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<p>[Lung</a> cancer advocate Atkinson U.S. Open pledge | myMeso.org | Mesothelioma Blog](<a href=“http://www.mymeso.org/2008/05/13/lung-cancer-advocate-atkinson-us-open-pledge/]Lung”>http://www.mymeso.org/2008/05/13/lung-cancer-advocate-atkinson-us-open-pledge/)</p>
<p>[Lung</a> Cancer Alliance - News & Announcements](<a href=“http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/features/feature_usopen.html]Lung”>http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/features/feature_usopen.html)</p>
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</p>
<p>–LTS</p>
<p>. .</p>
<p>and another (this one in England)</p>
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<p>[Cancer</a> survivor keeps on running - News - Tameside Advertiser](<a href=“MyTameside - Tameside latest news - Manchester Evening News”>MyTameside - Tameside latest news - Manchester Evening News)</p>
<p>LTS, I hope you are having a successful day today - goals met, challenges hurdled, good news, something that makes you smile. Maybe you will walk past a shoe store with the perfect pair of red leather heels in the window! And they will be right next door to a chocolate store!</p>
<p>I loved Epistrophy’s post #2783. Especially the line about lots of different kinds of earthquakes. If you’re caught in the middle of an earthquake, you probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how many others are also caught, to determine how much you’re allowed to fret.</p>
<p>Comparing a couple unrelated events is only marginally useful. It is helpful to look at those worse off when it enables us to put things in perspective. But it should in no way make one feel guilty for not suffering in the same way! When my father was dying, I realized that that fact did not make my headaches or skinned knees hurt less. Sometimes it made them hurt more - because I had that much less of me to cope. Does that make sense? Perhaps it helped stop me from going on and on about something relatively trivial, but it didn’t mean I had to pretend I didn’t need an aspirin or bandaid. Or a hug.</p>
<p>I’m hoping this is a closed door that leads to an open window for you. That there will be hidden blessings - great new neighbors, a better commute, a healthier home. That it took a flood to get you to the top of the mountain.</p>
<p>What Epistrophy and Binx said so eloquently goes for me, too. My first thought as I lurked here yesterday was that you most certainly had the right to feel a little out-of-sorts after your home flooded! Now…I’ll go back to my lurking and offering up good wishes and prayers for you and your daughter.</p>
<p>LTS: a foot of water in your basement sucks and I’m glad it wasn’t worse.</p>
<p>I think this is a time to throw money at the problem. Buy the new laptop, buy the new shoes, move to a hotel for a few days–consider breaking the lease and moving into a residential hotel because you’ll never trust this place again and will always wonder whether you’re going to wake up in the morning to more flooding. And then try to forget it happened and continue to focus on your healing.</p>
<p>LTS, I hope you are having a much better day today! I’m so sorry to hear about the flood and the headaches it created for you. Cyberhugs.</p>
<p>LTS, always keeping track of this thread, and hoping that you have called in a local support team to do some of the administrative tasks you need done. Continued best wishes and healing thoughts!</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the positive, supportive posts, and prayers. Last night and this morning I have not been able to get the landlord to engage in meaningful discussion about replacing or reimbursing for damaged goods, etc., and the losses are not insignificant - laptop, books, clothing, shoes, luggage, etc. Even my birthday present from my daughter was ruined - it wasn’t worth very much money but it was HER money and it still makes me cry, three days after the fact. She tried so hard to pick the very best present for me and she was so excited to give it to me. Just typing about it in this post my eyes fill with tears. There is also substantial distance between what the landlord and I each believe constitutes cleanliness of either living space or clothing and materials. For example, I am not comfortable just letting things dry off and hoping they are all o.k.</p>
<p>So, I will just write this off, move on, throw my own money at it as dmd suggested. Today is better; I am trying to focus on my very good fortune: that in spite of a horrible diagnosis and in especially in spite of blood counts that are so low my doctors and nurses tell me I should be exhausted and short of breath even just walking across a room, I can still walk substantial distances, go to work, climb stairs, go to the gym, visit with and talk to my clients, etc. - I am going to count my blessings, and focus on what is good, and the many remaining things I still have to be thankful for.</p>
<p>I hate to say this, but I’ve been a landlord, and I’ve been a tenant, and generally landlord’s insurance only covers the structure and your own insurance will need to cover your own possessions.</p>
<p>I am most sorry about your daughter’s present. Everything else is just stuff.</p>
<p>(When my husband was in the worst stages of his cancer–when his close friend died of the same cancer within weeks of diagnosis–our motto became “any problem you can throw money at is a good problem.”)</p>
<p>Always remember that doctors talk about averages and that normal is a range. Thus, the average person has trouble when blood counts are low–but some people feel fine and some feel worse.</p>
<p>dmd, are you saying it is possible to have very low counts and still feel just fine? </p>
<p>Are you also saying that the landlord has no responsibility here? (Not that it matters at this point - I have no plans to pursue anything down that road, it’s too annoying.)</p>
<p>LTS:</p>
<p>I was tied up with meetings and did not check this thread. And lo and behold, I come back to read about your latest mishap! I am very sorry it happened. I am most sorry for your D’s present. It was such a pretty dress!Try, however, to set it aside. Reserve your fight for your illness. Keeping you in my thoughts, as always.</p>
<p>marite, I don’t think it was the dress, it was LTS’ daughter’s birthday present to LTS.</p>
<p>You’re doing the right thing, LTS. Just move on, and conserve your energy for more important battles. Breathe a sigh of relief that you can afford to replace your possessions and pay for another place to live. Please get out of there. From what I read, the landlord does not take the mold issue seriously and will not take steps to prevent or abate it.</p>
<p>My sympathies. This is an awful thing to have happen right now.</p>
<p>Reading more posts. Yes, yes, yes, break the lease and go to a suite hotel. Most of the comforts of home, immediately. Hefty bags will do for this move. </p>
<p>Maybe find a college student to help out for the summer?</p>
<p>As a landlord in the nearly same situation as I alluded to above (the house was rented out but we planned to live in it in the future), the landlord is NOT responsible for your goods outside gross negligence. As a rental I could not even get insurance against flooding in the basement due to drain backup and the like which was what happened in our case. The drain line near the street became clogged and backed up during a hard rain as the roof drains tie into the house drain system. The tenant lost some stuff but her renters insurance covered it. All we had to do was make the repairs in a reasonable time which we did at great cost by paying weekend rates and overtime.</p>
<p>LTS, Just drop in and found out your new disaster. Hang in there. If you have doubt about dried clothing items, use a UV light source to irradiate for a few hours. Best,</p>
<p>Thanks…it actually makes me feel better to learn that the landlord is not liable; I would prefer to continue to like her as a person. I have homeowners insurance, but not renters insurance. It never occured to me to get renter’s insurance. Oh well. Moving on…</p>
<p>Marite, it was my daughter’s birthday present to me, not her dress. If it had been her dress I would be requiring a criminal defense attorney - actually a team of them - right about now (j/k). :)</p>
<p>dmd, we cross posted, thanks for that. I haven’t had blood counts low enough to cause a delay of treatment, but, the doctors have said that mine are low enough to cause some symptoms, which I am finding are happening. I just want to believe that low counts and not cancer progression are the reason for shortness of breath when climbing lots of stairs, etc…I didn’t have this two weeks ago…doctors say that it is but I’m in one of these “worried” moods…</p>
<p>LTS: my husband is not only a long-term lymphoma survivor (in remission for 7 years now) but is also active in the Leukemia and Lymphoma association Team In Training group (where he coaches the local cycling team). At least in the case of lymphoma treatment–which is often a combination of chemo and radiation–the reaction to the same treatment varies across the map. My husband went through chemo doing cycling training and his numbers stayed just fine—some of his friends spent chemo cycles lying on the couch with high numbers and some had no reaction at all and very low numbers. Numbers are just numbers. Don’t let numbers tell you how you feel.</p>
<p>LTS, I know that this is not even close to what you are going through, but I remember back to freshman year in college and each incoming freshman was called into the infirmary for routine blood tests. Apparently, a mild panic ensued after my test results came back and a search party was sent out for me, thinking that I must be “out cold,” somewhere. Evidently, my red blood cell count was the lowest they could ever remember seeing in the infirmary. I felt perfectly fine and was very athletic. It turns out I was very anemic but didn’t know it. Don’t get hung up on what the “normal” numbers are. You can decide how you feel and what you are able to do without looking at numbers on a piece of paper. :)</p>
<p>and another</p>
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<p>[Fitness</a> centers step up their game to meet the needs of seniors. | South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) (June, 2007)](<a href=“http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31759307_ITM]Fitness”>http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31759307_ITM)</p>