Last night I attended a Susan G. Komen for the Cure Sacramento Valley 2010 Survivor Reception at the Citizen's Hotel in downtown Sacramento. My sister-in-law Monica joined me as my guest for the evening. It was really fun to see Sonia, Tina and another couple gals that I'd met through the different fundraisers for breast cancer awareness. We had a wonderful dinner, played a game of "Komen Idol", and even had our pictures taken in the photo booth.
Although this is a great group of women (and men) to be associated with, you never really ask to be in the "cancer club", you just become an honorary member when you're diagnosed. So, although I had a great time and I continue to appreciate all the love and support from my new group of friends, it still chokes me up when I walk into the room. My thinking is...why? Why do all of these women (and men) have cancer? Why haven't we found a cure? And will we ever? And then there's always the.....why me? Someday I hope to have answers to those questions.
"People are always telling me that
change is good. But all that means is
that something you didn't want to
happen has happened." - Meg Ryan (in support of her mother, Susan Ryan Jordan)
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Friends in Town...
Our friends Dave & Brenda came to visit w/their two young children, Sierra and Noah. They came yesterday afternoon and stayed in a hotel, but we were able to meet up by dinner time and go to John's restaurant for a delicious meal. Afterwards we went back to our house for a nice visit. This morning after breakfast we decided to take them to Old Sacramento where we watched a mock "shoot out" and walked the streets for awhile, checking out some of the shops along the way. What a fun day, it was beautiful weather and we got to spend it with good friends. By the time we pulled back into the driveway I could hardly keep my eyes open :( Although it was fun to adventure out today, it was a quick reality check after a couple hours and my body reminded me to take it easy. I'm still very tired after my four hour nap and will be heading back to bed soon, but it was well worth the visit.
"Nothing is stronger than strength of spirit.
The body may falter, but inside, unchanging,
a spirit brilliant with strength and resilience
shines on. And on. And on." - The Spirit of Hope
Today my spirit shines on and on. Although my body sometimes cannot catch up, my spirit shines on.
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
"Nothing is stronger than strength of spirit.
The body may falter, but inside, unchanging,
a spirit brilliant with strength and resilience
shines on. And on. And on." - The Spirit of Hope
Today my spirit shines on and on. Although my body sometimes cannot catch up, my spirit shines on.
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Good Friends...
The past few days I haven't felt really good, I was extremely tired so I didn't blog. Although my lab tests came back looking great, I guess I needed some extra sleep and so that's what I've been doing. I apologize if any of you were worried that you hadn't heard from me in awhile. Everything is good, still trucking along.
Today I went to chemo #17 and invited my good friend Teresa Rose (aka my Weight Watcher's Leader). It felt so good to have alone time with Teresa, she's such a wonderful person. Teresa works really hard and has such a busy schedule @ home and work, that I felt so privileged to just have her attention for the couple hours that I did. She literally teaches 11 Weight Watcher meetings a week, plus has guest appearances on Good Day Sacramento all the time. So for her to take the time for me, felt so good. It was funny because Monica (the Pharmacist) walked by at one point and ended up spending a great deal of time getting great advice from Teresa about the program. She's amazing.
Sonia Susac also joined us this afternoon after she was finishing up some of her things on her list. She's also an incredibly busy lady who I want to thank for always being by my side. Sonia is the leader of a group walking in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure @ Cal Expo on May 8th. I'm part of Sonia's group (the RAC-PAC) and plan to walk as far as I can. I know I won't be able to make the 5K, however, there's a smaller race for those who need it and it's 1 mile. Hopefully I can manage that. Anyway, Sonia is very busy with the planning and organization of this group and she deserves MAJOR kudos for all the fundraising efforts and work that she puts in on a daily basis for breast cancer awareness. Throughout all of this I'm blessed to have found a wonderful friend in Sonia.
During my treatment we realized that I'm again taking Benadryl and require a ride home...oops. So we worked it out with Teresa driving me home, followed by Sonia driving my van. Then Teresa took Sonia back to her car. What ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL friends I have. Without them, I don't know what I would do.
Thank you Teresa and Sonia ~ I love you guys lots!
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
Today I went to chemo #17 and invited my good friend Teresa Rose (aka my Weight Watcher's Leader). It felt so good to have alone time with Teresa, she's such a wonderful person. Teresa works really hard and has such a busy schedule @ home and work, that I felt so privileged to just have her attention for the couple hours that I did. She literally teaches 11 Weight Watcher meetings a week, plus has guest appearances on Good Day Sacramento all the time. So for her to take the time for me, felt so good. It was funny because Monica (the Pharmacist) walked by at one point and ended up spending a great deal of time getting great advice from Teresa about the program. She's amazing.
Sonia Susac also joined us this afternoon after she was finishing up some of her things on her list. She's also an incredibly busy lady who I want to thank for always being by my side. Sonia is the leader of a group walking in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure @ Cal Expo on May 8th. I'm part of Sonia's group (the RAC-PAC) and plan to walk as far as I can. I know I won't be able to make the 5K, however, there's a smaller race for those who need it and it's 1 mile. Hopefully I can manage that. Anyway, Sonia is very busy with the planning and organization of this group and she deserves MAJOR kudos for all the fundraising efforts and work that she puts in on a daily basis for breast cancer awareness. Throughout all of this I'm blessed to have found a wonderful friend in Sonia.
During my treatment we realized that I'm again taking Benadryl and require a ride home...oops. So we worked it out with Teresa driving me home, followed by Sonia driving my van. Then Teresa took Sonia back to her car. What ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL friends I have. Without them, I don't know what I would do.
Thank you Teresa and Sonia ~ I love you guys lots!
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Thank you for following me...
As I was talking with Teresa at work yesterday, it dawned on me that there are a LOT of people who read this blog. There are 22 followers right now, but I know there are actually more people than that, but they just haven't registered. That's amazing. Why would anyone want to know what is happening in my daily life? Wow, I feel loved. I know I mentioned this before, but it took me being diagnosed to really feel how much I was truly loved, and it also took my brother-in-law, Bob, to point it out to me. Why does it take something so big for us to feel worthy of love?! I wish with all my heart that each of you feel worthy and feel the love of one another, I truly do.
Pull out the china and use it today, don't wait for that "special day" for everyday is a special day and we need to celebrate the fact that we woke up.
"But when this happens to you - and
I think other people would identify
with this - suddenly, colors are brighter.
You see everything." - Lynn Redgrave
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
Pull out the china and use it today, don't wait for that "special day" for everyday is a special day and we need to celebrate the fact that we woke up.
"But when this happens to you - and
I think other people would identify
with this - suddenly, colors are brighter.
You see everything." - Lynn Redgrave
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
Friday, April 2, 2010
God's Plan...
Each day that the sun shines through the curtains and wakes us up, is a blessing. Each breath that we take is truly a gift from God. When it's our time to go, we may have no warning, for he has called us and it is our time. They say that there is so much more to look forward to, that life on earth is nothing in comparison. That still doesn't bring much comfort when we lose a loved one.
As you know, I've been friends with Luanne for approximately 30 years now. I used to hang out at her house, went on vacations with her family, we shared it all. Now her family is hurting. They are in mourning. Luanne's nephew (Daniel Stanislaw) lost his life this past Sunday night when we was driving and lost control of his vehicle. Daniel was only 23 years old.
We don't know why God decided to take Daniel at such a young age. He must have big plans for Daniel. Is there a need for cake decorators in heaven? Daniel was truly talented and had a gift. Daniel was a son, a brother, a nephew, a grandson, and a friend. Daniel may you rest in peace. You were loved.
"The journey of healing
takes patience and time,
love and support,
courage and hope." by The Spirit of Hope
God, please look after Luanne's family as they mourn the loss of Daniel. Please comfort them and ease their pain.
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
As you know, I've been friends with Luanne for approximately 30 years now. I used to hang out at her house, went on vacations with her family, we shared it all. Now her family is hurting. They are in mourning. Luanne's nephew (Daniel Stanislaw) lost his life this past Sunday night when we was driving and lost control of his vehicle. Daniel was only 23 years old.
We don't know why God decided to take Daniel at such a young age. He must have big plans for Daniel. Is there a need for cake decorators in heaven? Daniel was truly talented and had a gift. Daniel was a son, a brother, a nephew, a grandson, and a friend. Daniel may you rest in peace. You were loved.
"The journey of healing
takes patience and time,
love and support,
courage and hope." by The Spirit of Hope
God, please look after Luanne's family as they mourn the loss of Daniel. Please comfort them and ease their pain.
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Daddy's Little Girl...
I grew up being the only girl, with three brothers and maybe that's why I was daddy's little girl. I was born with a congenital hip problem, where it wasn't fully developed when I was born. This resulted in me wearing a body cast until I was about two years old. Again, maybe this was another reason for my daddy to favor me, I don't know.
Fast forward to 1995, my dad had a major stroke while visiting family on Father's Day. As a result, my dad hasn't been able to talk or walk since then. He lives in a nursing home in Davis, California. Although life is nothing like it used to be, believe it or not, he seems to be content. He has lots of friends at the home and most importantly, they take very good care of him.
I have been asking lots of friends and family whether or not I should tell my dad about my cancer. Some have suggested that I wear a wig, some have said to wear a hat. We've even wondered how much he would comprehend. Well...yesterday we finally went for the visit. I couldn't put it off any longer. We walked right in and he was there in the lobby, looking good, just taking it all in. When he took one look at us, he immediately smiled and started motioning for us to come over. He initially looked at me funny, like there was something different about my head, but I laughed and kissed him. I wore a hat. After about five minutes, I couldn't stand it any longer and just took my hat off and grabbed for his hand to touch my head. Although he didn't want anything to do with touching my head, he laughed and made a face to imply that "so what, you have no hair". I proceeded to tell him how good I was feeling and that although I have cancer, I was kicking it's butt. He liked that. We went back to his room for a nice visit and although I tried to mention the illness a couple times, he really didn't seem to care about it. At one point he shook his finger at me as if to say, "you'd better fight like hell" and I promised him I would.
"Courage is doing what you must
when doing what you must
is the hardest thing of all" by the Spirit of Hope
You see, although I didn't want to tell my dad, I knew that I couldn't put it off any longer. The only thing I feared was that he would be sad that he couldn't help me out, make me all better. However, since I looked healthy, I don't think it was an issue and it ended up being a nice visit with my dad.
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
Fast forward to 1995, my dad had a major stroke while visiting family on Father's Day. As a result, my dad hasn't been able to talk or walk since then. He lives in a nursing home in Davis, California. Although life is nothing like it used to be, believe it or not, he seems to be content. He has lots of friends at the home and most importantly, they take very good care of him.
I have been asking lots of friends and family whether or not I should tell my dad about my cancer. Some have suggested that I wear a wig, some have said to wear a hat. We've even wondered how much he would comprehend. Well...yesterday we finally went for the visit. I couldn't put it off any longer. We walked right in and he was there in the lobby, looking good, just taking it all in. When he took one look at us, he immediately smiled and started motioning for us to come over. He initially looked at me funny, like there was something different about my head, but I laughed and kissed him. I wore a hat. After about five minutes, I couldn't stand it any longer and just took my hat off and grabbed for his hand to touch my head. Although he didn't want anything to do with touching my head, he laughed and made a face to imply that "so what, you have no hair". I proceeded to tell him how good I was feeling and that although I have cancer, I was kicking it's butt. He liked that. We went back to his room for a nice visit and although I tried to mention the illness a couple times, he really didn't seem to care about it. At one point he shook his finger at me as if to say, "you'd better fight like hell" and I promised him I would.
"Courage is doing what you must
when doing what you must
is the hardest thing of all" by the Spirit of Hope
You see, although I didn't want to tell my dad, I knew that I couldn't put it off any longer. The only thing I feared was that he would be sad that he couldn't help me out, make me all better. However, since I looked healthy, I don't think it was an issue and it ended up being a nice visit with my dad.
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Days that follow chemotherapy...
It's really hard to explain how the affect of chemo feels. I've tried to explain to John that it's almost like a drunken stupor that I'm in for a couple days. Very bizarre. I'm in and out of sleep, and when I'm awake, my mind is racing and I have all of the desire to accomplish tasks, but my body doesn't want to cooperate. My body wants to either go back to sleep, or just sit and not do much at all. It's as if I get out of bed with about a 1/2 tank of energy and the tank has a slow leak. By the time I get going, there's only about a 1/4 of the tank left, so I'd better hurry and accomplish what I want to get done before all the energy has been drained. If I'm really lucky, the tank will last me 2-3 hours, then it's time for bed again.
I'm proud of myself because John and I just got back from a walk. We used to walk for miles, literally. We would track our walking path on the computer and map it all out, sometimes it would be a good 5-6 mile walk. Well, these days I'm usually just dreaming about walking, haven't really gotten out there much at all. However, this walk around the block was a bit easier than the last time. Who knows, maybe I can work it up to a block and a half next time :)
Checking in to say that I'm another 3.6 pounds down, bringing me to a total of 12.0 pounds lost :) Yahoo for me!!
"You never know how far you can go until you envision a distant destination and take the first steps." - by the Spirit of Hope
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
I'm proud of myself because John and I just got back from a walk. We used to walk for miles, literally. We would track our walking path on the computer and map it all out, sometimes it would be a good 5-6 mile walk. Well, these days I'm usually just dreaming about walking, haven't really gotten out there much at all. However, this walk around the block was a bit easier than the last time. Who knows, maybe I can work it up to a block and a half next time :)
Checking in to say that I'm another 3.6 pounds down, bringing me to a total of 12.0 pounds lost :) Yahoo for me!!
"You never know how far you can go until you envision a distant destination and take the first steps." - by the Spirit of Hope
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
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