It Never Goes Away. Ever.

A friends loved one past away this summer from cancer.  A family members teenage son was diagnosed with cancer this summer and a senior gentleman I work with was recently diagnosed with not one but two cancers this summer.

It never goes away.  Ever.

Why the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge?

My lovely sister Tricia nominated me for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge yesterday.  I really admire Trish.  She is constantly involved in something to help promote awareness to various charities.  My favourite being the time she shaved her head for cancer (on my behalf).  So, when she nominated me to dump a bucket of ice water on my head to help bring awareness to ALS how could I refuse? If you must, watch video below! I have to admit my first reaction was that I wanted to strangle her!

I have to process things and because of that spontaneity doesn't come easily (yes, 24 hours notice is still spontaneity in my world).  Learning a bit more about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge I learned more about the challenge, people's reactions to the challenge and about ALS itself.  

1. Once you are nominated you have to participate by either donating or dumping ice over your head within 24 hours (does that mean from the time the person that nominated you completes the challenge or from the time that you learn you've been nominated?).
2. The water must be ½ ice ½ water. Not water alone (I get it).
3.  In one continuous video you mention what you are doing, who you are donating to, who nominated you and who you will nominate (in my nervousness I only said ice bucket challenge not ALS ice bucket challenge.  Oops but I did mention ALS at the end so am I redeemed?).
4. You are to nominate 3 people (I only nominated 2 people - Adrianna Haddad and Tamsen Keyes.  Mostly because I know how much I hate having something thrown at me that I'm not very comfortable with).
5. You must post the video to a social media site (really really don't want a video of me on a social media site but fine I'll do it for the promotion of awareness).

Why?  It wasn't hard to make the decision to participate due to family experience with ALS (it always seems easier when there is a personal connection).  One of my grandfathers was diagnosed with ALS but at the time was known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.  I was young but I do remember visiting him and seeing what this horrible disease did to him - eventually taking his life.

Will I donate?  No.  I think this is a personal matter we all face when it comes to the many charities in our midst.  I'm all for promoting awareness for a number of charities but won't necessarily donate.  I've been diagnosed with cancer twice and this past winter was diagnosed with a hereditary gene mutation that puts me in a MUCH higher risk of getting more cancers (has included processing, worrying and the needed screenings for the remainder of my life).  For obvious reasons cancer is my main choice of charity.  For my future and my families future.  I won't judge you for your choice so I expect the same respect.

Really a bucket of ice water?  It seems in our judgementing world where ever there is a positive there is bound to be a negative and this is no exception.  However, I wonder why?  I mean really!  Look around us and at all the charities.  There is always something that stands out to help promote awareness......shaving heads, walking, dancing, growing moustaches, adopting pets, food, bracelets, chocolate bars, running, adopting an orphan, bike rides and the list goes on.  Sure there are some people out there that think this particular challenge is just about following the crowd and joining in on the mass media but I like to look at it as a fun way to promote awareness to something that is very debilitating and few know about.  Clearly it's working.  Look at the amount of money this year alone this charity has managed to raise and how many of you knew nothing about ALS but now do.  

In the end, if me dumping a bucket of ice water on my head does nothing but make the reader aware of the disease is that not better than nothing at all?  Honestly, I hadn't thought of ALS for a long time.  Until the ice bucket challenge.  So why not?

I look forward to seeing my nominees videos Tamsen Keyes and Adrianna Haddad!

http://www.als.ca/en

Friendship

Thank you for the planter!  Found the PERFECT spot too!!

A sudden visit from my sweet friend Vivian and her husband, Steven today.  A friendship that started back in our Fort St. James days and has continued all these years later.

Looking forward to visiting them in their home town next year!

A 'Wicked' Night Out

I'll tell you as I get older it seems harder to keep friends in the same town.  It seems everyones lives are ever changing and due to what is best for our families somebody always seems to be relocating.  However, I'm so grateful for the friendships that have continued to blossom even if there are hundreds or thousands of miles between us.

This week has been so much fun having Kris in town visiting. We've had late night chatting and will have shopping across the border in a couple days.  However, today was a fantastic day spent in Vancouver shopping on Granville Island, driving through Stanley Park, a dinner full of laughs then ending the evening with a fantastic production of Wicked!  

Kristine, Jennifer, Tricia and Adrianna

Hooray for technology and transportation that help make these friendships lasting!!

Halloween

Calvin & Hobbes

Lost But Then Found

What a day!!!!!!  Opened up the house and right away heard a continually high pitched meow.  Running outside we found the screen to one of the front windows popped off and Sylvester under the porch shaking.  Took a bit to get the poor guy back from under the porch and back into the house.

Eli walked around and around and around looking and calling for Elroy.  Nothing.  Looked under porches, over bushes and talked to neighbors.  Nothing.  Eli's neighbor friend suggested they make a poster so they spent a couple hours putting one together then went to local neighborhoods posting their posters on mailboxes and lamp posts.  Nothing.

Finally succumbed to the fact that Elroy might be gone forever and being emotionally spent Eli decided to do something else.  Dinner came and went and we decided maybe it was time to look around one more time........the same neighbor friend decided to help out when his father suggested a locked gated spot on the one side of their house.  Found!!!!  Hidden between bikes.  Tears streaming down his face Eli brought our escapee home!!!!!

We're back to two cats!

And It's Football Time!

Eli had an opportunity to go to his first football game with his scout group.  Clearly, he had fun!!

2013 Prospera Valley 88 km MedioFondo

I Love Doing What I Do!

Scholastic Book Fair - Cassandra, Me & Tina

I've loved helping out at the school over the years. Hard to believe I'll only have two more book fairs to help with and then elementary school will become something of the past.

A Great Loss

Eli and Bro. Bill Little during one of our visits last month

Eli has spent a lot of time with his friend Bill Little the last couple months as his health has quickly deteriorated.  Between private baritone concerts in his home, visits in the hospital and the many words of wisdom given to Eli during Bill's short hospice time it is certainly a very touching friendship that I'm honoured to have witnessed.

Unfortunately, its sad to report that Eli lost his dear friend this weekend. There might have been an 81 year age difference but it's taught me that if you are willing to love and be loved friendship is ageless.

Sometimes Age is Ageless

Eli visiting Bro. Bill Little in the hospital

Many of us have learned a lot from these two wonderful people but what I'd say stands out the most is that sometimes age is ageless!

Speechless & Tearful

I still can't say thank you without the tears showing up.  THANK YOU!!
Here's to Jen Haddad - BC Cancer Foundation (click on link and you'll understand)

Family Vacation Minus One

Les and the kids spent this past weekend hanging out with grandma and grandpa Haddad while I stayed back helping out a friend and being sick with a nasty cold.

Some highlights of their weekend getaway.......

Realizing we had NO pictures of Adrianna with her birthday cake for her 13th birthday, grandma made sure to fix that......... a belated celebration just for a picture!

The excitement of seeing Freddy!

Adrianna, Grandma and Eli

Adrianna, Grandpa and Eli

Adrianna, Les, Eli and our new car (replaced the truck)

Friendships

What seems to keep me out of the funk I find myself in and out of lately is gratitude.  Gratitude  reminds of how blessed and great things really are, gratitude is thankfulness, thankfulness is gratitude.  When I think of those two words I think of sunshine, smiles, kindness, thoughtfulness, service and friendships. 

Today's gratitude is for a friend that simple stated, "you're stressed and need a break get on a plane in February for a weekend getaway!"  Gratitude is also for a husband who agreed and simple said, "go."  Les's days off are booked, the flight is booked and that means I'm going to San Diego next month for a weekend getaway - whoot, whoot!!!! 

Okay so it's the backside of us but Robin & I April 2011

Realization

My heart is so full from all the kind emails from family and friends.  You've all brought smiles to my face and tears to my eyes. 

One particular sentence out of all sentences jumped out at me.  She wrote, "Don't be mad at your body for too long, it's got you this far. And it happens to house someone very, very important to me."  Such powerful and touching words that made me realize something.  I said I'm really mad at my body but in fact I'm SO mad at myself for not treating my body the best that it should be treated.  Have I done all the best things to keep my body healthy and spry?  No. 

What I've realized is that my body hasn't failed me it in fact has saved me. My body warned me that something foreign was attacking me and I have the proof!!  Breast cancer - a lump was found, endometrial cancer - I was bleeding to the point of hemorrhaging.  Maybe my body and I aren't as off track as I was thinking and you know what I listened!  I went to doctors, I stood my ground and I believe the best treatment in both cases was given to me.

Thank you friends and family for all your encouraging words it helped me realize I'll be just fine after all!  There is still a lot of work to be done to get the full me healthy but it's something I'm ready to face.  Gratitude for amazing friends and family in my life - thank you!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

My birthday cheesecake!

I guess I'm officially 39 and holding?!?  Not really but it just sounded like the thing to say!

Never one to whine or cry over getting another year older but this year my emotions are tender, my heart is full and all the birthday wishes meant more then any of you will ever know.

A relaxing day with my beautiful family, a Christmas production shared with some amazing women, a hot chocolate and late night car chat with a couple girlfriends filled with tears and laughter and a package from a dear friend that put the biggest smile on my face.  Truly spoiled and blessed.  Thank you!  Now I'm looking forward to my hot date tonight with one lucky guy!!

Finding Out Not as Close to Cancer Freedom as Thought is Harsh

November 24th Les and I went to see my gynecologist for my 2 week follow up appointment.  As you know from a previous post we were waiting for a pathology report on my uterus.  Something that really wasn't a concern to my doctor considering I am ONLY 38 years old.  Well, the pure shock he was willing to show informed us the results were a concern.  The results came back telling us I have Endometrial Cancer. How VERY grateful I am that I booked this appointment on a day Les could come. I couldn't have done another one of those appointments on my own.

It truly was a surreal moment.  All I could think was REALLY I'm 38 years old and have already had breast cancer now this but at the same time I wasn't completely surprised (don't get me wrong there has been many tears since that moment).  The doctor was very grateful that he didn't continue to push the direction he wanted to go with the medical condition and grateful that I didn't back down once I knew what I knew needed to be done (that could have become a whole different story which we're not going to think about).  I knew something was wrong with my body. I just didn't know what.  Now we do.

Admittedly we left that appointment shell shocked with lots of unanswered questions and with a to do list of x-rays and blood work.  At this point we don't know the stage or grade but have asked to pick up a copy of the pathology report.  We don't know if the ovaries need to be removed (cancer agency will make that decision), what or if treatment will need to be done, whether I'll need to go to the cancer agency and whether it's a secondary cancer or breast cancer metastasis .  The three things we do know is that a year ago when I started having issues a biopsy of the uterus was taken and the results came back negative, the tumor is gone (the hysterectomy took care of that) and that I'll be seeing my gynecologist every 4 months for the next three years (I still have one more year left of seeing my family doctor every 6 months for breast cancer).

What's even harder then finding out you've got cancer again?  Having to tell family and friends.  This has definitely been harder then the first time (even though technically we think it's gone which is very good).  Once okay but really a 2nd time?!  Brutal.  I love those close to me so much it's SO hard to be a reason why they emotionally hurt I just want to take that pain away. 

November 29th - Les was able to pick up a copy of the pathology report today.  He tried yesterday but my file wasn't to be found and the doctor was in surgery all day, apparently he's known to take files home with him over the weekend.  Hmmm doctor thinking about me over the weekend is this a good thing or a bad thing!?  Anyway, file still wasn't there today but the secretary was able to have a copy faxed to her.  So.... what we now know via the report.  Uterine cancer more specifically endometrial adenocarcinoma (aka endometrial cancer) stage 1A and grade 1 (out of 3), cervix and fallopian tubes were clean.  Looks like we caught it early!  No mention of breast cancer so at this point we are guessing that this is a whole new cancer.  There are still many unanswered questions yet like what happens to the ovaries, other treatment, etc. and it looks like those questions won't be answered until I see the doctor again on the 22nd, unless we're called in sooner.

December 5th - After much thought we finally made the decision to sit down with the kids and explain what's going on.  I actually think they out of anyone were the easiest to talk to.  We've gotten through this once before as a family and we know we can do it again.

December 6th - Have been informed I have an invitation appointment for January 10th at the BC Cancer Agency. 

Service for the Community

Well after months and months of talking, planning, organizing, etc. the day arrived!

What a fantastic couple hours this morning it was! Les was the driver while Adrianna, Eli, my girlfriend Cassandra, her daughter Savannah and myself walked around the same route we walked 6 days ago only this time to pick up the filled grocery bags of food for our local food bank. Then it was off to the church to drop off all the bags and help unload the continual stream of filled cars.  What an eye opener to see just how generous the community has been. Bags upon bags upon bags of food weighed, separated, loaded into banana boxes, loaded onto trucks and delivered directly to our local food bank.

THANK YOU to all those that donated it touched our hearts to see how willing people were to help out the less fortunate within our own community.

**UPDATE**The results are in! 153, 960 addresses visited, 14,752 hours of volunteer time, 247, 605 pounds of food collected, $672, 852 value of support raised! Thank you SO much everyone! What an amazing job!

BC Thanksgiving Food Drive

The BCTFD Project is a province wide initiative that helps feed thousands across BC who rely on food banks for their basic nutrition needs. 

This evening the kids and I along with my friend Cassandra and her daughter Savannah delivered bags to 166 homes and are looking forward to picking up the filled bags this Saturday, September 17th!  Feels great to be able to do something for our community.

A Hot Summers Night

The hottest week of the summer and we've been a bit house bound due to Adrianna's injury.  So while Adrianna was able to venture out for a few hours this evening to attend a friends birthday party I took Eli and a neighbour friend down to the river to cool off.

They seemed to have lots of fun tubing down a small section of the river, moving rocks from one location to another and then lastly spinning wildly (almost to the point of throwing up - oh to be a 10 year old boy) on some apparatus on the playground.

Yes, always the same spot but really I'm in love with this spot. So breathtakingly beautiful, fairly peaceful (even with the playground and spray park just behind us) and the sounds of the water purely calming (something I desperately needed).

Pictures taken with my iPod