Support for LateToSchool

[knc]

<p>This may sound like a ridiculous question to everyone who understands this disease, but are all lung cancers equal? </p>

<p>I ask because know a lung cancer survivor who married and later divorced a girlfriend of mine. They were married about five years ago. At that time he was 10 or 15 years post diagnosis. I forgot all about that until now, probably because cancer was a non issue in their lives. He only occasionally mentioned cancer the way any of us mention things from 10-15 years ago. I believe this man had most of one lung removed. The marriage was not to be, and they went separate ways. The last I knew he was living in town (not as opposed to dead, as opposed to people are transient). </p>

<p>If lung cancers differ then it may not be so unusual for me to know a long term survivor. I can probably track this man down LTS, if you are interested in learning more about him.</p>

[oaklandmom]

<p>LTS
please please call a company that is an expert in restoration of damaged property. I just did a google search for flood damage repairs in DC and came up with [Fire</a> Flood & Water Damage Restoration Nationwide](<a href=“http://firefloodcoop.com/]Fire”>http://firefloodcoop.com/) I don’t know anything about them. But I do know that restoration companies can sometimes work miracles with damaged things. And I really think you should not be handling the stuff that is potentially moldy. Get yourself moved to a safe environment, even if its a hotel(perhaps you have and I’ve missed that part of the thread). I worried when I read you’re feeling worse. Time for a healthy environment. Stuff is just stuff. Its infuriating that your landlord has made the damage worse. But I think its time for you to leave it behind and let others take care of the damage thats been done to your property. Get yourself a personal shopper and send the bill for your new stuff to your landlord.<br>
Wishing you a day of rest and calm and healing.</p>

[ADad]

<p>

We want to get this good music to as many people as possible because I think it heals, it soothes, I think music is incredibly important, especially in today’s chaos.

</p>

<p>–Graham Nash</p>

[epistrophy]

<p>and another (this one in Canada)</p>

<p>

“Relay for Life brings together people from all walks of life”</p>

<p>The Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life brings together people from all stations of life, young and old , healthy and healing, and even, this year in Kirkland Lake, ten youths from all across Canada. Here are some of their stories.</p>

<hr>

<p>Marnie Reinholt has never been to a Relay for Life. This year she is coming as a survivor.</p>

<p>Last fall she learned that she had lung cancer, a shock strong enough in itself, but then, further testing revealed a suspicious-looking tumour behind one eye. Since she is already living with multiple sclerosis, a condition which can flare up suddenly with debilitating results, Marnie’s future could have been very bleak.</p>

<p>Fortunately, the first problem to be faced, the possibility of a malignant tumour near or in her brain, was resolved when the neurologist was able to reassure her, after even more testing, that it was benign.It could have been there since childhood, and it might never bother her in her lifetime. Although they would keep an eye on it,no intervention was necessary at present.</p>

<p>On to the lung operation in Sudbury in February. Once again the sun was smiling.Her cancer had been discovered at an early stage, and a relatively new procedure could be utilized which Marnie’s oncologist had performed merely nine times.</p>

<p>Instead of the usual large cut, a small incision was made, a part of the lung was removed,and exactly three stitches were required.Marnie experienced no pain. In fact, when the doctor asked her to rate her pain on a scale of one to ten,she replied,“Well,think of me as a car.I’d better say a three because as soon as you walk out of the room, I’ll probably start hurting”.Wrong. Marnie was back home in two days.</p>

<p>All of this has made anyone she talks to realize the importance of early detection, as well as the great advances made through cancer research. Such an operation would have been inconceivable only a few years ago.</p>

<p>Today, Marnie radiates good health and confidence.She says that once long ago she thought that she would be a basket case if she were ever told that she had cancer.</p>

<p>But over the years she realized that she is a fighter able to face obstacles head-on. She is determined to live longer to see her grandchildren grow up. “That means everything to me. They are my inspiration”.Zackary and Lauren live in Fort McMurray with Marnie’s daughter Kathy and her husband Ron.</p>

<p>With such a strong inspiration in mind, Marnie is looking forward to sharing her success with other survivors at this year’s Relay for Life.

</p>

<p>[Northern</a> News - Ontario, CA](<a href=“http://www.northernnews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1033618]Northern”>http://www.northernnews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1033618)</p>

<p>(P.S. The last chapter in my long federal conspiracy trial [at least for purposes of this thread] is this: today my client was convicted on all counts, then taken into custody after the prosecutors argued, successfully, that he now represented a “flight risk.” After the court hearing, I was left to talk with his tearful wife, whom I just met today [at my client’s request, she hadn’t attended the trial], in a private room across from the courtroom. Next stop: preparation of a motion for release on bond.)</p>

[churchmusicmom]

<p>sorry to hear about the trial outcome, epistrophy.</p>

[NYMomof2]

<p>I’m sorry, too. This must be a huge disappointment after all those weeks or hard work. Talking to the wife must have been excruciating. Will you appeal?</p>

[ADad]

<p>

It is time to dare and endure.

</p>

<p>–Winston Churchill</p>

[epistrophy]

<p>and another</p>

<p>

“Jackson, MS”</p>

<p>Greetings from beautiful Jackson where the rain may have dampened our clothes and kept away the masses, but it couldn’t keep the LIVESTRONG spirit down!</p>

<p>I am here on the steps of the state capital of Mississippi with LIVESTRONG Day 2007 delegates and LIVESTRONG Army Leaders Beth Herring (fallopian tube cancer survivor), Ben Lee (two-time Hodgkin’s Disease survivor), and Cindy McGraw (breast cancer survivor) to present the LIVESTRONG Day 2008 proclamation issued by Governor Haley Barbour. We were a small but mighty crowd representing Jackson and raising awareness about cancer and what we can all do to take up the fight. Beth, Ben, and Cindy all shared their personal battles with cancer and how those obligation of the cured.” Father Sunds from St. Peter’s Catholic Church and lung cancer survivor began by leading the crowd in blessing the day and our efforts. Next we were treated to motivational comments from Marshall Ramsey, melanoma survivor and editorial cartoonist who is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and whose work is nationally syndicated in USA Today, Newsweek, and US News and World Reports. Marshall broke down for us what “HOPE” means for him after his cancer experience:</p>

<p>H - Humor: This is a no-brainer as Marshall is a cartoonist, but finding
and using humor for him has been a powerful and empowering tool in
dealing with his diagnosis and survivorship.</p>

<p>O - Opportunity: Marshall has taken the opportunity his cancer
experience has presented to create a community event that has screened
more than 200 people for skin cancer.</p>

<p>P - Physical wellness: Being the father of three sons, Marshall is
motivated like never before to make sure his physical wellness is the
best that it can be so that he can be present and active in his sons’
lives.</p>

<p>E- Education: Marshall takes every opportunity (like today) to educate
others about cancer, the risks, how they can prevent it, and how they
can support others who have been affected.</p>

<p>I am honored to have spent the day with the survivors and their friends
and families in Jackson. I can only hope that the other events being
attended by my fellow LAF team members across the country are as moving
and inspirational.

</p>

<p>[LIVESTRONG</a> Blog | The Lance Armstrong Foundation Blog Blog Archive Jackson, MS](<a href=“http://livestrongblog.org/2008/05/13/jackson-ms-2/]LIVESTRONG”>http://livestrongblog.org/2008/05/13/jackson-ms-2/)</p>

<p>(P.S. re my trial: Yes, it was a disappointment - you work and work and work, and then it all ends so suddenly - and yes, we will appeal. As I’ve often remarked to my older son, you can’t be a criminal defense lawyer if you can’t take a punch. You get knocked down - and you get back up.)</p>

[latetoschool]

<p>Epistrophy, I am sorry to learn of the outcome of your trial, and am pleased that there is a viable appellate process. Thank you so much for continuing to contribute to this thread during what must have been back to back 100 hour work weeks. It has meant a lot to me to log in each morning and see a message or example of hope. </p>

<p>I trust there will be a way to get your client out on bail pending appeal, and that the appeal is successful.</p>

[mythmom]

<p>Epistrophy: That last sentiment, getting laid flat and getting back up, well, that’s the essence of your posts, too.</p>

<p>Hi lts: Have a good day!</p>

[ADad]

<p>

…it’s comforting to know that someday, as Christians, we’ll be able to look back and have a little more clarity on why certain things in life happened.

</p>

<p>–Amy Grant</p>

[epistrophy]

<p>an unusual, poetic record of recovery from cancer</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Winter Morning Walks : 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison (Poetry Series): Ted Kooser: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Morning-Walks-Postcards-Harrison/dp/0887483364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211356154&sr=1-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Morning-Walks-Postcards-Harrison/dp/0887483364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211356154&sr=1-1)</p>

<p>From a review:</p>

<p>

In the late 1990s, Kooser developed cancer and essentially gave up both his job and writing. When he began to write again, Kooser would paste his daily poems on postcards he sent in correspondence with his friend and fellow writer Jim Harrison. The result was the 2001 collection of poems called Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison. Addressing both playful and serious poems, Kooser for the most part avoids talking directly about his illness in the collection. Rather, he refers to disease and the possibility of dying in metaphors focusing on the countryside around his Nebraska home, where he took long walks for inspiration.</p>

<p>“Kooser is one of the best makers of metaphor alive in the country, and for this alone he deserves honor,” wrote Mason in a review of Winter Morning Walks for Prairie Schooner. Mason also noted, “Kooser has often argued against the knee-jerk narcissism of poetry, and here he rarely dwells on his autobiography, though we can sense his personality by the quality of his observations.” John Taylor, writing in Poetry, noted that “a rare quality distinguishes Winter Morning Walks.”

</p>

<p>[Poetry</a> Foundation: The online home of the Poetry Foundation](<a href=“http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=3826]Poetry”>Ted Kooser | Poetry Foundation)</p>

<p>One reader’s comments (at Amazon):</p>

<p>

This book, by our current Poet Laureate, is as fine a book of modern poetry as you can hope for. During his treatment for cancer, the author is given medication that makes his skin sun-sensitive. So, in order to maintain his daily habit of walking the country roads of Nebraska for exercise, he has to do it before the sun comes up. To allay the inherent loneliness, he decides to send a friend, Jim Harrison, a poem on a postcard everyday. So, in the company of one of his dogs, plenty of different birds, and a keenly inquisitive mind to which nothing is ordinary and everything informs on everything else, this book was born. I usually read such a book in less than a week, marking the more effective poems in the table for contents for when I return. I couldn’t shake this one for three weeks, and I read and read each of them poems three and four times before moving on to the next. It’s winter in New England; that may be part of it. And the grey dawn hand of mortality has overshadowed me for the last few months as well. But neither is real reason I kept this faithful book with me; fundamentally, it’s just a good book. Look past that startlingly honest title and start reading. You won’t regret it. C. S. Lewis quoted a student, who quoted his father, saying, “We read to know that we are not alone.” If ever a book does that, this does.

</p>

<p>The “postcard” that opens the book:</p>

<p>

The quarry road tumbles toward me
out of the early morning darkness,
lustrous with frost, an unrolled bolt
of softly glowing fabric, interwoven
with tiny glass beads on silver thread,
the cloth spilled out and then lovingly
smoothed by my father’s hand
as he stands behind his wooden counter
(dark as these fields) at Tilden’s Store
so many years ago. “Here,” he says smiling,
“you can make something special with this.”

</p>

<p>[When</a> a walk is a poem: Winter Morning Walks, a chronicle of survival, by Ted Kooser. | The Midwest Quarterly (June, 2004)](<a href=“http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-4326568_ITM]When”>http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-4326568_ITM)</p>

<p>(I read this collection several years ago, and it has stayed with me ever since. These “postcard poems,” originally mailed to writer Jim Harrison, sneak up on you: they’re quiet and intimate and haunting.)</p>

[SouthJerseyChessMom]

<p>Epistrophy- sorry to hear your news. You must feel exhausted</p>

[ADad]

<p>Dreams</p>

<p>Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.</p>

<p>Langston Hughes</p>

[epistrophy]

<p>and another</p>

<p>(excerpt from a long article about Ted Kennedy)</p>

<p>

Cancer is no stranger to the Kennedy family. Two of Kennedy’s children are cancer survivors: Kara Kennedy was diagnosed several years ago with lung cancer, but has been doing well after aggressive treatments in Boston; Edward “Teddy” Kennedy Jr., lost a leg to cancer while a teenager. Joan Bennett Kennedy, the senator’s former wife, has suffered from breast cancer.

</p>

<p>[Senator</a> Kennedy Diagnosed With Brain Cancer - General - redOrbit](<a href=“http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/1396745/senator_kennedy_diagnosed_with_brain_cancer/]Senator”>http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/1396745/senator_kennedy_diagnosed_with_brain_cancer/)</p>

[esobay]

<p>Luminaria shall be lit for LTS, mythmom, and one ‘CC in general’ at the local Relay for Life this weekend.</p>

<p>Love the poems</p>

[question_quest]

<p>^
Is mythmom a cancer survivor?</p>

<p>Best to LTS and everyone!</p>

[latetoschool]

<p>Thank you very much for the Luminaria and also for the posts of support. </p>

<p>I am trying to remind myself that worry is a waste of energy, but, I am very worried and hope for a positive turn of events somewhere soon. </p>

<p>Had scans yesterday; I have not yet seen the results, but, I called my doctor; his nurse said he just received the report; he is taking it home with him tonight; he is going to change my treatment plan and he will call me tonight to discuss. </p>

<p>This is of course bad news; the only reason to change the treatment plan is if the current plan is not working. Based on how I feel and some of the symptoms I have been having in the past few days, the current plan would seem to be not working, although, it seems it was working for a while. The history of small cell based on what I have read is that each successive treatment attempt yields fewer returns. </p>

<p>So after being on pins and needles all day, more pins and needles waiting for his call tonight. I refuse to be afraid of this cowardly disease and so will settle for just being a nervous wreck. </p>

<p>But even more troubling, when I sent my daughter back to Miami, she was diagnosed with major ear infection, bladder infection, etc. Long story short, as of yesterday, she was on her third change of antibiotics and very seriously ill; high fever, cannot even swallow, great difficulty just walking from the bed to the refrigerator to get a glass of juice, as of right now, she is in the ER getting fluids to prevent dehydration and having tests run to see what in the world is going on. My daughter is a very healthy person, was a very accomplished athlete in high school and in college, and, I have never known her to be this sick - not even when she had mono in high school. </p>

<p>I half way wonder if perhaps her illness is a manifestation of the psychological stress of having her sole living relative having such a serious disease, and by her close exposure to the process, the health care, etc.</p>

<p>I am also fighting the urge to feel like Job, with my cancer, our cat’s cancer, and now my daughter being so seriously ill all seeming to converge at the same time.</p>

[Faline2]

<p>LTS, I have had you on my mind for the last few days, because I knew you weren’t feeling well. How like you to be more upset that your daughter is ill…and you would of course want to be there to take care of her till she mends. I am sure her immune system could be stressed with love and concern right now but she will rally. I know you hate that as we Mom’s only want to be reasons our children feel stronger in this difficult world. But she is a marvel and you are the reason why.
As I stated before, I shut my ears a bit to the story of Job in my youth, come on, where is the fairness in that gothic tale of woe and punishing losses…although I had an eloquent Wisdom Lit teacher who had been through a great deal in life himself, and he was one of those people who had tremendous depth. He loved his friends with more power than just about anyone I ever met. Please let us all know after you have your next consult with your doctor. Among your many CC friends…</p>

[mimk6]

<p>I know from experience it is the worst when a kid gets really sick far from home and you can’t be there. Hang in there, they will figure it out. I recently had a major and bad ear infection and had to change drugs, etc. Apparently, antibiotic resistance is becoming more and more of a problem and it can take a while to figure out what will beat back the bacteria. Please keep us posted and we will add your daughter to our prayers.</p>