<p>Yes, LTS, Happy Birthday, and many happy returns, but not of that beautiful dress! lol and a “rim shot.” Would love to see your D’s face tonight as she falls into your verbal “trap.”</p>
<p>What a great mom you are! Happy Birthday!</p>
<p>Happy Birthday LTS from the West Coast.</p>
<p>LTS, have a wonderful birthday! And many more to come!</p>
<p>Aww! Great story. =) Happy birthday!!</p>
<p>So like you to desire to make someone else smile for your birthday!!!</p>
<p>Many, many, many happy returns of the day!</p>
<p>Dear LTS, You are always an inspiration, giving the gift of joy on your special day may it come back to you ten fold. Happy Birthday!</p>
<p>Happy birthday from (somewhat) sunny (Northern) California.</p>
<p>Happy birthday, LatetoSchool, and many, MANY more very happy birthdays to you. Thoughts and prayers going out to you in honor of your special day, today and every day!</p>
<p>Birthday Greetings- from South Jersey :)</p>
<p>Happy birthday wishes to you and your daughter (great dress idea)!</p>
<p>Today, April 28, is the day in 1947 that Thor Heyerdahl and crew set off from Peru to parts unknown in the Pacific, on Kon Tiki. Got there 101 days later. A person with a dream and conviction, the way people had made it before him many centuries before him. Sounds pretty auspicious to me!</p>
<p>Wikipedia says (don’t tell my teacher I’m using this as a source!): “Although much of his work remains controversial within the scientific community, Heyerdahl undoubtedly increased public interest in ancient history and in the achievements of various cultures and peoples around the world — he also showed that long distance ocean voyages were technically possible even with ancient designs. As such, he was a major practitioner of experimental archaeology.”</p>
<p>happy birthday LTS , you have a friend in philly if you ever need anything here. I always get moist eyes when I revisit this thread. You are truly an inspirational person.</p>
<p>Happy Birthday, LTS!!!</p>
<p>AWWWWWWWWWW!!! I can’t wait to hear her reaction!!.. Happy Birthday to YOU! I love either getting myself a little something on my birthday, or surprising someone else, too! I hope that your improvements this week are easily seen and felt day to day.</p>
<p>Adding my wishes for a very happy birthday, LTS … and praying for many more.</p>
<p>Thank you all for all of the birthday wishes; it was a fantastic day as I went to my primary oncologist for our regular Monday appointment and he said things continue to improve (clearing). Also, the excrutiating pain from the disc is almost gone - wonder how that happens so quickly…oh, even better, my oncologist talked to my radiation oncologists and he said “suddenly they all like you a LOT and they said once they got to know you, you’re an extremely nice person” - this especially from the “venerable” physician lolol - (I’m only evil when I am not getting straight answers). :)</p>
<p>The dress…you know, I wish I had some wildly entertaining story to tell, but, my daughter was sort of split two ways on this - she loves the dress, at the same time, she said it was far too much money and that I should not have done it. She said I am not supposed to buy her things on MY birthday; I should buy things for myself etc.; so, I just basically told her that ah, um, like, as we both already know, I do come anywhere near in range of qualifying for the stimulus package so the cost of this dress is a non issue; and that what makes me happiest is to be able to provide things for her and do things for her. And this graduation is a very big deal - her young man is receiving a major academic award; he is graduating summa, his father is flying over from Indonesia to walk for his Ph.D. the day prior to and she is invited to that as well; this is a very large family and there will be lots of events which in turn translates to lots of photographs. (I am invited but waiting to decide - depends on what my doctors all say.) Plus, the shoes we bought her over the weekend match it flawlessly, an event that NEVER happens when one is trying to match shoes and dresses - this just sort of happened by serendipity…</p>
<p>I also approached my second smoker last night - a very nice young lady, she could not have been 30 years old yet, sitting outside smoking, so, I asked her if I could just have a minute of her time, she said yes, and I gave her the same quick pitch - asked her to please consider stopping smoking, I have lung cancer, I then gave her the stats and my life expectancy, etc., even lifted a corner of my wig, explaining I have no hair, etc. She told me she was trying to “cut back”. That ignited me (no pun intended), and I didn’t mean to but next thing you know I was in a long passionate speech about how “cutting back” won’t get it, she needs to get rid of the cigarettes, period, it’s not to late, go get help, please get a doctor’s help to quit, there are meds on the market that might help, etc. Then I caught myself as I had gone beyond the opening agreement which was just a minute of her time…so…I apologized, told her I didn’t mean to be preachy but she’s so young, it’s not too late…</p>
<p>Then the most amazing thing happened - instead of being relieved to be rid of me, as I expected, she actually asked me if she could buy me a cup of coffee or something else to drink and I could sit with her. I declined of course because I was on my way to meet my daughter but of all the reactions, I was certainly not expecting that…how very odd…</p>
<p>Oops, I missed your birthday - sorry! Belated wishes. It sounds absolutely like a wonderful day - you made the person closest to you happy and surprised, and you reached out to a complete stranger, perhaps impacting the rest of her life. What a perfect celebration.</p>
<p>I think that young smoker realized that you had just given an expensive piece of yourself to her - your privacy and personal story and conviction - and wanted to do something in return.</p>
<p>Hey LTS, great medical news! What a nice birthday present! Glad that the docs are starting to see the light of your personality. ;)</p>
<p>Wonderful medical news!</p>