Wrapping up cycle 3, small miracles, and plans (LONG)

In just three days I'll receive chemo cycle 4 and will be halfway through my chemo treatments. So far, I feel really good. I feel strong and fortunate to have had very minimal side effects and those I have had have been manageable, especially with the support and assistance from family and friends to which I'll be eternally grateful. The hardest part for me in cycle 3 has been the fatigue. It really hit me like a brick wall, and early on in the cycle too. Everything I did exhausted me - even walking down the stairs in the house. But I refused to let it change my life and keep me from being the mom and wife I need and want to be. I pushed forward and through it. Sure, I cried - a lot even. I called and texted Bob while he was away and whined and cried about how tired I was and how hard it is at night when I'm alone and just need decent sleep but can't count on getting it because Cooper doesn't consistently sleep through the night. I prayed and prayed for strength to push through the fatigue and for more opportunities to get the sleep I needed. And as soon as Bob got home from his trip and took over with Cooper things immediately got better and I got the sleep I needed and felt so much better. Cooper is sleeping better - still getting up 1-2x per night but mostly just once unless he's teething (which he is again right now ;/). Last Sunday was a test day for me though. I was determined to get Cooper to church with me since I'm trying to find a church home here and I need to visit a few before I decide where we will go each week. I had a plan and was excited to visit a church I had researched and got Cooper and me dressed and ready to go. I buckled Cooper into his car seat and I got in and went to start the car and it was completely dead. No lights came on at all. My car is only 3 years old with less than 40k miles on it and had JUST been serviced. I got out, took Cooper out of his seat and he started to have a tantrum because he LOVES to get out and about - he has much better days when he spends half of the day out of the house and he's easier for me to handle that way too since I can put him in his car seat and then the stroller and know I don't have to chase him around, especially now that he's walking. So we came back in the house, called roadside assistance and waited for the tow truck to arrive for a jump start. I turned on the TV and there was Joel Osteen, a preacher I know of but whom I haven't followed - nor have I ever sat and watched worship services on television...until that day. I watched the last half of the service on the television and was amazed to realize that I was hearing the EXACT message I needed to hear that day. I knew at that moment that my car was MEANT to be dead that morning so that I would hear what I needed to hear. I am amazed by these small miracles I experience every day - that probably happened pre-diagnosis but I just wasn't paying attention. I am now. The truck arrived and they got my car started and I was instructed to drive it or let it sit running for 30 minutes minimum. By then it was Cooper's nap time so I decided to put him in the car seat and start driving around to see if I could find a couple of the churches I wanted to visit. We were too late for the service but I could at least get prepared by knowing their locations and what the parking situation is like. After all, I needed to drive for at least 30 minutes, but with Cooper napping it had to be more like an hour or longer - so I drove and drove all over town. That's when a second miracle presented itself. I got lost in a section of town I wasn't familiar with and as I was turning a corner I spotted a sign with the name of a church I had visited with my friend, Kristy, the week prior. I had hoped there was a sister church in my area (the one close to Kristy is nearly an hour drive for us) but I couldn't find any info about it online and had planned to call the church in her area to ask about it but hadn't gotten around to it. But there it was! A branch of their church right here in town - just 3 miles from home and I found it "accidentally" -- well, I don't believe it was an accident at all. I noted the service times and decided that's where we'll be going this week - so tomorrow morning that's where we'll be. The week after we'll visit another church, and then yet another the week after that before making my decision as to where our new church home will be. So...as I say farewell to chemo cycle #3, my prayers have turned to focus on two treatment related requests: first, that cycle 4 is as manageable as the previous 3, and second, that the new chemo drugs that I'll be receiving for cycles 5-8 will also be tolerable and successful. The new drugs are known to be much harder to take, with more side effects than the drugs I've had thus far. I'm determined to leverage my strength, my faith and my support network to get through it, no matter what it may bring. I want and NEED it to work - my God-given, liquid gold, cure juice. Before I switch over to the new chemo drugs, we're going to make a trip back east to visit with family. Since we don't know how the new chemo will affect me and I'll be on it til just before Christmas (then comes surgery then daily radiation for 7 weeks), this is really my only chance to get Cooper back there before the height of flu season occurs. He and I both are highly susceptible to things like that so we want to get out there now and introduce him to my extended family members and FINALLY give the poor kid his first birthday party which he never had since his birthday was immediately following my double-mastectomy surgery so we postponed the party we had planned for him. It will be wonderful to see family that I haven't seen for many years...and for them to meet the loves of my life - Bob and Cooper. It'll probably be a hard trip for me since I have to get out there on my own with Cooper while Bob is working, but he'll meet us there and travel home with us which will be good. I'm nervous about traveling but excited too. I know that once I get there I'll have a ton of help with Cooper so I'll be able to get the rest that I need, day and night. Just a couple days after we get back from the trip I will start the new chemo regimen which will either be Carboplatin + Gemzar, or Cisplatin + Gemzar. I'm waiting on the guru (Dr.Glaspy) to get back to me with what he feels is my best shot. I am thanking God every day and night for the countless blessings He bestows on me. My faith has not been consistent in years past but it's always been there and now it is among the most critical components of my cure equation. He got me through so many incredibly challenging times of my life and this is another time I know and trust that He will carry me through. He's already given me the most amazing support network of family, friends, colleagues, doctors, nurses and medicines for my fight...I just know and trust He will finish the job and cure me. My friend, Cindy, gave me a Bible verse to keep with me and it is posted by my bedside and helps me every day. Thank you, Cindy! It says... "I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you." Isaiah 41:13 I wouldn't be human if I wasn't afraid - sometimes I am absolutely terrified. But I have faith, hope and determination that I will be OK, no matter what. He will make sure of it. Love, Julie

Girlie parts = trouble makers (TMI warning) - LONG

And now for today's ramble....as the thoughts I'd wanted to blog this past week slowly percolate up to the surface...sorry this is so long and sometimes TMI...but it's my blog haha :) So...I've decided I no longer want most of my girlie parts. I already had both breasts removed and replaced (annoying reconstruction still in progress). Sure, when the reconstruction is over I'll have a perky set that will never again require the use of an underwire bra (or any bra for that matter - yay!)...but getting to that point has been annoying. These "tissue expanders" that stretch my breast skin get filled up with saline. They're very large expanders that cover the entire span of the breast area so I can feel them top, side, and bottom. They have metal and magnets in them which are used to pull the valve to the surface so that more saline can be injected into them for further expansion/filling. I can feel them with my hands but I can't feel myself being touched by my hands - still totally numb nearly 12 weeks after the surgery. The actual expansion injections don't hurt at all - they put a numbing cream on the skin which as I said is already still numb and they pump saline in and my chest feels tight for a few days from stretching the skin and then repeat as desired every few weeks til you reach the goal size. I've had two expansions and will probably have one more and then after chemo and before radiation the expanders will be swapped out for implants - that'll be my next surgery. Knowing that the next step after chemo is a breast surgery, I've begun to really think about all of my girlie parts. The benefits, the risks, etc. Some initial reading about how removal of the ovaries can improve breast cancer survival longevity and prevent ovarian cancer has led me to think that my next surgery will involve more than breast implants. I don't know if it can all be done at once but I've decided that I no longer want my ovaries, uterus, or cervix. I want them out. Just like I wanted both breasts removed to eliminate cancer's playground, I'm realizing that the f***er's playground is expansive and connected and that there are real risks to keeping unnecessary parts. I've noticed lately that the medical community tends to be very conservative when dealing with breast cancer patients - perhaps in response to women who feared being disfigured (which no longer happens by the way) by a mastectomy or who hold strong attachments to their female parts/organs as if it defines them as women, or perhaps it's driven by a desire to minimize costs - I don't know (and these are topics that are far too complex for me to approach right now while discussing my feelings on my own girlie parts). Whatever the motivation, I found it evident early on when two different surgeons (one crappy one and one phenomenal one) both told me my cancer could be removed via a lumpectomy but when I responded along the lines of "oh hell no, we're taking these suckers off", their tune changed as if I had just delivered the best news they'd heard that year. I could tell that my surgeon (the phenomenal one, of course) was relieved and impressed that I wanted to be aggressive by having a bilateral mastectomy. Maybe she knew from the questions I asked that I had done my homework and didn't need her to lay it out for me (though I wish she would have anyway). She's truly among the best in the country and I am glad she was my surgeon - I'd choose her again in a heartbeat. But I wonder sometimes why she and other surgeons I've been hearing about aren't more forthcoming about the aggressive options available and their pros/cons, the studies that can help guide us - even though many contradict one another - all of this is powerful information which can enlighten and confuse - but nonetheless should be brought to the table before go-time, in my opinion. Since beginning this journey I have met many women battling breast cancer - women of all ages and backgrounds. It amazes me how many women are steered in the direction of the lumpectomy, and how many take that route only to find themselves having a mastectomy later on either by necessity or by choice. Certainly there are many women who have successful lumpectomies and those that have mastectomies that still don't fare well in their battle - I'm not saying one way is right or wrong since nobody really truly knows. However, my aggressive personality and intense desire/will to be alive to see my son grow up and become a man and father does make me surprised when I hear a triple-negative or HER2 positive BC diagnosis is being treated conservatively when we're dealing with some of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer with higher rates of recurrence. The idea of this shit coming back or taking residence elsewhere in my body scares the crap out of me so I just keep thinking of how to do whatever I can to avoid those outcomes. It is an individual choice, one made with the fear of death at the forefront of one's mind. You just can't imagine what it feels like to be faced with such decisions until after you've heard those words "You have cancer." Add the element of not being an expert on the subject at hand and being totally dependent upon the knowledge and experience of others who themselves don't have the critical answers. It's daunting beyond comprehension. Then you start considering all the possible side effects of surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation - it's a lot. If you were to read the drug inserts for chemotherapy and thought for a minute that you'd experience all those side effects you might convince yourself you'd be dead by dawn the next day. I was terrified before I started chemotherapy because all I kept hearing about was how sick it makes a person, how it is basically poison. And I remember watching David, a boyfriend of mine who died of cancer in 1998, go through it - it was horrendous. But in order to beat cancer I have to fight it with what's available. I just have to trust my doctors, nurses, and myself to do everything possible to protect you from side effects and benefit from the "God given liquid gold cure juice" as I like to call it. It's scary, so I understand why some people may want to avoid some types of treatments available. But I want everything they've got - I want to live and I'll give up a lot to achieve that goal...A LOT...including my girlie parts (and perhaps much more if it would help). To be clear - I respect EVERY cancer survivor's decisions and opinions on their own medical decisions/choices - only you and your doctors can know what's best for you in your situation - I am not an expert - just a very determined, angry and scared warrior wanting to unleash every available weapon on this f****er. I hope nobody misunderstands my comments to be a criticism of their choices in any way since that is not my intention. I remember my first consultation with my oncologist - the talented Dr. Glaspy. What a brilliant man he is. I remember my conversation with him about my ovaries - keep 'em or ditch 'em - and how he felt the answer may need to depend on the BRCA1/2 gene test results - or not - depending on how I felt about it. I remember though that regardless of the test results, the ultimate answer he gave me was to ditch 'em (though timing was discussed and he thought it could wait til I started menopause if the gene test came back negative). Well my gene testing was negative, but the more I read about the connection between breast and ovarian cancer and the survival rates of the latter due to most cases being detected too late, I'm totally certain I want them out of my body, pronto. So, if my ovaries are going to go, I may as well get rid of my uterus and cervix too - I already know my cervix is trouble - I had precancerous cells removed from it many times in my twenties, which I later learned is the reason I ended up with the condition "incompetent cervix" during my pregnancy with Cooper. Well, if you know me, I don't accept incompetence in just about any aspect of my life so I think it's time they get "laid off" because if it's not competent then it does me no good any other way, so....cervix, you're fired! LOL. My girlie parts don't define me - they only hinder me from realizing my full potential as a mother, wife, daughter, friend, sister, cousin, niece, mentor, a cancer survivor. So I want them out. Unless someone presents me with evidence that taking them out would actually increase my chances of cancer recurrence or spreading, they're coming out. Now I just need to sit down with Dr.Glaspy and figure out how to make it happen and when. Ok, now that's off my chest I'm taking a nap. God bless you, my friends and family. I love you.

Because, apparently, fighting cancer isn't stress enough...

This morning, day 14 of chemo, one of my to-do's was to address a growing stack of medical bills and contradictory insurance explanation of benefit (EOB) statements. I receive the bills and set them aside until I receive the corresponding EOB from the insurance company to find out what my portion of the bill is. If there is confusion, I call the insurance company. Well, every bill in the stack created confusion because if there was a corresponding EOB they didn't match - either physician name, amount, etc. I knew it would be a challenging task. I called the insurance company first to figure out which of the bills I needed to pay. Verdict...all of them. ;/ I asked the representative why since the EOBs indicated my portion owed was $0 and that my annual deductible and out of pocket maximum was met. She put me on hold and then returned and explained that my out of pocket maximum was not met until 6/24 (by the way, my new year starts 7/1 so that didn't do me much good, did it!? LOL). She had no answer as to why my EOBs dated earlier than that stated that it was met already. ugh. While I had her on the phone I asked her how much of the current year deductible and out of pocket limit had been satisfied (the year beginning 7/1) and she said that the deductible was met already (and that I have another $1500 to go before I meet the out of pocket max)! I was a bit surprised since I have not received a single EOB or physician bill for anything dated after 7/1 yet. I guess the port placement surgery and the first chemo treatment did the trick...but that means that after paying about $1000 of medical bills this morning (my portion of the surgery and pathology in June) did not even include the $500 worth that I haven't been billed for yet for medical treatment received in July. At this rate, I'll meet my $2,000 annual out of pocket maximum (minus copays since I'll have to keep paying those) by September based on planned treatments. Think that's bad enough? Apparently, the insurance company doesn't. I just received a EOB today indicating that I may be on the hook for $3,851 for the cost of my mammogram! I called them to ask what that was all about and I was told: "it's under review for medical necessity". Shall I repeat that? Yeah, I didn't think I needed to. I asked the representative if this was some kind of sick joke and she didn't appreciate that very much and tried to explain to me that because I'm under the age of 39, that makes a diagnostic mammogram an unusual claim. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard that. I reminded her that they already had approved and paid for the double mastectomy and the first round of chemotherapy treatment and asked her if she thought that the mammogram was medically necessary. She didn't have much of an answer for that. Then I asked her why they sent me an EOB stating that the $3,851 was "patient responsibility" if they are supposedly still reviewing and haven't yet decided whether they'll be paying for it. She didn't have an answer for that either. I reminded her that before I went in for the diagnostic mammogram I called and asked if it would be covered and I was told: "if a doctor deems it medically necessary" and I followed it by stating that my doctor ordered it based on my feeling a lump in a self exam and I was told "that sounds medically necessary to me." I asked to speak with someone involved in the decision and was told that claim examiners "don't take calls from customers." Isn't that unbelievable!? The representative then proceeded to try to convince me that it's too early to be upset about this (she actually said that! and I responded something like "if you were me, staring at a $4k bill you probably wouldn't think so") - that they're awaiting supporting medical records from the provider. Again, I had to laugh and then asked them what kind of record might they be looking for - something that says I called my doc and said I felt a lump and the doc said to go get a mammogram? I mean, come on - there's a doctor's order for a diagnostic mammogram and sonogram in the file that was sent to them - what more could they possibly want beyond that and the fact that they KNOW I had breast cancer that required surgery, chemo and additional treatments to come!? Do they actually think I might go get a mammogram, sonogram and biopsy for fun? All of this got me thinking about how awful it would be to not have health insurance at all. I mean, sure it's annoying and still very expensive to be sick WITH insurance. However, for those that don't have insurance, an illness would be financially devastating. I have friends who can't afford health insurance because their employers don't offer it and individual insurance is too expensive for them or because they have a history of health issues that has led insurance companies to deny them policies. It breaks my heart knowing that an accident or illness could ruin them financially because of the way our healthcare system works in this country. The other day we were at the pool with Cooper and we met a neighbor who moved here from Italy a couple years ago. He told us about how his father had two transplants and didn't have to wait nor pay a dime for it, and how his daughter was born in Italy and they paid absolutely nothing for her maternity care and delivery and the mother was on paid leave for nearly a year! My mom, who is a conservative, looked at me and said "if that is what socialized healthcare is then I'm all for it." - I nearly choked. LOL I'm very aware that I am among the lucky and privileged because I work for an outstanding employer that provides excellent benefit options and for that I'm incredibly grateful. I'm more aware now than ever before that most Americans are not as lucky as me in this regard and while I've always believed we need healthcare reform in this country, I believe it now more than ever before. Routine and diagnostic mammograms, for example, shouldn't require a fight with an insurance company when there is a legitimate need for the test. Shortly after my diagnosis of breast cancer, my husband said to me "I see you testifying before congress regarding mammogram coverage/availability for women under 40." and I just laughed and thought about how all my energy needs to be focused on fighting this cancer. But he is right - I can't sit back and watch this happen, knowing it's happening to women (and men) every day. Something needs to be done about it. So, in my spare time, I'll be working on that. ;) Anywho...what's in store for the rest of this week? I start physical therapy tomorrow. Shave my head Wednesday night and donate my hair to Locks of Love. Support group on Thursday. Booby expansion appointment on Friday. I need to squeeze in writing a letter to the head administrator of Northridge Hospital (about that horrific experience I had with the first port placement attempt), and call the breast imaging center to make sure they sent the "records" to the insurance company...and the list goes on (but I won't bore you).

Plumbing and poor performers

I have plumbing issues. Not the kind you might think after a previous post about pain medication side effects (though we're not totally in the clear there either LOL), but rather the type where the sink is filled with icky water, the disposal won't run, and thus we can't use the dishwasher type of plumbing issue. We have a "home warranty" where we pay a fee annually and an insurance company dispatches contractors to the home for issues covered under the policy for a flat fee of $60. This issue is covered. However, I called the company on Thursday and here we are Saturday and nothing has changed. Each time I call the insurance company I'm placed on hold for between 25-60 minutes (that is NOT an exaggeration) and then when a "customer service" rep finally answers I'm told that the contractor has 48 "business hours" to respond before they'll reassign it to a new contractor but that they'll call the contractor on our behalf and get things moving. That was last night. I called again this morning at 11 am and after 37 minutes of being on hold I ask them for a new contractor's name/# since we haven't heard from the first one I'm told we have to give them until Monday night. Are you wondering whether to feel sorry for me or the gal on the other end of the phone at this point? If I were you, I'd feel sorry for her. LOL After a few choice words (thank you, miss for giving me someone to take my frustrations out on LOL), I informed her that I'd be hiring a private plumber, out of pocket, and then Monday or Tuesday morning when my husband is back we'll be firing the insurance company (canceling the policy) and replacing them with one that actually DOES what they're supposed to do. This incident reminded me of the experience we had with the first breast cancer surgeon we consulted. I did not hesitate to fire the poor performer. Recently I fired and replaced the gardener too (pre-diagnosis) for poor performance. Suddenly, I'm standing in my kitchen and I realize that I am one of those "exceptional patients" that Bernie Siegel writes about in "Love, Medicine & Miracles" (which I'm currently reading) - the type that doesn't take bad news laying down, that doesn't accept "facts" and "statistics" as applicable to me - the type that questions almost everything in search of the absolute best of everything, the type that fires physicians and other poor performers when they know they can have better. Whether it is a blown up garbage disposal, a poorly maintained yard, or a nanny that is late daily and referred to my child as a "pill" (yup, she was fired in March), there's not much that I can't control - not even cancer. So, while I will have moments, hours, maybe even a day of fear, doubt and grief (that I must be allowed to have), I'm a fighter through and through. I demand the best and I don't sit back waiting for others to do what needs to be done - I get it done. I'm kicking cancer's ass. I'm so going to beat this f*cker.

F*CKING CANCER: Pathology is in :(

The pathology report is in. My left breast tumor was 2.2 cm, clean margins. I had 14 (yes, FOURTEEN) cancerous lymph nodes - O.M.G! They had removed 18 in total. Clear boundaries there, but O.M.G! The largest lymph node tumor was 4.2 cm. No cancer in the right breast or right side lymph nodes. This makes me Stage IIIC. Holy shit! I'm freaking out. I'm so angry and so sad. I feel like I've totally failed myself and my family by not finding this sooner. I'm terrified. I'm going to fight it hard. But getting more bad news is not helping my psyche. CANCER - YOU F*CKING SUCK SO BAD AND I HATE YOU. DAMN YOU!

Ah the indignities! (sound familiar?)

It feels like de ja vu writing about indignities - this time last year I posted an entry on Cooper's blog about the indignities of strict bed rest while pregnant. That list was far worse than the one I've begun to expose since opening my eyes this morning, so maybe you'll get off easy this time. Since Saturday, each "Care Partner" (person that wakes me up every 4 hours to take my vitals) has found a new way to ascertain whether I've had a bowel movement. It's become quite comical to watch the discovery process each of these folks goes through as they start their shift. First, I see them evaluating and logging the amount of urine I've left in the lovely measuring cup they've attached to the toilet in my room (which, by the way, takes up the entire opening of the toilet), then they come back to my side and ask me how much water I've had since they last asked, followed by an inspection of my food tray if it's still in the room to see how much food I've eaten. Then, finally, they come out and ask me "BM today?", or "#2 today?" and I pretend I don't know what they're talking about so they have to repeat themselves at least 2-3 times which seems to embarrass each of them. The first day I was here I hadn't eaten solid foods for over 12 hours. The second day they had me on vicodin which everyone knows prevents such digestive action, and the third day (yesterday) after being interrogated by blushing nurses about bowel movements I considered making an effort but then reconsidered every time I realized there is a giant urine measuring cup in the way which I can't (or won't) reach around and move out of the way since it hurts too much to move my arms in that way right now and I hadn't bothered inviting anyone to join me (would you!?). So, they're going to have to wait a bit longer unless they figure out they've made it impossible and take steps to remedy that. I'm not going to do their jobs for them although I probably could do it better than they do based on the way this weekend has progressed. Note to self: unless one can help it, one should never have themselves admitted to a hospital over a weekend when the C team is on the schedule. We had no choice this time - it was either have the surgery Friday or wait til July which we all know just was not an option for me (no way I was going to let cancer dance around in my body that long). I have a few reconstructive surgeries that will need to be done so I'll be booking those to occur earlier in the week when possible. Hey cancer - if you're lurking around you'd better start running because whatever is left of you is gonna be nuked into oblivion soon, ya bastard! Love, Julie

We're at UCLA

We are at UCLA for my big day! We're waiting for the Admissions office to open (4:30am PT).

We are praying for a successful, complication-free surgery that eliminates all the pesky uninvited cancer cells from my body. We pray for the surgical team's strength, brilliance, skills, and compassion on this critical first day of my new life as a SURVIVOR of breast cancer. We thank God for His love, and for our amazing support network that is praying for me and cheering us on. We are grateful to all of you for your love and support. You know I will be on the blackberry as soon as I can be to post updates. :)

Cancer, YOU'RE GOING DOWN, BITCH!

Love, Julie

Launching "Operation Kick Cancer's Ass"

Welcome to my new blog where I will be journaling about my journey to battle, beat and recover from breast cancer. Thank you in advance for reading along while I go through this journey that I hope you will never have to experience yourself. I wanted to create a separate blog for this so that my sweet Cooper's blog (http://www.babyolsenchronicles.blogspot.com/) will remain dedicated to him. And, besides benefiting from getting it all off my chest (pun intended :)), it is my hope that my story will encourage other women (and men) to to take charge of their health and demand better and earlier screening for cancer (ie ladies, don't wait til 40 for routine mammograms and don't let a doctor prevent you from getting one sooner) or any illness or health challenge. To get the best care - preventive, diagnostic, and treatment - we must be our own advocate and demand the best. We can't afford to be shy or to just leave it in others' hands - we must take charge and that's how I intend to implement "Operation Kick Cancer's Ass". I welcome your comments and questions along the way. I just ask that you please give careful thought to comments - think about whether it's something you would say to your closest loved one if they were going through cancer treatment. I have a kick-ass attitude but I am human and have feelings too. I need to be as positive as possible. That means survivor stories are welcomed and the other kind of stories are not. I AM going to beat this. If you think differently I do not want to hear/read it - I'm sure you can understand that. How can you help me through this? I am frequently asked "what can I do to help?" and it warms my heart to know how many people genuinely want to help me through this. So, if you're not close but want to know what you can do to help - here are some specific things you can do regardless of where you are --

• If you pray, please pray for me and my family. Please pray that we be given the strength and patience to work through this together with a positive outlook. Please pray that we are aided by the most talented and compassionate health care providers. Please pray that we quickly and effectively eliminate cancer from my body and prevent its recurrence. Please offer up any other prayers that will help us declare victory over cancer - we'd love to hear prayers and affirmations that you think might help us.
• If you have a great link or know of a great resource that you think would help me and others, please post it in a comment and you might end up finding it in my warrior toolchest of links.
• Give blood at your local blood drive or Red Cross center - blood saves lives.
• Get a great haircut from long to short and donate your locks to an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients. Check out: http://www.locksoflove.org/
• Participate in fundraising for the American Cancer Society to help fund much needed research so that someday there will be a cure.
• Write to Congress: http://www.standup2cancer.org/getinvolved/congress
• And, if you have additional ideas for how you can help me and others in this situation, please post them for me and everyone to see.

Thank you for everything - for your prayers, your positive thoughts, your kind words and generous expressions of care, for listening.

I hereby launch "Operation Kick Cancer's Ass" :)