I do.
I believe in positive thinking.
I believe in the power of prayer.
I believe in good juju.
I believe in Yin and Yang.
I believe in good versus evil.
I believe in miracles.
I have to.
Because one, or more, or all of the above is working.
I don’t know which.
I don’t particularly care which.
I am an equal opportunity believer.
TC is getting better.
I am going to type that again; TC is getting better.
We’ve been suspicious for a month or so.
She just all of a sudden got up out of bed!
She has an appetite!
She has an opinion!
Her eyes are blue again!
We are dumbfounded!
We had reason to be skeptical.
The Hospice nurses had warned us to “watch for a rally” near the end.
And we thought the end was near.
Very, very near.
In fact, we were so confused by TC’s behavior that we didn’t even talk about it amongst ourselves.
We were scared.
Scared perhaps that it was indeed the “end” rally; none of it made sense and we didn’t want to question it.
We didn’t want to jinx it.
We didn’t want it to go away.
We wanted… to believe.
But this is not the kind of rally Hospice was referring to.
This is the real deal.
This is the (dare I say it), “Lance- Armstrong-How-Do-You-Like-Them-Apples” kind of rally.
We have proof.
TC went to see her oncologist, Dr. Kahn on Thursday.
She “walked” into his office unassisted.
He has not seen her out of a wheelchair in many months.
Before he could even register a reaction…
She danced the Irish Jig. (OK, maybe just a few steps…but she danced!)
Dad, who was with her, said Dr. Kahn’s face was priceless.
Total shock, the man was speechless!
It was then that he told TC they, (he and his staff), did not think TC would live to see January.
He examined her and based on a couple of observations, declared her tumors are shrinking!
Hallelujah…hallelujah!
The reason for this stunning reversal is a drug called Faslodex.
When TC stopped all aggressive treatment back in November, Dr. Kahn had one more trick up his sleeve.
Neither he, nor any other doctors at KU, had ever tried Faslodex, which is a (bare with me now) estrogen receptor antagonist.
Although approved by the FDA in 2002, there have been only 2 clinical trials (worldwide) to date which have included just 851 women with advanced metastatic breast cancer.
Today, KU has two more women (who have stopped responding to traditional breast cancer treatments) taking Faslodex.
It is administered once a month as an intramuscular injection (yes, in the ass) which takes between 5 and 10 minutes to administer, but as TC says… it beats the shit out of chemo!
TC is scheduled for a body scan in May.
This will of course give us more tangible data.
In the meantime, we can waste valuable time waiting on and worrying about test results.
Or, we can embrace every good day we’ve been given “back” with her.
I believe I’ll embrace.
After all…
It would be bad juju not to!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Paradigm Shift
It started innocently enough.
I was home enjoying a lazy Friday morning.
Sipping a pot O’ Joe, skimming the newspaper, reeeee-laxin!
Regis and Kelly were on the tube in the background, yet I paid them little attention.
I was too busy embracing my slugdom.
At some point I noticed a wedding taking place on the show.
One of those “over the top valentines day TV fairytale” kind of weddings.
Just as I began to turn away to concentrate further on my state of nothingness, I noticed something.
Actually, it was “someone”.
The Father of the bride!
Not the groom.
Not the cute little groomsmen.
The Father of the friggin bride!
When did this happen?
When did the parents of young lovebirds entering into wedded bliss, turn MY age?
I actually thought the Father of the bride was cute!
This is wrong on so many levels.
I was confiding this apparent paradigm shift to Mikey on the way home from dinner with friends last night .
He told me he understood exactly how I was feeling.
Although far from eloquent, he did effectively sum up my feelings with these words:
“Chrissy, inside every forty-five year old is a twenty year old screaming, WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!?”
Yep, Mikey's right.
That’s exactly how I’m feeling these days.
What the “heck” happened?
I was home enjoying a lazy Friday morning.
Sipping a pot O’ Joe, skimming the newspaper, reeeee-laxin!
Regis and Kelly were on the tube in the background, yet I paid them little attention.
I was too busy embracing my slugdom.
At some point I noticed a wedding taking place on the show.
One of those “over the top valentines day TV fairytale” kind of weddings.
Just as I began to turn away to concentrate further on my state of nothingness, I noticed something.
Actually, it was “someone”.
The Father of the bride!
Not the groom.
Not the cute little groomsmen.
The Father of the friggin bride!
When did this happen?
When did the parents of young lovebirds entering into wedded bliss, turn MY age?
I actually thought the Father of the bride was cute!
This is wrong on so many levels.
I was confiding this apparent paradigm shift to Mikey on the way home from dinner with friends last night .
He told me he understood exactly how I was feeling.
Although far from eloquent, he did effectively sum up my feelings with these words:
“Chrissy, inside every forty-five year old is a twenty year old screaming, WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!?”
Yep, Mikey's right.
That’s exactly how I’m feeling these days.
What the “heck” happened?
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Mardi Gras in Doolin
My sister Toby, the Ex-Pat, has always been into the music scene.
Before moving to Ireland 5 years ago, she lived in Buffalo New York.
Although a Doctor of Psychology by day, music is her true passion.
She, (along with her friend Marty), used to book musicians into the local haunts of Buffalo.
It was truly a labor of love; Marty, who is also an incredible chef, would often times cater the event as well.
More often than not, the evenings would end with an all-night jam session back at Toby and Marty’s house where the band would crash until leaving for their next gig.
Toby and Marty were infamous around town for these parties and the stories left in their wake.
(Before they hit the big-time, Marty financed the Goo Goo Dolls first national tour with a credit card that had a $10,000 limit!)
That fact comes in handy when the Dolls come to KC!
Today, Toby lives in County Clare, Ireland where her local haunts are the pubs in the nearby village of Doolin, located on the west coast a bit north of the Cliffs of Moher.
Doolin is well known for it’s nightlife and traditional Irish music, an obvious strong draw for Toby who first discovered the sleepy little town nearly 30 years ago.
Last year, deeply affected by the devastation Hurricane Katrina left behind, Toby worked tirelessly to put together a fundraiser that directly benefited the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.
The NOMC is a not-for-profit organization that has been providing medical and related services to musicians and their families in New Orleans since 1998.
The event, held at the legendary “McGann’s”, was a huge success and Toby was gratified to forward on a generous check to the NOMC.
Fired-up by all the buzz this fun and beneficial night created, she almost immediately started making plans for this year’s Mardi Gras fundraiser.
Read on:
Please come out for Mardi gras, and pass this info on to all your friends and like-minded lovers of all things weird and wonderful! Thanks, see you there! Toby
It’s that time again! Mardi Gras returns to Doolin, County Clare, Ireland on Tuesday, 20th February, complete with live music, Cajun finger food, sparkly Mardi gras beads, feather masks, boas, and drink specials at McGann’s! All of this in aid once again of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic, who continue to work hard to support those Louisiana musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina.
This year’s event will feature two bands. Moonshine, featuring Lena Ullman, Frank Hall, and Johnny Moynihan, will play heart-lifting foot-stomping American Old-Timey music on fiddles, banjo, accordian, and other instruments from 8:30 to 10. They will be followed by the Northern Light Orchestra who played to great acclaim last year, featuring a high energy (and slightly mad!) mix of Eastern European music on fiddles, mandolin, and guitar, fronted by Swedish fiddler V. Door prizes are on offer, and the New Orleans atmosphere will be thick, as beads, feathered masks, and other N’Awlins items abound.
Chef Vivien Kelly returns with plenty of bite size samples of gumbo, jambalaya and other Creole and other Louisiana specialty foods! In the circumstances, the especially appropriate cocktail, The Hurricane, made famous at Pat O’Brien’s Bar in the French Quarter, will be on offer!
Money raised by this Mardi Gras party will be donated to the New Orleans Musicians Clinic. This not-for-profit organization has been providing medical and related services to musicians and their families in the New Orleans area since 1998. Since Katrina, they have stepped up to provide a wide variety of services to displaced musicians throughout Louisiana, everything from medical care to replaced instruments, to paid gigs so they can support themselves and their families while helping keep the spirit of New Orleans alive! Unfortunately, 18 months after the hurricane, most people in New Orleans are not any better off than they were a year ago. Neighbourhoods have not been rebuilt, schools have not reopened, healthcare and other services have not come back online, and certainly the musicians of southern Louisiana are still trying to get their collective groove back, but keep playiing! The money raised last year at Mardi gras in Doolin was much appreciated and we hope that North Clare can help out again, as one musical community to another in need.
Fundraising aside, Mardi Gras in Doolin will be fun! The festiveness of the occasion, with sparkly beads, feathery masks and boas, lively music, spicy food, will be chance to shake off the winter blahs. So put on your finery, get some glitter in your life, and come out to contribute to bringing back a treasured place! Doors open at 7 p.m., and Moonshine will play from 8:30 sharp with special musical guests the Northern Light Orchestra to follow.
Tickets are €10, and are on sale at McGann’s in Doolin.
Laissez les bon temps rouler!!
“Let the Good Time’s Roll” indeed Toby… wish I could be there with you and your friends and like-minded lovers of all things weird and wonderful !
(fyi...for more information on The New Orleans Music Clinic and how you can help their cause, click Here.)
Before moving to Ireland 5 years ago, she lived in Buffalo New York.
Although a Doctor of Psychology by day, music is her true passion.
She, (along with her friend Marty), used to book musicians into the local haunts of Buffalo.
It was truly a labor of love; Marty, who is also an incredible chef, would often times cater the event as well.
More often than not, the evenings would end with an all-night jam session back at Toby and Marty’s house where the band would crash until leaving for their next gig.
Toby and Marty were infamous around town for these parties and the stories left in their wake.
(Before they hit the big-time, Marty financed the Goo Goo Dolls first national tour with a credit card that had a $10,000 limit!)
That fact comes in handy when the Dolls come to KC!
Today, Toby lives in County Clare, Ireland where her local haunts are the pubs in the nearby village of Doolin, located on the west coast a bit north of the Cliffs of Moher.
Doolin is well known for it’s nightlife and traditional Irish music, an obvious strong draw for Toby who first discovered the sleepy little town nearly 30 years ago.
Last year, deeply affected by the devastation Hurricane Katrina left behind, Toby worked tirelessly to put together a fundraiser that directly benefited the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.
The NOMC is a not-for-profit organization that has been providing medical and related services to musicians and their families in New Orleans since 1998.
The event, held at the legendary “McGann’s”, was a huge success and Toby was gratified to forward on a generous check to the NOMC.
Fired-up by all the buzz this fun and beneficial night created, she almost immediately started making plans for this year’s Mardi Gras fundraiser.
Read on:
Please come out for Mardi gras, and pass this info on to all your friends and like-minded lovers of all things weird and wonderful! Thanks, see you there! Toby
It’s that time again! Mardi Gras returns to Doolin, County Clare, Ireland on Tuesday, 20th February, complete with live music, Cajun finger food, sparkly Mardi gras beads, feather masks, boas, and drink specials at McGann’s! All of this in aid once again of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic, who continue to work hard to support those Louisiana musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina.
This year’s event will feature two bands. Moonshine, featuring Lena Ullman, Frank Hall, and Johnny Moynihan, will play heart-lifting foot-stomping American Old-Timey music on fiddles, banjo, accordian, and other instruments from 8:30 to 10. They will be followed by the Northern Light Orchestra who played to great acclaim last year, featuring a high energy (and slightly mad!) mix of Eastern European music on fiddles, mandolin, and guitar, fronted by Swedish fiddler V. Door prizes are on offer, and the New Orleans atmosphere will be thick, as beads, feathered masks, and other N’Awlins items abound.
Chef Vivien Kelly returns with plenty of bite size samples of gumbo, jambalaya and other Creole and other Louisiana specialty foods! In the circumstances, the especially appropriate cocktail, The Hurricane, made famous at Pat O’Brien’s Bar in the French Quarter, will be on offer!
Money raised by this Mardi Gras party will be donated to the New Orleans Musicians Clinic. This not-for-profit organization has been providing medical and related services to musicians and their families in the New Orleans area since 1998. Since Katrina, they have stepped up to provide a wide variety of services to displaced musicians throughout Louisiana, everything from medical care to replaced instruments, to paid gigs so they can support themselves and their families while helping keep the spirit of New Orleans alive! Unfortunately, 18 months after the hurricane, most people in New Orleans are not any better off than they were a year ago. Neighbourhoods have not been rebuilt, schools have not reopened, healthcare and other services have not come back online, and certainly the musicians of southern Louisiana are still trying to get their collective groove back, but keep playiing! The money raised last year at Mardi gras in Doolin was much appreciated and we hope that North Clare can help out again, as one musical community to another in need.
Fundraising aside, Mardi Gras in Doolin will be fun! The festiveness of the occasion, with sparkly beads, feathery masks and boas, lively music, spicy food, will be chance to shake off the winter blahs. So put on your finery, get some glitter in your life, and come out to contribute to bringing back a treasured place! Doors open at 7 p.m., and Moonshine will play from 8:30 sharp with special musical guests the Northern Light Orchestra to follow.
Tickets are €10, and are on sale at McGann’s in Doolin.
Laissez les bon temps rouler!!
“Let the Good Time’s Roll” indeed Toby… wish I could be there with you and your friends and like-minded lovers of all things weird and wonderful !
(fyi...for more information on The New Orleans Music Clinic and how you can help their cause, click Here.)
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Addendum to my post “Ludicrous”
Our friend Coday down in Alabama did his due diligence and found the following link which essentially says this:
The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act was initially sponsored by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in 1997. The bill was never brought to the floor for a vote after its introduction to Congress. It was referred to various congressional committees, where it languished without action until it expired with the end of the 105th Congress.
Rep. DeLauro has since sponsored the bill FOUR MORE TIMES; to the 106th Congress, the 107th Congress, the 108th Congress, and the last attempt was in 2005 to the 109th Congress.
In each case, the bill’s fate was the same; it languished in subcommittee, never being brought to a vote. It will undoubtedly be introduced once again when the 110th Congress is seated in early 2007.
Although most efforts to see this bill passed urge supporters to affix their names to some type of petition, we believe the most effective course of action is for advocates of this legislation to contact their congressional representative(s) directly, by U.S. Mail, telephone, fax or email.
To read the link Coday referred me to in its entirety, click Here.
Initially, I was thrilled (and filled with a small sense of accomplishment) as my mailbox filled up with notes from many of you to tell me that you signed the petition AND asked your friends and family to do the same. At the time… I thought that would be enough. Although I’m sure helpful, it’s clear we need to go one step further and contact our Representative directly to implore that he or she see to it that this bill is finally brought to the floor for a vote.
A hassle? Perhaps. But I hope you feel strongly enough about this issue to spend another 30 seconds of your time on it.
To help you out, I’ve created a link HERE that directs you to a page where you can directly email your Representative regardless of what state you live in.
Again…I thank you!
Chris
The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act was initially sponsored by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in 1997. The bill was never brought to the floor for a vote after its introduction to Congress. It was referred to various congressional committees, where it languished without action until it expired with the end of the 105th Congress.
Rep. DeLauro has since sponsored the bill FOUR MORE TIMES; to the 106th Congress, the 107th Congress, the 108th Congress, and the last attempt was in 2005 to the 109th Congress.
In each case, the bill’s fate was the same; it languished in subcommittee, never being brought to a vote. It will undoubtedly be introduced once again when the 110th Congress is seated in early 2007.
Although most efforts to see this bill passed urge supporters to affix their names to some type of petition, we believe the most effective course of action is for advocates of this legislation to contact their congressional representative(s) directly, by U.S. Mail, telephone, fax or email.
To read the link Coday referred me to in its entirety, click Here.
Initially, I was thrilled (and filled with a small sense of accomplishment) as my mailbox filled up with notes from many of you to tell me that you signed the petition AND asked your friends and family to do the same. At the time… I thought that would be enough. Although I’m sure helpful, it’s clear we need to go one step further and contact our Representative directly to implore that he or she see to it that this bill is finally brought to the floor for a vote.
A hassle? Perhaps. But I hope you feel strongly enough about this issue to spend another 30 seconds of your time on it.
To help you out, I’ve created a link HERE that directs you to a page where you can directly email your Representative regardless of what state you live in.
Again…I thank you!
Chris
Friday, February 2, 2007
Ludicrous
I remember when TC had her double mastectomy a few years ago.
At the time, I was shocked and disturbed that she was discharged from the hospital just 48 hours after major surgery.
Initially, she came home to my house to be cared for.
I was, in retrospect, ill equipped.
TC was in a lot of pain, she had drainage tubes coming out of her, and wounds that needed to be properly dressed.
Thank God, I had two nurse/friends in the neighborhood that I relied heavily on for assistance.
We got through it, but not without (twice) going back to the ER in the first 2 weeks for complications.
TC had good insurance; I cringe to think of those women without any insurance at all.
That was then, this is now.
Tragically, it’s gotten even worse!
I received the following, in the form of an email from my friend Tina.
The issue she raises is very personal for her and her family.
Ironically, Tina’s cousin was also diagnosed with breast cancer within days of TC.
Tina and I faced our fears and concerns together.
That seems like such a long time ago now.
Happily, Tina’s cousin is doing well today.
Please read on and more importantly ACT on.
What the insurance companies are trying to do is a disgrace.
We may or may not be able to stop them.
But we absolutely cannot stop them if we don’t try.
Please cast your vote.From Tina:Subject: Please, take a moment for this one..... It’s gaining momentum but still hasn't pushed through...
And get it to as many people as you can, women and men alike ... it’s been around before, but so worth a second look. (Chrissy, your blog if you wouldn't mind?) ...
Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure ...
Mastectomy Hospital Bill in Congress.
If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards.
Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure.
Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.
It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important... please take the time and do it really quick!
Please send this to everyone in your address book.
If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times.
If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.
There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy.
It's about eliminating the "drive-through mastectomy" where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.
Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support.
Last year over half the House signed on.
PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below.
You need not give more than your name, e-mail and zip code.
Click HERE to urge the end of Drive-Through Mastectomies!This takes about 2 seconds.PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family, and on behalf of all women… THANKS!
Thank YOU Tina... for taking the lead on this one! cb
At the time, I was shocked and disturbed that she was discharged from the hospital just 48 hours after major surgery.
Initially, she came home to my house to be cared for.
I was, in retrospect, ill equipped.
TC was in a lot of pain, she had drainage tubes coming out of her, and wounds that needed to be properly dressed.
Thank God, I had two nurse/friends in the neighborhood that I relied heavily on for assistance.
We got through it, but not without (twice) going back to the ER in the first 2 weeks for complications.
TC had good insurance; I cringe to think of those women without any insurance at all.
That was then, this is now.
Tragically, it’s gotten even worse!
I received the following, in the form of an email from my friend Tina.
The issue she raises is very personal for her and her family.
Ironically, Tina’s cousin was also diagnosed with breast cancer within days of TC.
Tina and I faced our fears and concerns together.
That seems like such a long time ago now.
Happily, Tina’s cousin is doing well today.
Please read on and more importantly ACT on.
What the insurance companies are trying to do is a disgrace.
We may or may not be able to stop them.
But we absolutely cannot stop them if we don’t try.
Please cast your vote.From Tina:Subject: Please, take a moment for this one..... It’s gaining momentum but still hasn't pushed through...
And get it to as many people as you can, women and men alike ... it’s been around before, but so worth a second look. (Chrissy, your blog if you wouldn't mind?) ...
Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure ...
Mastectomy Hospital Bill in Congress.
If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards.
Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure.
Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.
It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important... please take the time and do it really quick!
Please send this to everyone in your address book.
If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times.
If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.
There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy.
It's about eliminating the "drive-through mastectomy" where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.
Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support.
Last year over half the House signed on.
PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below.
You need not give more than your name, e-mail and zip code.
Click HERE to urge the end of Drive-Through Mastectomies!This takes about 2 seconds.PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family, and on behalf of all women… THANKS!
Thank YOU Tina... for taking the lead on this one! cb
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