause and to shine a light on the disease.
The huge (literally) letter is schedule to arrive to Oprah on May 21st.
You can help!
1. Please log on to https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=220 either
late Wednesday night or FIRST THING on Thursday morning and pour your heart
and lungs out about WHY you want to see Lung Cancer “talked about” on her
show. (You will have 2000 characters).
2. We don’t want to tell you what to write and each email should be
different.
3. Just mention that you hope she’s had a chance to read Bonnie J. Addario’s
BIG letter.
If you like, you can send the Addario Foundation a copy of what you wrote.
Thank you in advance, for giving it a go! It’s time for Lung Cancer to hit
the airwaves in a BIG way.
Note: If, for any reason, the above link doesn’t take you to the “WE HEAR
YOU: OPRAH’s MAIL” page…just go to www.oprah. com…you’ll find it.
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is sending a six-foot tall
letter to the Oprah Winfrey Show imploring Oprah to dedicate a show to our
common cause and to shine a light on the disease.
The huge (literally) letter is schedule to arrive to Oprah on May 21st.
You can help!
1. Please log on to https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=220 either
late Wednesday night or FIRST THING on Thursday morning and pour your heart
and lungs out about WHY you want to see Lung Cancer “talked about” on her
show. (You will have 2000 characters).
2. We don’t want to tell you what to write and each email should be
different.
3. Just mention that you hope she’s had a chance to read Bonnie J. Addario’s
BIG letter.
If you like, you can send the Addario Foundation a copy of what you wrote.
Thank you in advance, for giving it a go! It’s time for Lung Cancer to hit
the airwaves in a BIG way.
Note: If, for any reason, the above link doesn’t take you to the “WE HEAR
YOU: OPRAH’s MAIL” page…just go to www.oprah. com…you’ll find it.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Catch Up
So I am posting from my lovely room in the Dallas Fairmont, in the midst of all the flurry of the 2nd Annual National Lung Cancer Partnership's Advocacy Summit. It basically rocks. Seriously. I am having a fantastic...well, great..well, inspiring...hmm. Not exactly sure what I am calling it yet. But pretty intense, that is for sure. Lots of amazing survivors, advocates, caregivers, etc. And lots of really inspiring information about where the state of the disease is.
Lots of hope, lots of love.
LOTS of information. I have TWO binders to schlepp on the plane.
And, in an unrelated but personally important update, before I left on Tuesday, I got my hair CUT AND COLORED!! It almost looks intentional...enough so that I have only worn the Red Fox once (and that was tonight, two days into it, and only because this darn AC makes my head cold!).
Yippee!
More posts to come...get ready for some cancer science!!
Lots of hope, lots of love.
LOTS of information. I have TWO binders to schlepp on the plane.
And, in an unrelated but personally important update, before I left on Tuesday, I got my hair CUT AND COLORED!! It almost looks intentional...enough so that I have only worn the Red Fox once (and that was tonight, two days into it, and only because this darn AC makes my head cold!).
Yippee!
More posts to come...get ready for some cancer science!!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Hooray!
Scans came back fine -- no progression, stable...which is just great news. So just keeping on the Alimta, feeling great, and ready for spring!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Scan Time again
April 7. It will have been nine weeks since the last scan. I'm nervous, but also not. It would be a gigantic disappointment not to have good results at this point, but one, I think the results will be fine, and two, even if we need to do something else...well, that's what we have to do!
love you all, mp
love you all, mp
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Time flies when I'm not Posting!
Sorry for the lengthy silence -- again! I really promise to keep up on updates from now on!
Basically, the short story is -- I feel great, my next scans are still over a month away, and my hair is growing back, although very unevenly and a very strange mousebrown/silver color.
The other cool thing is that I was accepted (all expenses paid!) to a Lung Cancer Advocacy Summit in Dallas in April. I'm pretty excited -- the topics range from things like how to work with lobbyists, to writing grants, to pitching the media (they have no idea that I used to have to pitch the Beach Boys to cranky entertainment reporters), to fundraising.
So that's it. I'll be back next week, hopefully with something more interesting to say!
xxoo, mp
Basically, the short story is -- I feel great, my next scans are still over a month away, and my hair is growing back, although very unevenly and a very strange mousebrown/silver color.
The other cool thing is that I was accepted (all expenses paid!) to a Lung Cancer Advocacy Summit in Dallas in April. I'm pretty excited -- the topics range from things like how to work with lobbyists, to writing grants, to pitching the media (they have no idea that I used to have to pitch the Beach Boys to cranky entertainment reporters), to fundraising.
So that's it. I'll be back next week, hopefully with something more interesting to say!
xxoo, mp
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Oops, Time for an Update
You see how I get?? So cavalier that I forget to let you know how my scans went?!?
I have a confession....it's facebook that is keeping me distracted from my blog. All those darn "25 Interesting Things About Me" tasks (I have done it twice already, and lost them both times when I tried to tag people -- I am not doing it again!), the tagged photos, the virtual potted plants, the uber-witty updates from people who are friends of my friend's friends....all much more FUN than a cancer blog, don't you think?
But here I am, back again.
My scans were great. Everything is same size (which means stable, which we like) PLUS there's a subtle trend of "softening" going on...which is a small but good sign that the Alimta is not only working, it's working WELL.
Yippee!
I have a confession....it's facebook that is keeping me distracted from my blog. All those darn "25 Interesting Things About Me" tasks (I have done it twice already, and lost them both times when I tried to tag people -- I am not doing it again!), the tagged photos, the virtual potted plants, the uber-witty updates from people who are friends of my friend's friends....all much more FUN than a cancer blog, don't you think?
But here I am, back again.
My scans were great. Everything is same size (which means stable, which we like) PLUS there's a subtle trend of "softening" going on...which is a small but good sign that the Alimta is not only working, it's working WELL.
Yippee!
Monday, January 26, 2009
N-N-N-Nioxin!
Forget Mr. T
They accidentally shipped Tom Shaggy from Scooby Doo, which I think is actually better. Lucie talks in Shaggy/Scooby voice, and tells me that I am going to LOSE. Nothing like support from my nearest and dearest.
But, darn it, this hair is going to GROW. I saw Bex this weekend --HER hair is a. it's natural color and texture, and b. growing in uniformly, and c. SHE HAS MORE THAN ME!!!!
So I have committed my self to the Nioxin or Nioxx or whatever the $40 shampoo and $40 scalp treatment is called. Spendy, but not as much as wigs (the first one is free through insurance, but after that you have to pay). And I am oh so tired of the cancer hats and scarves.
Scan tomorrow -- and then we'll know if I get to go every three months for scans -- fingers crossed!
Lots of people fighting this cancer beast right now -- either actively, or are learning what it means to live through and past it.
Let's all think some good thoughts for them. Thanks.
They accidentally shipped Tom Shaggy from Scooby Doo, which I think is actually better. Lucie talks in Shaggy/Scooby voice, and tells me that I am going to LOSE. Nothing like support from my nearest and dearest.
But, darn it, this hair is going to GROW. I saw Bex this weekend --HER hair is a. it's natural color and texture, and b. growing in uniformly, and c. SHE HAS MORE THAN ME!!!!
So I have committed my self to the Nioxin or Nioxx or whatever the $40 shampoo and $40 scalp treatment is called. Spendy, but not as much as wigs (the first one is free through insurance, but after that you have to pay). And I am oh so tired of the cancer hats and scarves.
Scan tomorrow -- and then we'll know if I get to go every three months for scans -- fingers crossed!
Lots of people fighting this cancer beast right now -- either actively, or are learning what it means to live through and past it.
Let's all think some good thoughts for them. Thanks.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A chance to help
From the Change.gov website, for President-Elect Obama, they have a "briefing book." It is described below...
"Share your ideas on any issue facing the new administration, then rate or comment on other ideas. The best rated ideas will rise to the top -- and be gathered into a Citizen's Briefing Book to be delivered to President Obama after he is sworn in."
My friend Stephanie couldn't find anything in the briefings about lung cancer (you can search for it), so she wrote a piece, along with excerpts from the LCA letter for the President-Elect. Now we need YOU to go to this site and vote for it. Copy and paste this note and email all your friends to vote for it. They have to be the best rated to make it in the book that he receives.
Keep in mind, people can also vote it down, so we need to get plenty of affirmative votes. You may also vote down those that may be lower priorities for you, giving you "double" power to help this one surface...Can you help?
citizensbriefingbook.change.gov
"Share your ideas on any issue facing the new administration, then rate or comment on other ideas. The best rated ideas will rise to the top -- and be gathered into a Citizen's Briefing Book to be delivered to President Obama after he is sworn in."
My friend Stephanie couldn't find anything in the briefings about lung cancer (you can search for it), so she wrote a piece, along with excerpts from the LCA letter for the President-Elect. Now we need YOU to go to this site and vote for it. Copy and paste this note and email all your friends to vote for it. They have to be the best rated to make it in the book that he receives.
Keep in mind, people can also vote it down, so we need to get plenty of affirmative votes. You may also vote down those that may be lower priorities for you, giving you "double" power to help this one surface...Can you help?
citizensbriefingbook.change.gov
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Race Is On
My friend Tom Todaro thinks I can take on Mr. T. At least in terms of hair growth.
Tom, being the helpful friend he is, has managed to track this down, and as soon as I get it -- the race is ON, Mr. T!!!! I'll post progress pics and we can decide who gets the big gold medallion. And it will be me. "I got no time for this jibba jabba!"
Monday, January 12, 2009
Brr!
My apologies to everyone I know who doesn't have a lot of hair, yet still will brave the ski slopes.
Freakin' COLD, even with a special DaKine beanie and my helmet.
BRRRRRRRRR. And yesterday was a relatively warm day on the slopes.
Freakin' COLD, even with a special DaKine beanie and my helmet.
BRRRRRRRRR. And yesterday was a relatively warm day on the slopes.
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