Two Months of Activities and Looking Ahead

Well, where did the last two months go?  I am not sure.  But when I looked at the calendar and it said, May 24th, I thought I really should post to my blog . It has been way too long. 

I was involved in many personal activities as a member of my homeowners association board. It is not an easy process to open a 55+ community pool in NJ in the time of Covid but we are working on it. I also spent lots of time and a few vet visits taking care of my dog. She had a growth removed but is recovering nicely.

 

And on a personal level, I had my second Covid vaccine. HURRAH! And I also I dealt with an ear infection. Yes, adults can still get ear infections.

On the advocacy front, I was so happy to take part in the 40th Anniversary of Cancer Hope Network. They provide one-on-one support for cancer patients and caregivers. I trained as a support volunteer with them in 2007. When I was first diagnosed I spoke to a volunteer. She gave me hope that I could make it to five years. Since then I have had over 50 matches with women who were diagnosed with ovarian cancers or others considering clinical trials.

I also took part in the COSMO (The Collaboration for Outcomes using Social Media in Oncology) Conference. I was part of the The  Patient Engagement in Social Media:When the Doctor is No Longer the Expert panel. It was wonderful speaking about the #gyncsm  cancer community along Tamika Felder, Patricia Anderson, John Novack and Janet Freeman-Daily leaders of other online patient communities and social media leaders. I enjoyed two days interacting with and hearing from cancer Social Media experts like Drs Dizon, Lewis, Durma, Drake, Miller , Painter and others.

You can follow COSMO on Twitter at @COSMONC or the hashtag #COSMOnc. 

On May 12th the #gyncsm community spoke about  Recurrence Secondary Cancer and other Diseases. Check out the highlights on our blog at http://gyncsm.blogspot.com/2021/05/may-12-2021-risk-of-recurrence-second.html.

I am looking forward to  #ASCO21 and hope to highlight the great gyn cancer and disparity research being done. Join me and follow the #gyncsm and #ASCO21 hashtags.

 

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing!

Spending Time

For the past few days I have spent hours in church. Not just the normal one hour Mass on Sunday but the services on Thursday, Friday and Saturday known as the Easter Triduum. Attending those services gave me time to reflect on my cancer journey and my faith.

On Thursday I attended the Mass of the Lord's Supper. The Mass was bilingual, Spanish and English and I loved listening to my fellow parishioners singing hymns in both languages. I watched as the chrism for the Anointing of the Sick sacrament was brought to the altar by a parishioner with very little hair on her head but a look of reverence on her face. I thought of the times I received the sacrament. I was anointed with chrism before both of my cancer surgeries. Sitting in the pew on Thursday, I once again felt the grace and calm of the anointing. There might not be a scientific study to prove that grace from the sacrament calms and strengthens . What I do know is the calm and strength I felt facing my surgeries.

Friday afternoon I attended the Passion Service with Nick. We walked into church as the dark clouds and drizzle began. Was that what is was like as Jesus hung on the Cross? After reading the Passion, a group of parishioners walked a large wooden Cross to the altar. Holding it upright the group invited parishioners to come forward. Row by row parishioners- young and old and some in wheelchairs and walkers came forward and genuflected or gave the Cross a light kiss or gentle touch. The church was full so it was a long wait to get to the front of the line and revere the Cross. I expected that I would start to get antsy waiting. But not this time. The waiting was OK. I thought of times after my cancer diagnosis that I needed to wait - for my chemo to begin, to see my doctor, for my scans, the hour I layed in the PET scan machine having my test done, for the pains in my legs to stop, for my fingers to feel less numb, for my appetite to come back. Sometimes you can't rush the process you just have to wait - patiently. And so I sat. I thought about My Uncle Bruno, my Aunt Dora, a friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and another two friends who have had their ovarian cancer recur. I felt sad and once again in church my eyes filled up. And I prayed for all of them. And I continued to wait.

I thought about my clear scan results, my future grandson, being accepted to a special cancer advocate program and the speech my son, the crew coach, gave at his crew dinner. Life can be tough- Jesus knew that but it can also be very good. So I said a prayer of thanksgiving. It was my turn. Well worth the wait! Two hours later we quietly walked out of church.

We decided to attend the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night which meant spending even more time in church: 2 and a half hours to be exact. Not really a long time when you think about the time I was in treatment and was in bed due to fatigue. Two days per cycle I never left my bed. Two times fifteen cycles ( if you include my recurrence) makes thirty days. Those thirty days equal seven hundred and twenty hours. During those hours and many more the chemotherapy drugs were killing off the cancer cells. Two and a half hours celebrating the Easter Vigil was my spiritual medicine.

Happy Easter!

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing!