Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Laurianne's Story

I submitted this version of Laurianne's Story to The Healing Project and wanted to share it with you as well. It is a slight extension of the original speech I gave in November 2005 for Lung Cancer Alliance.

Laurianne's Story

My sister, Laurianne Koning, grew up in a non-smoking household. She was a non-smoker, and did not work or live in a smoking environment.

In the fall 2002, Laurianne was living her dreams. She worked as a nanny in New York, a city she always dreamed of living in. Because of her job as a nanny, she was able to do some traveling, and see new places. While living in New York, she also learned to swim, something she hadn't really learned as a child. It soon became one of her passions, and she made sure she would swim at least 4 days a week. She was soon swimming a mile a day. The only problem, which she complained to our mom about, was that she sometimes had shoulder pain when she swam. But, at the ripe old age of 23 years old, no one would have thought to worry about it. We now suspect that this could have been an early warning sign that Laurianne was afflicted by lung cancer.

Two years later, in November of 2004, Laurianne came to visit me in Indianapolis. At that time, she told me she was pregnant. Shortly after she returned home from her visit, she found that she was often out of breath. Laurianne went to the doctor, and she was diagnosed with pregnancy-related asthma. Laurianne's asthma got so bad she could no longer walk a city block without losing her breath. Since she was going to be a single mom, my parents convinced her to move back home to California so they could help her out at least until the baby was born. It took some convincing, because Laurianne was very independent, but she finally agreed. She also thought it would be nice to be near our mom when the baby arrived.

In mid-May, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and was hospitalized for a week. Doctors had her hooked up to machines to make sure the baby was okay. Through most of her pregnancy, she had a hacking cough, which doctors believed lead up to the pneumonia. They suspected Laurianne's lung had collapsed. Laurianne was mostly concerned that her baby would be okay. She was not due for another month, and although doctors were prepared to do a premature delivery, they preferred to wait until closer to her due date.

Due to her increased breathing difficulties, and because her baby could be delivered safely, they began to induce labor June 3rd. On June 5th, my nephew, Calem, was born by cesarean. He was very healthy. Unlike most mothers who can immediately take care of their babies, however, Laurianne was tested to see why she couldn't breath. One day after Calem was born, they verified that her right lung had indeed collapsed. They rushed her to ICU and put a chest tube in her side to reinflate her lung. Two days after Calem was born, my sister was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was later determined the cancer was mucinous adenocarinoma, a rare form of lung cancer for non-smokers. I remember calling my mom to see how my sister was doing, and they had just received the diagnosis of lung cancer. I heard Laurianne sobbing in the background because she just wanted to be with her baby and be like any other new mom. Instead, they had to put her on medications so she couldn't breast feed, and Calem had to spend some time his first few days in the nursery because he wasn't allowed in ICU. She didn't want to be away from him. But after six days of testing and limited visits with her newborn, she was finally released from the hospital.

Laurianne was able to breast feed for a short time before she had to begin cancer treatments. My husband and I came from Indianapolis to visit my sister in August. She was very tired but very positive. She was trying to pump milk because she was convinced that after her chemotherapy, her tumor would be gone, and then she would be able to breast feed again. Laurianne never lost her sense of humor or positive attitude. Since she loved chocolate cake, she joked with us that the doctors were wrong and she really just had a piece of chocolate cake lodged in her lung. And she already was working to promote lung cancer awareness and how it could affect anyone, even a non-smoking, 25-year-old single mom.

In September, my sister was planning on attending an event to make people aware of lung cancer. Laurianne also began suffering from dizziness and headaches. The Friday before one of her cancer events, my mom convinced Laurianne to go out with a friend for a Girls Night Out and not talk cancer or Calem. Her life had been revolving around these two things and she needed time for herself. When Laurianne returned home with her friend, she suffered from severe dizziness, a massive headache and vomiting. My dad, a registered nurse, recognized something more was going on and took her to the emergency room. The doctors were not sure what was going on with her. They told her they wanted to admit her to the hospital, but they could not begin testing until Monday. She convinced her doctors not to have her sit around all weekend, because she would miss her event and an opportunity to share her story about lung cancer. That Monday, September 19th, 2005, Laurianne found out she had a brain tumor that was spread by the lung tumor. I flew out to support my parents and help take care of Calem. On Tuesday, September 20, 2005, we almost lost my sister because she began having seizures related to the brain tumor. They operated on her, and the brain tumor was successfully removed. The doctors were amazed at the size of her tumor. It was so large, they were surprised she still had the capabilities to walk and talk before it was removed.

Laurianne was to undergo radiation to make sure the tumor did not return which is standard procedure. I will never forget how radiant and full of life Laurianne seemed when I said good-bye to her to return to Indiana . I am very grateful to the doctors that helped perform this operation on my sister, because it gave us one more precious month to have her in our lives.

On October 22, 2005 Laurianne went to a doctor friend's house for dinner, accompanied by our parents and her son. She was in the doorway when she collapsed. Her friend quickly began CPR and 911 was called. Laurianne died from complications of her illness on the way to the hospital. I will never forget my mom's voice when she phoned me with the news my sister had died.

There is a stigma that lung cancer only affects smokers. No one in my family is a smoker. My 25-year-old sister never lived with smokers. Yet, because of lung cancer my brother and I no longer have our sister. Because of lung cancer, my parents no longer have their youngest daughter. Because of lung cancer, my nephew is going to grow up without his mom in his life. Stories, pictures and videos can not replace his mother for him. Because of lung cancer, I speak out for my sister, Laurianne, and other victims of this insidious disease whose voices are no longer heard. I want a cure for lung cancer so that other families will not have to suffer loss, the way my family is suffering because Laurianne is no longer in our lives.

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 4:45 PM :: 2 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Character Actor Paul Gleason Dies From Lung Cancer Related to Abestos

I was really sad to hear that Paul Gleason died of lung cancer this weekend. I didn't know him by name, but I have seen him in many movies. However, I was even more sad, and a little angry, that this was only a top story for such a brief amount of time. Paul Gleason's cancer, being linked to asbestos, might have made someone else who has worked with asbestos get a lung cancer screen and have themselves checked. Sadly, news of the Jolie-Pitt's new addition, or Paris Hilton making a hip-hop/reggae album are more important to the media.

At least the Associated Press said something about Paul Gleason. I didn't even see anything on Reuter's.

OBITUARIES
Paul Gleason, 67; Grouchy Principal in 'Breakfast Club'
From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Paul Gleason, best known for playing the grumpy high school principal who presides over detention in the 1985 film "The Breakfast Club," has died. He was 67.

Gleason died Saturday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his daughter, Shannon Gleason-Grossman.

Although the cancer was diagnosed only a month ago, Gleason's exposure to asbestos occurred while working on construction jobs with his father as a teenager in the 1950s, his daughter said.

In more than 60 films, Gleason usually played detectives or minor authority figures.

He was the detestable Clarence Beeks in "Trading Places" (1983) and the deputy chief of police in "Die Hard" (1988). Among his other film roles were "The Passing" (2005) "National Lampoon's Van Wilder" (2002) and "The Giving Tree" (2000).

On television, Gleason played David Thornton on ABC's "All My Children" in the late 1970s. He also appeared on many prime-time shows, including "Malcolm in the Middle," "Friends" and "Seinfeld."

After he and author Jack Kerouac, a friend, watched the 1961 film "Splendor in the Grass" together, Gleason decided to become an actor. Soon he was studying with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.

On Broadway, he debuted with Maureen Stapleton in Neil Simon's "The Gingerbread Lady" (1971). He also appeared in the revival of "The Front Page" (1972), with John Lithgow and Richard Thomas that was staged in Los Angeles and New York.

Gleason was born May 4, 1939, in Jersey City, N.J., and grew up in Miami. He was an avid athlete and played football at Florida State at the same time Burt Reynolds and Robert Urich were there. He also played Triple-A minor league baseball for a handful of clubs.

"My dad was an intelligent, hard-working Renaissance man," Gleason-Grossman said. "His motto was to always keep working."

Actor Jimmy Hawkins, a friend since the 1960s, said he remembered Gleason for his sharp sense of humor.

"He just always had great stories to tell," Hawkins said.

In addition to his daughter Shannon, Gleason is survived by his wife, Susan; another daughter, Kaitlin; and a granddaughter.

Funeral plans were pending.

You probably noticed that Gleason's cancer was only diagnosed a month ago. It just goes to show how quickly lung cancer can spread. With more research and funding to lung cancer, we could find ways to increase life expectancy and possibly even find a more non-evasive way of curing this disease than chemo and radiation.

Fighting lung cancer is an uphill battle. Advocates fight not only the disease, but also the stigma associated with it. I ask that if you take the time to read this blog, share the link with friends and family, add it to your blog links, and help to spread the word. Awareness is the first step towards making a difference.

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 7:20 AM :: 0 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Lung cancer patient, 26, dies: Spokane woman encouraged others to get screening

From just the little bit I read about Christine, I feel she had a lot in common with Laurianne. I think Christine's story, like Laurianne's, is an important one. My thoughts and best wishes go out to Christine's family, and I wish them the best on the difficult road they have ahead.

Spokesman-Review, The (Spokane, WA) (KRT) - May. 23, 2006

May 23--Christine Plank-Meeusen had a long to-do list.

She wanted to travel the world. She wanted to see her 3-year-old son, Avery, grow into adulthood. She wanted to give him a brother or sister.

But the north Spokane woman, one of the youngest people in the country battling lung cancer, was never able to cross those things off her list.

Plank-Meeusen, who was profiled in The Spokesman-Review in March, died Sunday afternoon, surrounded by family. She was 26.

"She gave it one hell of a fight," said her husband, Mathew Meeusen.

Cancer had spread throughout Plank-Meeusen's body but she was holding steady until less than a week ago.

Then her condition deteriorated and she was hospitalized.

"It just hits a certain point where that's sort of it," he said.

Plank-Meeusen never smoked and was rarely exposed to secondhand smoke. No one knows why she contracted the disease. Researchers are studying genetic factors behind these types of cancers.

She had a hacking cough for months and was thought to have a persistent cold or pneumonia.

Doctors rarely suspect lung cancer in someone so young. But a chest X-ray confirmed the worst.

"She never wanted another mother to have to go through what she went through," Meeusen said.

"She just wanted people to know if you ever cough more than two months or three months, ask for an X-ray and get checked out."

Plank-Meeusen told her story in the newspaper and on TV to raise awareness of lung cancer and to push for increased funding for research.

"She wants people to keep on their legislators to fight this," Meeusen said.

In the past month, Plank-Meeusen became friends with Deb True, a Spokane mother with a blood disease called porphyria. The two shared the same oncologist.

"We just hit it off," True said. "We discussed the struggles of being sick and fighting and just trying to raise kids and be a mom and a wife. ... She was just loved and wonderful and just a great person. She fought right up to the end."

True visited her friend at Holy Family Hospital many times in recent days. On Thursday, True said, Plank-Meeusen told her, "There's nothing more they can do for me. ... But I'm going to fight."

After that, Plank-Meeusen drifted in and out of consciousness, stirring a bit when she heard the voices of her husband and son.

In her last weeks of life, Plank-Meeusen did get to fulfill one wish from her to-do list: to drive a convertible.

Her husband rented one for a few days at the end of April. A photo on Plank-Meeusen's blog shows her beaming from the driver's seat with Avery on her lap.

Avery played at the hospital for the past several days, Meeusen said.

When Plank-Meeusen would hear her son's voice "she would actually get a little smile on her lips even when she was asleep," Meeusen said.

She asked to be cremated. Some of her remains will be kept in a locket attached to one of Avery's teddy bears.

"She always wants to be around to guard over Avery and be there for him," Meeusen said.

More About Christine:

• Christine's Red Toenail Blog
• Mathew's Red Toenail Blog (Christine's Husband)
• Christine Plank-Meeusen - Faces of Lung Cancer
• American Cancer Society - Team Avery's Mom
• Spokane to Go Blog - Faces of Lung Cancer

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 9:05 AM :: 0 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Monday, May 22, 2006

7 Months

Today marks the 7 month anniversary of Laurianne's death. My dad is traveling so he asked me to write something today.

I haven't really been focusing on the actual days. I know it is different for my parents. My dad says Saturdays will never be the same for him. For me, my grief can be triggered by even a small event - like seeing a memorial on TV, even a ficitional one. We are each dealing with it in a different way. Sometimes I reflect on what could have been, but it is important to move forward. For Calem, and for ourselves.

In honor of Laurianne, I am posting some symptoms of lung cancer people don't know about. If you have any concerns, it is important to see your doctor. If you are a non-smoker, it is also important to remember that you may need to demand lung cancer screening, due to the stigma of lung cancer being a smoking disease.

1. Shoulder or upper back pain: Pain in the shoulder or upper back is a symptom of lung cancer. The pain results from a tumor pressing on the lining of the lungs.
   
2. Swelling of the face and neck is also a symptom of lung cancer: Tumors can often put pressure of blood vessels, not allowing fluids to to travel as efficiently throughout the body. The fluids then build up, causing swelling of the face and neck.
   
3. Frequently having pneumonia or other lung infections: Tumor cells can trap bacteria causing frequent lung infections. Frequently getting pneumonia is also a symptom of lung cancer.
   
4. Male breast development: Gynecomastia is the overdevelopment of the male breast and can be a symptom of lung cancer in men. Breast growth in men is normally due to the increase of estrogen. Lung cancer has been known to produce estrogen.
   
5. Hoarseness: Do you constantly feel like you have to clear your throat or your throat feels hoarse. This is a very common symptom of lung cancer. Lung cancer tumor cells can block passageways leading to many symtpoms, like hoarseness.
   
   More About Lung Cancer: If you are experiencing the symptoms of lung cancer, please see your doctor. Keep in mind that these symptoms of lung cancer are also the symptoms of many other benign condition.

Lastly, I know my dad would ask you to light a candle today. I have a special candle just for Laurianne that I will light tonight. Remember those who have departed, and remember tell someone who you care about that you love them. You never know what the future has in store for you.

I measure every grief...

I measure every grief I meet
With analytic eyes;
I wonder if it weighs like mine,
Or has an easier size.

I wonder if they bore it long,
Or did it just begin?
I could not tell the date of mine,
It feels so old a pain.

I wonder if it hurts to live,
And if they have to try,
And whether, could they choose between,
They would not rather die.

I wonder if when years have piled--
Some thousands--on the cause
Of early hurt, if such a lapse
Could give them any pause;

Or would they go on aching still
Through centuries above,
Enlightened to a larger pain
By contrast with the love.

The grieved are many, I am told;
The reason deeper lies,--
Death is but one and comes but once
And only nails the eyes.

There's grief of want, and grief of cold,--
A sort they call 'despair,'
There's banishment from native eyes,
In sight of native air.

And though I may not guess the kind
Correctly yet to me
A piercing comfort it affords
In passing Calvary,

To note the fashions of the cross
Of those that stand alone
Still fascinated to presume
That some are like my own.


Emily Dickinson

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 5:51 AM :: 1 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Nurse worries about the agony of lung cancer

I don't normally copy whole articles, due to copyright, but occasionally, I see something that I think is worth taking the risk. Even so, I try to give credit** and create a link.

In this article, I think how the nurse describes what it feels like to have emphysema is very interesting. If you are a smoker or exposed to second-hand smoke, you are especially at risk of getting emphysema. Personally, I like breathing.

Nurse worries about the agony of lung cancer

As I understand it, St. Paul is trying to protect bar workers and patrons from secondhand tobacco smoke, but bar owners worry about having to adjust.

I'm a nurse. I worry about different things. I was counting lately about how many people I have been with when they die, pass over, go to the light, whatever. I think it is about 75 to 100 people who I have witnessed leave this Earth.

While the bar owners worry their worries, I worry that the worst deaths I have seen are the people who have lung cancer. You see, lung cancer patients don't just get their diagnosis and go to glory. They linger and linger, and are eaten from the inside out.

Their lungs fill up. Their physician makes a hole in their back, simply by pounding this metal tube with a mallet, so this brown fluid can be drained out of the lungs. This gets the patient relief, for about two days. Then they begin to fill up again.

Family has to watch: The medical profession can only do this so long, because patients become so weak they can't tolerate the procedure. Their family has to watch this happen. Those who love them die a bit each day, inside.

Their loved ones stand by helplessly and watch this entity take over their body.

Doing this work does funny things to you. Sometimes I daydream about getting a research grant to find out if we could communicate with cancer. I would tell the cancer that it is killing its host.

I would tell it that it will die when the host dies, and suggest that maybe we could coexist. Just a long-standing idea I have had. I am accepting all grants.

But in the meantime, cancer can't be reached and doesn't seem capable of logic.

I guess it's not alone in that respect. The bar owners who are worrying their worries should worry about something bigger.

Try this at home: They should put their hands over their mouth and nose, and cup their face, fairly hard. No, really, I really want you to do this. Now try to breath through your hands.

Welcome to emphysema. That's about as good as it's going to get.

They fight for every breath they take. I know, because I have to stand there while families lose 20 or 30 years of having their loved ones by their side.

And 87 percent of lung cancer is caused by cigarette smoke.

The tragedy is great when it is a smoker, and when it is one of the 3,000 nonsmokers who, according to the National Institute of Cancer, get lung cancer from secondhand smoke.

As a nurse, I've seen too much, and I hate watching this happen. I worry about different things than the bar owners do.

Diane Staeheli is a resident of Eagan and is a nurse.

**Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press, April 23, 2006**

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 10:09 PM :: 0 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Friday, May 19, 2006

Bronchitis and Pnemonia: Laurianne's First Hospitalization

During this month, last year, Laurianne was in the hospital for the first of many times. It could have even been around these dates, but I don't remember the particulars.

She was told she had bronchitis which lead to pnemonia. I had called her on the phone, and her only concern was that her baby boy would be born healthy. Doctors wanted to wait to deliver if they could. Doctors already were discussing what they suspected could be wrong. Of course, until Calem was born, they really didn't want to do anything.

Laurianne wouldn't have let them anyway, if she knew it would hurt her baby.

I remember that she was a little excited about seeing what was going on with Calem. She was nervous that he would not be ok. But after being in the hospital a few days, they released her and told her he was fine.

And only a few weeks later, we would find out that Calem had an unwelcomed bunk mate.

**This is as I remember it. My parents may remember different details, but they are traveling right now.**

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 6:35 AM :: 0 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Happy Mother's Day!

The angels gazed upon us And smiled with abundant joy As God so tenderly gave to us . . .Our little baby boy.

Happy Mother's Day, Little Sister. Thank you for the wonderful gift you have given us named Calem. I know you will be smiling down from heaven. I miss you!

Lynda

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 1:02 AM :: 0 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Appreciation

I don't know if it was simple ignorance, or the attitude of "This won't happen to me" before Laurianne's illness, but since Laurianne's death, I have noticed more and more cancer deaths. Some of them have posted blogs, which I think I have found the most stories. Not all of them have been lung cancer related, but still, as I say, any kind of cancer death is painful.

I also realize that I don't really post here as much as I should. Lung cancer awareness will always be a part of my life, but like anything, I can't let this one issue consume me.

I also realize that this isn't the most exciting blog. It is about a topic that people don't really want to think about. Some of the stuff we post here is about our grief and sorrow. Sometimes we post a poem that seems to convey a thimble full of our emotions. There is a wide range of feelings when you are dealing with grief.

I appreciate the people who have linked this blog. I appreicate the people who come back to read, even though they may think cancer will never happen to them. I hope it doesn't. And they come back, even though my dad and I don't post here every day. I respect someone who might be a smoker and read Laurianne's Story, and even though Laurianne was not a smoker, maybe they decide they don't want to increase their chances.

And I hope that people spread the word about this blog. Maybe it will save the life of a person who has a nagging, persistant cough. I thank you that have added the link to Laurianne's Hope somewhere on your blog. Or added Laurianne's picture with our Relay for Life information. I appreciate the comments and kind words, and that people think about me and my family.

Thank you, everyone!

In Laurianne's words:

I am amazed how many people are affected. I read that 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in there life! I hope that Calem and his generation will not have to worry about cancer as much as we do.

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 9:11 AM :: 1 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Friday, May 05, 2006

Sorrow and Inspiration

Just when I thought that I could handle the grief of Laurianne's passing, a new wave hits me like a freight train. That is what happened to me last night. It is still hard to believe that my sister is gone, and the past few days the tears have sprung to my eyes easily.

One of the things that has bothered me is that I have not really done a lot lately for lung cancer awareness. It is almost like I don't know where to turn next. And then, as if there is a guiding hand to point me in the right direction, I get an email from Women Against Lung Cancer. There is an organization in New York that is looking for anthologies about lung cancer, called The Healing Project. I think they are looking for any kind of story, but specified lung cancer due to the fact that they were writing Women Against Lung Cancer. I quickly wrote a note to the contact, because I think that Laurianne's story could be used.

My family and I have been described as inspiring and wonderful because of what we do to get Laurianne's story out. To be honest, this always surprises me. I just feel like we are doing what we have to do. But I have been inspired by people also, and I am thinking that they probably feel the same way. I would like to tell you a little about the people with lung cancer who inspire me.

Jamie Young - I first read about Jamie in an article my dad forwarded to me. From the article, I knew she was my age and I wished that I could met her. I was so lucky to have that chance with Playing for a Cure. She is so wonderful.

Jamie recently got a trip to New York with her husband to talk to various women's magazine's about lung cancer. She also got a check-up, and right now I believe her doctor's have told her she is tumor-free. I am very proud to know Jamie, and if she ever needed me for anything, I would gladly help her. I plan to be at her next Playing For a Cure!

Lynne - Lynne is my blog buddy. I met her through commenting on the blog, Mom's Cancer. I sometimes get the feeling that Lynne feels like she is being negative, but she really does tell it like it is. If you ever want to know what a person with lung cancer is going through, visit Lynne's blog. In her last few posts, she has talked about her struggles with the disease, and things she is doing about it. Even though she has lost everything to lung cancer, she still appreicates what she has, and that is one of the things I love about Lynne. And Lynne is a non-smoker, just the same as Laurianne was, showing once again that lung cancer does not discriminate.

Phil Berman - Phil Berman is the founder of RedToeNail.org. He has survived for two years with lung cancer. He has formed a community where people with any kind of cancer can come together and journal and know they are not alone. He also keeps a journal of his struggles. I am happy that at his last report he is doing well.

I hope you will take the time to visit these three wonderful people and cheer them on in their battle against lung cancer!

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 2:14 PM :: 0 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Let's Not Forget May 13th!!

Don't forget that Michael Siegal has his legs ready to run in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Half Marathon at Big Lake. I hope his legs are ready for this event!

Mike is running, in part, to remember Laurianne. Please visit his event webpage for more details about this event and why he is running. You can even donate online!

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 11:06 AM :: 0 people are more aware ---------------------------------------

Donating Life

Sometimes it is so hard to talk about lung cancer, without sounding like a broken record. The disease is still out there. People are still suffering from it. And there are so many people who just want to pretend it is because those suffering from the disease did something, they deserve it. How many other cancers are there where you hear people deserved it because they smoked, or drank, or had some other bad habit? None I can think of.

I am going to try to work on the sidebar. I realize it is getting really long! It might be time to create a temporary website for some of those things. I think a bookstore would be good to have also. If you haven't bought Mom's Cancer, and you or someone you love has gone through or is living with cancer, I highly recommend it! You don't have to be a sufferer of lung cancer to relate to this book.

I also want to talk a little about something else that no one really wants to think about. Organ donation. Laurianne was an organ donor. I have it marked on my license and have registered that I want to be an organ donor. My husband always says that he doesn't want this for himself and no one would want his "parts" anyway. I know that is it something scary to think about but this could be your last great gift to someone. If for some reason the doctors can not do any more for you, you could help to improve someone else's life.

I think it is important to talk about this with your loved ones. Everyone hopes to have a long and healthy life, but you never know what the future will bring. I thought I would be walking on the beach with my sister when we were in our 70's and 80's. Instead, I face the road ahead without her.

If you are interested in organ donation, please visit the national registery at http://www.donatelife.net/ and sign up! If you are unsure or have heard "bad things" about organ donation, I recommend visiting the Get The Facts page. And if you want to know how organ donation has affected others, I recommend visiting Rowan at Mamassage. She has links & posts about organ and kidney donation and some of her previous blogs talk about her experience with her daughter, Kajsa. Right now, her computer is broken, but when she is back in action, I am sure you will enjoy her blog as much as I do.

Posted by Lynda (Laurianne's Sister) :: 9:34 AM :: 2 people are more aware ---------------------------------------