Support for LateToSchool

[momof3sons]

<p>LTS, I’m so glad to hear that you are tolerating your latest radiation treatments better and better! Keep fighting this great fight and doing the work you love best. Thinking of you often! Having had a non-smoker parent die of this disease (30 years ago) I have a serious ongoing rooting interest. I want to see you kick this lousy disease to the curb and win this fight! :)</p>

[Faline2]

<p>great to hear from you LTS and to realize you have already passed through three of the five treatments. I hope you find ways to eat lots of nourishing and appealing meals while your appetite revives. Treat yourself with the same quality of care you used to make sure your daughter had health and wealth in all things for her needs the years she was in your care. She turned out well with that wonderful oversight and nourishment of body and soul.</p>

[latetoschool]

<p>SouthJerseyChessMom, thanks for that, I went to go translate it too, and I got myself all tangled up in something…</p>

<p>Momof3sons, I am very sorry about your parent. I was on Randy Pausch’s website last night and noticed that he has received a letter from President Bush, thanking him for his courage, etc. Very nice, complimentary letter. I am sure Randy’s family would rather have a cure for pancreatic cancer, and therefore have Randy. With funding for NCI cut etc. we cannot make progress fast enough to fight this and other diseases. We have to do something about this - and I need to be doing more than sitting here typing about it ad nauseum. </p>

<p>Faline2, thank you. I miss my daughter but I am happy that she is correctly and appropriately building her life in Miami.</p>

[marite]

<p>LTS:</p>

<p>I was thinking of you as I read this column:
Cancer as a Disease, Not a Death Sentence</p>

<p>

Speaking generally, Dr. Francisco J. Esteva, a breast cancer specialist at the Anderson center, said in an interview: “Our ultimate goal is not to make this a chronic disease, but to keep patients alive long enough until we can find the right treatment for the right patient and cure the disease. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet, but meanwhile we try to keep patients alive with a good quality of life for as long as possible.”

</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/health/17brody.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/health/17brody.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[epistrophy]

<p>and more</p>

<p>

“Lung Cancer Alliance-Georgia Advocates Acknowledged with Resolution”</p>

<p>Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) praised Georgia State Senators John Wiles (R-37th), Chip Rogers (R-21st), Judson Hill (R-32nd), Steve Thompson (D-33rd) and Doug Stoner (D-6th) for introducing Georgia Senate Resolution 1215 (S.R. 1215). </p>

<p>Adopted by the GA Senate at the end of the 2008 legislative session, S.R. 1215 recognizes the tireless work and dedication of LCA-GA Chairs Ed and Linda Levitt to the lung cancer movement.</p>

<p>Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in the United States and in Georgia, taking more lives than breast, prostate and colon cancers – combined. This year alone, over 4,500 Georgians will die from the disease. Of those diagnosed over 60% are former smokers or never smoked at all.</p>

<p>“Bravo,” said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA President & CEO. “Anyone who has worked with Ed and Linda know that they are two of the most dedicated advocates fighting to increase awareness and correct the many public misconceptions surrounding the disease in Georgia. Thank you Georgia Senate for recognizing their important work and the positive impact it will have on so many Georgians. They are important cornerstones in the lung cancer movement.”</p>

<p>Levitt, a stage IV lung cancer survivor, and his wife, Linda formed the first state chapter of LCA in 2006. Since then, LCA-GA has been a leader in patient support, empowerment and advocacy throughout the state, securing official gubernatorial proclamations declaring November, Lung Cancer Awareness Month and partnering with Wellstar Health Systems and St. Joseph’s Hospital to develop a comprehensive approach to combating lung cancer including prevention, early detection and treatment. </p>

<p>“We are proud of our work and are humbled by the Senate recognition,” said Levitt. “With this resolution, Senator Wiles and his colleagues have recognized the importance of raising awareness and research funding for lung cancer. We will work with them to accomplish our goals.”</p>

<p>Lung Cancer Alliance ([Lung</a> Cancer Alliance](<a href=“http://www.LungCancerAlliance.org%5DLung”>http://www.LungCancerAlliance.org)) is the only national non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to patient support and advocacy for those living with or at risk for lung cancer. Lung Cancer Alliance is committed to leading the movement to reverse decades of stigma and neglect by empowering those with or at risk for the disease, elevating awareness and changing health policy.

</p>

<p>[Lung</a> Cancer Alliance Praises State Senate Action in Georgia](<a href=“http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/lung-cancer-alliance-praises-state-senate-action-in-georgia,434898.shtml]Lung”>http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/lung-cancer-alliance-praises-state-senate-action-in-georgia,434898.shtml)</p>

<hr>

<p>

“Walking for a worthy cause
Event collects $95,000 to help cancer research”</p>

<p>A girl, no older than 4 or 5, plunked a dollar in change on a table on Saturday afternoon at Crawford Park and, with an angelic smile, ordered four shots.</p>

<p>It wasn’t a scene you’d expect to see at the fourth annual Pine Bush Relay for Life, an event to raise money for the American Cancer Society and honor cancer survivors.</p>

<p>What happened next was even more unexpected.</p>

<p>Joan Vigilante placed four shots of goat feed on the table. Vigilante, a former teacher at Edward J. Russell Elementary and a lung cancer survivor, said she thought that bringing her goats — three babies, one yearling and two mother goats, to be precise — was a unique fundraising idea.</p>

<p>Goats, Vigilante explains, love people and noise. There was plenty of that at the Pine Bush relay for the five goats in the pen. For a mere 25 cents you got to donate money to a good cause and feed goats. “I’m doing very well,” Vigilante said.</p>

<p>There was no end to the inventive fundraising at the relay. The Providian Bank team was selling $10 autographed pictures from Orange County Chopper to raise funds.</p>

<p>Sher Jones, a cancer survivor there with other members of her scrapbook club, was selling rub-on Relay for Life tattoos for 50 cents.</p>

<p>There was plenty of traditional fundraising going on, as well.</p>

<p>A total of 45 teams brought in sponsors this year, according to organizer and cancer survivor Donna Henke. These teams must have one member walking on the track for the duration of the event, which lasted from 3 p.m. on Saturday until 7 a.m. on Sunday.</p>

<p>The Pine Bush relay has raised $95,000 for cancer research this year, says Henke. This doesn’t include the money from the many forms of fundraising that were going on Saturday afternoon.</p>

<p>Last year, the relay raised $165,000, but last year, gas was not $4 a gallon. Henke doesn’t know if they’ll beat that number this year but says she’s thrilled about the time and money people have given in these tough economic times.</p>

<p>Participation was up, nevertheless. This year’s Pine Bush relay was the largest yet. Hanke said that it might have surpassed Newburgh’s relay this year.</p>

<p>“This community has just responded,” Henke said. “I started (the relay) with the song ‘I Love This Town’ — and I do.”

</p>

<p>[Walking</a> for a worthy cause - RecordOnline.com - The Times Herald Record](<a href=“http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080615/NEWS/806150344]Walking”>http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080615/NEWS/806150344)</p>

[latetoschool]

<p>Marite, he’s right of course. The challenge is how to get there. I do not believe that socialized medicine is the answer but the system we have now is pretty goofy. At least, though, with what we have now, it is possible to in an instant, make a decision to move across the country for medical care, fire and hire new doctors at will, etc. </p>

<p>We have to do something and I have been beating my head against the wall trying to figure out what, and there’s just no silver bullet…and even when I think of potentially workable solutions, the execution would just simply take years and years and years…</p>

[NYMomof2]

<p>

Illegitimis non carborundum

</p>

<p>padad and SouthJerseyChessMom, If I remember correctly, this featured prominently in The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood.</p>

<p>LTS, I am glad that you are tolerating the chemo well. I am looking forward to the day when you have regained your full strength.</p>

[ADad]

<p>

A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.

</p>

<p>–Walter Bagehot</p>

[aibarr]

<p>

this featured prominently in The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

</p>

<p>(Yup, but with a slight variation… Nolite te bastardes carborundorum was the phrase used in the book.)</p>

[momof2inca]

<p>Since we’re quoting Latin, I’ll offer this one for LTS:</p>

<p>Ad astra per aspera.</p>

<p>To the stars through great difficulty. </p>

<p>You WILL beat this.</p>

[calmom]

<p>LTS – since you have written about the issues with insurance companies dropping their patients in the midst of chemotherapy… you might be interested in this campaign to raise awareness in the SF area – it’s a YouTube of a tv ad run by the Calif. Nurses Association to promote the web site at [Protecting</a> the Insured](<a href=“protectingtheinsured.org”>http://www.protectingtheinsured.org/) </p>

<p>[Courage</a> Campaign Actions](<a href=“Courage California”>Courage California)</p>

<p>(The 2nd link is trying to raise money to run the ad; the 1st link is trying to collect info about consumer/patient complaints against their insurers for purposes of law enforcement against the companies acting in bad faith).</p>

[MaryTN]

<p>What’s the story behind [Stand</a> Up To Cancer](<a href=“Stand Up To Cancer - Cancer Research Charity”>http://www.standup2cancer.org/) ? The commercial brings tears to my eyes.</p>

[2VU0609]

<p>The Stand Up to Cancer campaign is designed to raise awareness and funds for cancer research, if I’m not mistaken. One of the big thrusts is going to be the television program sponsored by all 3 networks to promote this effort. About a month or so ago, Katie Couric, Brian Williams, and Charlie Gibson all appeared together in a marathon on all the morning shows to begin promoting it.</p>

[epistrophy]

<p>and another</p>

<p>

[photo caption] John Bodo swims laps Tuesday at the Highlands Aquatic Center near his home. Bodo, 61, is a teacher at Central High School in Macon and a survivor of lung cancer. He plans to swim two miles Saturday in a benefit swim at Lake Juliette. Swimmers at the event will be raising funds to help Hospice of Central Georgia raise enough money to build a permanent house for terminally ill patients.</p>

<hr>

<p>John Bodo, 61, will be one of those in the water. He plans to swim two miles Saturday. Bodo, a lung cancer survivor, has been training since January, swimming four or five times a week to prepare. He swims both at the Wellness Center and at the Highlands Aquatic Center near his home. Bodo can tell you the number of laps in a mile at each - 74 and 32, respectively.</p>

<p>Bodo, who has taken to using the nickname Speedo during his preparation, swam at Lake Juliette this past Saturday to get ready. The Central High School teacher will be swimming with Central dance teacher Margie Wright, whom he calls Speedette. He has raised more than $1,000, much of it from Central administrators, teachers and students.</p>

<p>He said he hopes his efforts “might be an example for other people who might be in my situation.”

</p>

<p>[Community</a> swim to benefit planned Hospice House](<a href=“http://www.macon.com/198/story/381562.html]Community”>http://www.macon.com/198/story/381562.html)</p>

[ADad]

<p>

Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.

</p>

<p>–Louis Pasteur</p>

[epistrophy]

<p>and another</p>

<p>

“Teen’s book benefits the Cancer Society
Survivors tell stories ‘In Their Own Words’”</p>

<p>If good news travels fast, words of hope must move at the speed of light.</p>

<p>At least that’s what Murrysville teen Kelsey Barner found out when she began compiling her inspirational collection of cancer stories, “In Their Own Words.”</p>

<p>The book, a 155-page paperback, was published last month in time for Murrysville’s Relay for Life May 30 and 31.</p>

<p>It has 30 personal accounts of how patients, family members and caregivers have dealt with this overwhelming disease.</p>

<p>Kelsey, 15, is a sophomore at Franklin Regional High School. She came up with the idea for a book not only to raise money for her Relay for Life team, FR Starz, but to lend encouragement to those experiencing the trials and triumphs of cancer.</p>

<p>In November, with help from local American Cancer Society representatives, she put out the word that she wanted to hear from anyone willing to share a story of how cancer has affected his or her life.</p>

<p>She received e-mails and letters from people as far away as Maine and South Carolina, candidly expressing their experiences. All are in the book.</p>

<p>So far, the response and attention are beyond what Kelsey expected. About 125 of the 300 existing self-published copies have sold. And she is already getting responses from several readers who want to share their stories as well. A second book is on the back burner.</p>

<p>Kelsey explained that when she started this project, she didn’t want a collection of sad stories. All of the responses show what their authors gained, in a positive sense, from a life-changing diagnosis.</p>

<p>“It’s surprising because some of these are really devastating stories,” said Kelsey’s mother, Kim.</p>

<p>One that stood out to Kelsey was from a 19-year-old man from New Mexico. He was diagnosed with stage-3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but has been cancer free for the past year. He explained, in his teenage vernacular, how the “doctor dude” told him about this cancer.</p>

<p>Another story from Florida hit close to home for Mrs. Barner.</p>

<p>Tom Cromie, of Rotonda West, formerly of Murrysville, shared a short story about his emotional and physical struggle with lung cancer in 2004. His attitude changed completely with the help of a friend and neighbor who also was battling cancer: Joe Leftwich.</p>

<p>“I had to hold back tears when I got to that point in his story,” Mrs. Barner said.</p>

<p>Mr. Leftwich was a Franklin Regional School District administrator who was greatly responsible for bringing the Relay for Life to Murrysville and influencing the Barners to becoming involved with the cause. He died in the fall of 2006.</p>

<p>Kelsey’s brother, Taylor, 17, also has a Relay team, Joe’s Army, named for Mr. Leftwich.</p>

<p>“We all worked on the book,” Mrs. Barner said. “The idea came from Kelsey.”</p>

<p>And so did the funds to self-publish 300 copies. Kelsey contributed about $1,500 of her own money to the publishing costs. Mrs. Barner and her husband, Ron, helped collect and review the stories. Taylor contributed to the layout and design of the finished product.</p>

<p>Once the book was published, Kelsey, an unassuming teenager with a quiet smile and a pony tail, found she wasn’t prepared for the attention it would generate.</p>

<p>Actually embarrassed to sign a copy for her first customer, she then signed several books at home to avoid future requests.</p>

<p>So far, the Barner family has sold the book through word of mouth. It sells for $15 with all of the money going to the American Cancer Society.</p>

<p>“We are exploring other venues [for marketing the book],” Mrs. Barner said.</p>

<p>There is a display at Walker’s Pet HoTail in Murrysville, where Kelsey works. The Barners also have made initial contact with some larger local book sellers.</p>

<p>At a recent reception celebrating the book and its writers, David Schaffner Jr., one of the authors and a cancer survivor from Shaler, said that as he read, he got “goose bumps.”</p>

<p>“He said that at the time he was [going through treatments], he felt like he was all alone,” Mrs. Barner said.</p>

<p>“That was the response I was looking for,” Kelsey said.</p>

<p>“In Their Own Words” may be purchased by e-mailing <a href="mailto:thebarnerfamily@comcast.net">thebarnerfamily@comcast.net</a>.

</p>

<p>[Teen’s</a> book benefits the Cancer Society](<a href=“http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08171/890954-59.stm]Teen’s”>http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08171/890954-59.stm)</p>

[latetoschool]

<p>Epistrophy, I still cannot thank you enough for your continuing contributions to this thread, especially considering your very serious professional responsibilities. I read each and every post, and all of the articles, some of them several times. It gives me great, great hope to read about people beating their cancers, even if it is not specifically small cell. </p>

<p>Today is my fifth and final day of chest radiation; I am a very long way from being anything like “normal” again, but am happy to be able to say that I am a lot better than I was four days ago. </p>

<p>Today, I can actually walk from a taxi, into my office building, get up the elevator, and get into my suite without having to stop to gasp for breath. Monday through Wednesday of this week I have had to stop at the directory in the lobby, pretending to read the names as if I were looking for the office to visit, in order to as discretely as possible catch my breath and not be gasping for breath while waiting at the elevators in front of other tenants also arriving for work. </p>

<p>Also, for all of this week I have been only able to manage chicken noodle soup, boost, etc.; finally, this morning I had my favorite breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, potatos, etc.; it’s probably steroid-driven hunger but I’ll take it - I am thankful to not have lost any weight…</p>

<p>I think at this point, the biggest challenge for me (though it will likely change) is the disparity between my brain and my physical condition. </p>

<p>There are a few people in the CC community who know my real name; if they have googled me they would know that as recently as last year, I was a very competitive athlete in a very challenging sport - good enough to enter regional and state competitions, and even one national. Comparatively, as of right now, I cannot climb a flight of stairs without gasping for breath. My body knows this - or rather is simply forced to accept it - but my brain absolutely riots against it, and will not conform to the new limitations, which I of course pray are temporary. </p>

<p>For example, in the morning, my brain is watching the news, attending meetings, answering email, running errands, etc. My body is gingerly creeping into the shower…the two are disconnected… </p>

<p>So I am having some struggle, as I continually weigh pushing my body to its maximum level of performance, vs. treading very lightly in order to let the parts of it that can begin to heal, to do so. </p>

<p>Uncharted territory, here. But I’m going to win. It’s very, very difficult right now, but, I’m going to win.</p>

[anothermom2]

<p>God bless you, and all the best for a full and complete recovery.</p>

[SouthJerseyChessMom]

<p>LTS- such an uplifting report</p>

[SBmom]

<p>Sending you cyber hugs and cyber cheers</p>