Laurianne's Hope

International Chocolate Cake Day is Here!!!

2011-04-06T23:26:00.000-07:00

Today is International Chocolate Cake Day!! Today family and friends from all over the world eat a piece of cake in Laurianne's Honor. We do this to remember her life, and because chocolate cake was one of her favorite foods.

Happy 31st Birthday, Laurianne!! I hope you are having a huge party in heaven!!!

Laurianne's Hope is in the News

2010-11-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

Laurianne's brother, Mike, was featured in the an article from the San Francisco Examiner. Kiara, the cat Mike is fostering, is a cancer survivor and Mike is looking to find her a home in Sonoma County. The reporter also mentioned our blog, so if you came here from the San Francisco Examiner article, welcome!

Four Years Ago

2009-10-22T01:29:00.000-07:00

Inked

2009-06-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day full of excitement. Did you hear the news? I'm sure everyone did. Yes, folks, it is really true....

My dad got a tattoo! His first tattoo!

After my sister died, my dad had decided he wanted this. I was against it at first, because it was right after my sister died, and I have heard that in times of tragedy people do things they may regret. Plus, my dad is a clean-cut, old-fashioned kind of guy. He doesn't like long hair or earrings on men. When my sister had a port installed to help with administering her cancer medication, I remember her saying, "I got three tattoos and Mommy and Daddy weren't even mad at me!" because they tattooed three dots on her chest for the port. And when my brother got tattooed, I vaguely recall neither of my parents were too happy about it. So, I think Laurianne would have agreed with me that my dad didn't really like tattoos.

My mom initially wasn't happy at all that my dad wanted to ink something on his arm. But almost a year after Laurianne passed away, she ended up going into surgery, and waking up looking at the ceiling, glad she was alive. And she said she was only going to tell him once, but if he wanted his tattoo, he could go ahead and get it, because life was too short to argue about such things. And still my dad faltered. He respects my mom, and didn't want to upset her. But the other day, after some discussion to make sure she was ok with it, I'm sure, he started talking to my brother about taking some action.

But the other day, my brother was over and he said that my dad was going to meet him yesterday to "talk about guy stuff". And I said, "Oh, you are going to look at tattoos." I think he was a little surprised that it wasn't a big secret, but he said, "Yeah." And so my dad left at 1 p.m. that afternoon. My brother called later about some celebrity stuff going on, to see if my mom had heard the news. And we found out that beyond looking, they decided to get the tattoo done.

My dad came home excited, showing off his newly wrapped brand on his arm. I took a picture. When he removed the saran wrap, I took another picture. Now, almost four years later, my dad is finally inked. And it wasn't a hasty, impulsive decision.

We can only hope he won't want a motorcycle again.

****

Every year my family takes walks in the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life in memory of my sister, Laurianne. This year, I would like to raise $2500 in donations and walk 25 miles in her memory. To donate, please visit: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/lyndas_page

Call Me Crazy, But....

2009-03-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

My sister did Relay For Life for the first time in 2005. She wore this hat. I didn't make it to Relay that year. I remember her saying to me, "Next year, we will do Relay For Life together!" The next month, cancer took her from us, and our Relay For Life walk was not to be. However, I think that in a way, she was there with me the next year. Our local American Cancer Society dedicated the next Relay For Life to my sister. That year, I was pumped up and ready to go. That year, and every year after, I wore my sister's pink hat and I walked in Relay For Life. That first year, my dad handed me that purple "Cancer Sucks" button, and not wanting to poke the hat, I strung the pin through the hat's tag where it has stayed ever since.

The following two Relays was also good for me. I asked some bloggers if they would mind if I walked in memory of their lost loved ones, and they agreed. I always think of the people who I have met that have been affected by cancer. But last year, I just didn't have my heart into it. While in the past, I asked the online community to help me with donations, I think I did one post. And one person who has always been anonymous has always donated. (Thank you, anonymous person! I do know who you are!) It seemed harder and harder to ask for donations. I still wore the pink hat, I still thought of the people. Even though I haven't forgotten what cancer took for me, I felt sure that others were tired of me talking about my sister and her cancer. But every year, I wear the pink hat and I do my laps around the track.

But last weekend, it hit me. People are still dying of cancer. People of all ages. Mothers and fathers. Sisters and brothers. Friends. Aunts. Uncles. Cousins. All three of my mom's sisters are battling cancer right now. One of my aunts signed up for Relay For Life within minutes when my mom sent out the email a few weeks ago. And I procrastinated. But I've signed up now.

And as I was walking the other day, I realized I wanted to try and get more donations than ever. And I wanted to try to do something to motivate me to raise some money this year.

My sister was 25 when she died of lung cancer. Ironically, this year is also Relay For Life's 25th anniversary. So, my plan this year is to try and raise at least $2500 in donations. And if I raise this much, I intend to walk 25 miles. Part of me doesn't think it can be done. Part of me says there is no way I am going to get enough donations to have to walk 25 miles, so hey, I can just do things I always have done. But, I'm going to train for it, none the less. Because maybe the community out there will prove me wrong. If you are interested in proving me wrong, the link to my page is: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/lyndas_page

Are you willing to help spread the word and prove me wrong?

Cancer Still Sucks

2009-02-28T00:27:00.000-08:00

I feel a certain indescribable pain every time I hear that someone has cancer. I don't remember being as emotional before my sister died. I have met people through this great World Wide Web who have cancer. The amazing thing is that they are all fighters. What can you do, but fight?

Once again, I am bawling over my keyboard for one of these great fighters, someone who ended up losing their fight. Lisa was a wonderful person. I have never seen a community pull together for someone before, like the blogging community did for her. I emailed her last September about Relay for Life, and she was so friendly. It pained me to see her fight this, another young mother, whose children will have to grow up without her.

Rest in Peace, Lisa.

Lung cancer research deserves more funding

2009-02-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

This was published in the Buffalo News Opinion section on February 14, 2009. The name of the person who wrote it was not published.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My father smoked heavily for decades. Six years before his death, he decided to stop, but it was too late. The lungs have no nerve endings inside, so tumors can grow undetected. There they remain painless until symptoms like a persistent cough or breathlessness present.

In my father’s case, tumors spread to his shoulders, causing him intense pain. Eventually, a doctor pinpointed the cause of his discomfort. Less than six months later, he died at the age of 59.

I find it both alarming and offensive that no more funding goes toward lung cancer research now than when my father died in 1977, despite the fact that lung cancer kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers combined.

Health officials know that at least 164,000 new diagnoses occur each year. The amount of funding for lung cancer research remains an abysmal $1,829 for each lung cancer death compared to more than $23,000 for breast cancer and $14,300 for prostate cancer. Early detection programs and successful treatments for those latter two cancers mean anyone having either of them stands a good chance of surviving. Only about 14 percent of those diagnosed with lung cancer will overcome it.

When a dear friend of ours suffered from lung cancer last year, we were asked, “Did he smoke?” Apparently he did years ago, but hadn’t for decades.

It bothered me to hear that question as if it were an accusation: somehow he had brought his disease on by willful carelessness. Despite the fact that lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in our country, the “blame the victim” mentality persists.

My father heard that attitude from health care professionals. When Dad complained of a horrible sore throat, one asked, “What do you want when you abused your body like that?” Those who ask the question of whether a lung cancer victim smoked subscribe to the myth that it is a smoker’s disease, which it is not.

More than half of patients diagnosed with this type of cancer either never smoked or quit years earlier. People who never smoked account for between 15 percent and 20 percent of lung cancers. Of those 20,000 who never smoked and yet suffer from the disease, 80 percent are women. Some of these cases might be attributed to secondhand smoke. Researchers estimate 2,000 deaths result from that exposure each year.

But besides the effects of secondhand smoke, we have a large number of sufferers for which the cause remains elusive. And that number increases, especially among men and women in their 40s. More should be done to combat this disease. More aggressive screening is needed.

Perhaps, because there are no celebrity spokespersons for lung cancer, despite celebrity deaths from it like that of Dana Reeve, lung cancer is the poor step-child of cancers. People don’t want to talk about it, but we must.

More money must be funneled to lung cancer research to stop the carnage. It is horrible to watch a loved one die of cancer, and made more painful when so little is being done to fight this particular one. No one — smoker or nonsmoker — deserves to suffer from its ravages.

Obviously, funding for anything is made more difficult by our economic morass. But finding a cause and cure for lung cancer may save money in the end and stop families from suffering along with their suffering loved ones. It is too late for our friend.

Be Aware

2008-11-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

October was Breast Cancer Awareness month. You probably saw it. Pink everywhere. Product packaging. Merchants asking for donations to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness month. There will be no proclamations far and wide. In fact, many people won't even know that there is a month for Lung Cancer Awareness. But, if you are reading this, it means one more person is aware. Maybe you will tell your friends. Maybe they will tell their friends.

Lung cancer is a concern. Not just for smokers, like everyone wants to believe. Lung cancer is a concern for everyone.

Graphic Cigarette Warnings

2008-10-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I came across some graphic cigarette warnings out of Canada. It really made me think for a moment. Why don't we have something like this?

If you are a smoker, or know a smoker, and you live in the United States, you have seen the plain jane warning on cigarette packages. It's something like this:

When I came across the graphic ads from Canada, I wondered if other countries did this as well. I found that there are 12 countries that have graphic cigarette warnings, including the UK, Brazil, New Zealand, and most recently Egypt. These ads show the various disadvantages to smoking. One warning, aimed at men, shows that cigarettes can cause impotence. Another shows young women that cigarettes will affect there unborn children. A third will tell you that that smoking can increase your chance of lung cancer by 80%.

Having watched someone I love go through lung cancer, even though it wasn't caused by cigarettes, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. The pain of not being able to breathe, the insidiousness of the cancer as it spreads through your body. Smoking increases your risk factor in getting lung cancer. Quitting smoking is such a preventable way lowering your risk in getting this disease. When you quit smoking, the benefits to you happen almost immediately. When you quit, your body will start to cleanse itself of the toxins. I have heard quitters say food starts to taste better after just a few days.

The American Cancer Society says this about quitting:

Immediate rewards of quitting
Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you'll notice right away and some that will develop over time. These rewards can improve your day-to-day life a great deal.
your breath smells better
stained teeth get whiter
bad smelling clothes and hair go away
your yellow fingers and fingernails disappear
food tastes better
your sense of smell returns to normal
everyday activities no longer leave you out of breath (such as climbing stairs or light housework)

Quitting benefits not only the smoker, but the people around them who smoke. If we had graphic packaging in the United States, I wonder how many people would stop and think about what they are doing to there bodies. As I sit in the coffee shop, writing this article, I wonder if the two men sitting outside, smoking their cigarettes near the No Smoking by ordinance of the City of Santa Rosa sign would consider if smoking was worth the impotence risk, if the woman who bummed a cigarette from them would consider that smoking could increase the risk of SIDS to her future children, if the guy waiting smoking and waiting for the light to change would stop would lower his chance of having his family watch him suffer through some smoking disease or cancer.

Because right now, that little inconsipicious text box is pretty easy to ignore.

*This post is dedicated to my friend. Good luck on your journey! You will only be better for it.*

2008-10-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

It is 3 years today that Laurianne left us. Sometimes it seems far away and other times not. We celebrated her life today with taking Calem to the pumpkin patch. It dulled the pain of this sad day to hear him sing the children song with the car radio and his big smiles of content at the patch. After that we walked a little in downtown Healdsburg. Overall I think we had a quiet and enjoyable day.
Tonight we are burning candles in her memory. I realize every day how lucky we are to be able to raise Calem . He is such a loving kid with a lot of smiles and singing. I realize that sometimes we are better of then other parents who lost a child nevertheless it won't take the pain away. If you read this blog in time please if you can burn a candle in memory of all the people who are battling or have lost the battle to this dreaded disease.

Less then 14 days

2008-08-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that another year has gone by and it is less then 14 days before the relay for life. We will walk for our family members stricken with cancer in the past year and also for all the people who have lost their life due to this dread full disease. I think there are very few people who are not affected with this disease. We got another great team together this year to participate in this event and people are flying in from all over the United States to join our team .I will keep updates what will happen during the relay and hopefully we will be able to upload some pictures of the event

Relay For A World Without Cancer

2008-07-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

This year our family will again be participating with the Relay For Life in Santa Rosa, California on September 6 & 7 at Maria Carrillo High School. For more information or a donation please visit our team page: Laurianne's Hope

Why Do We Relay?

Relay For A World Without Cancer

I relay for a world in which no parent will ever again hear the dreaded words "your child has cancer"
I relay for a world in which no husband will ever again hear the frightening words "your wife has cancer"
I relay for a world in which no wife will ever again hear the desolate words "I'm sorry but your husband has cancer"
I relay for a world in which no child will ever hear "I am so sorry that you lost your mom to cancer"
I relay for a world in which no child will ever hear "your father fought hard to beat cancer . . ."
A day will come where we will finally cure cancer.
Soon after that - cancer will be like a cold
And on another day - A GREAT DAY! - cancer will be eradicated - wiped from the face of this earth!

Happy 28th Birthday, Laurianne!

2008-04-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Laurianne's 28th birthday be sending her balloons and eating her favorite, chocolate cake.
We have made this a tradition since she is no longer with us here on earth to celebrate her special day. Her son Calem definitely takes after his Mommy, he LOVES chocolate cake.

Happy Birthday Laurianne!

A Doctor's Journey with Cancer

2008-03-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

A Doctor’s Journey with Cancer
Saturday 29 March 2008
By Rusty Wright

When you suddenly learn you might have only 18 months to live, it’s a good time to sort out what really matters in life.

Last December, Yang Chen, MD, dismissed an aching pain under his shoulder as muscle strain. Five weeks later, as the pain persisted, a chest x-ray brought shocking results: possible lung cancer that might have spread.

A highly acclaimed specialist and medical professor at the University of Colorado Denver, Yang knew the average survival rate for his condition could be under 18 months. He didn’t smoke and had no family history of cancer. He was stunned. His life changed in an instant.
“I wondered how I would break the news to my unsuspecting wife and three young children,” he recalls. “Who would take care of my family if I died?”

Swirling Vortex of Uncertainty

When I heard his story, I felt a jab of recognition. In 1996, my doctor said I might have cancer. That word sent me into a swirling vortex of uncertainty. But I was fortunate; within a month, I learned my condition was benign.

Yang did not get such good news. He now knows he has an inoperable tumor. He’s undergoing chemotherapy. It’s uncertain whether radiation will help. Yet through it all, he seems remarkably calm and positive. At a time when one might understandably focus on oneself, he’s even assisting other cancer patients and their families to cope with their own challenges. What’s his secret?

I learned about Yang’s personal inner resources when we first met in the 1980s. He worked at the Mayo Clinic and brought me to Rochester, Minnesota, to present a seminar for Mayo and IBM professionals on a less ponderous theme, “Love, Sex and the Single Lifestyle.” With the audience, we laughed and explored relationship mysteries. He felt it was essential that people consider the spiritual aspect of relationships, as well as the psychological and physical.
Later he founded a global network to train medical professionals how to interact with patients on spiritual matters. Many seriously ill patients want their doctors to discuss spiritual needs and the profession is taking note.

Reality Blog

Now a patient himself, Yang exhibits strength drawn from the faith that has enriched his life. He has established a website – http://www.adoctorsjourneywithcancer.net/ – to chronicle his journey and “offer hope and encouragement to others.” The site presents a compelling real-life drama as it happens.

As a follower of Jesus, Yang notes biblical references to God’s “light shining in our hearts” and people of faith being “like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.” He sees himself as a “broken clay jar” through which God’s light can shine to point others who suffer to comfort and faith.

As he draws on divine strength, he reflects on Paul, a first-century believer who wrote, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.”

A dedicated scientist, Yang is convinced that what he believes about God is true and includes information about evidences for faith. He’s also got plenty to help the hurting and the curious navigate through their pain, cope with emotional turmoil, and find answers to life’s perplexing questions about death, dying, the afterlife, handling anxiety, and more.

With perhaps less than 18 months to live, Yang Chen knows what’s most important in his life. He invites web surfers to “walk with me for part, or all, of my journey.” If I’m ever in his position, I hope I can blend suffering with service while displaying the serenity and trust I observe in him. Visit his website and you’ll see what I mean.

Radon: The Silent Home Invader That Can Kill

2008-03-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
Friday, March 28, 2008; 12:00 AM

FRIDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- You can't see, smell or taste radon.

The gas emanates naturally from the soil, seeping up into homes that rest on the ground. The only way to avoid it, really, is to have a house on stilts.

But the radioactive gas is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers in America, as well as the second leading cause of lung cancer overall, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It claims about 21,000 lives annually.

"It is a health risk you can't see," said Kristy Miller, spokeswoman for the EPA's Office of Radiation and Indoor Air. "You can't touch it, you can't feel it. It is an inert gas. It's in your home for a long time, leaving no trail of evidence. It's only your proactive interest and testing that's going to prevent this health risk."

Radon is a global problem -- the World Health Organization says radon causes up to 15 percent of lung cancers worldwide.

About one of every 15 homes in the United States is estimated to have a dangerous radon level, which the EPA defines as more than 4 picocuries per liter of air.

Radon is produced from the natural decay of uranium, an element found in nearly all soils. "The earth is always emitting radon at some level," Miller said. "It's always a part of the outdoor ambient air, in trace amounts."

The gas typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. The home then traps radon inside.

"A home over the soil can act as a holding tank, allowing radon to accumulate to high levels," Miller said.

When inhaled, radon can damage the lungs by continuing to emit tiny bursts of alpha radiation, she said.

"The alpha emitters can actually damage the DNA of the lung tissue," Miller said. "The lung is extremely sensitive, compared with the skin."

Any amount of radon exposure is bad, the EPA says, but the cancer risk increases over time, as exposure is prolonged.

Because a house's radon level depends on many variables -- the composition of the soil, the construction of the house -- experts warn that any house might have high levels of the gas.

"Even if you have a new home, you might have high radon," said Bruce Snead, an extension specialist at Kansas State University specializing in radiation and indoor air quality. "The only way to know is to test."

The EPA recommends that any homeowner should conduct a radon test. The tests are easy to obtain. They're sold at hardware stores, and some local health departments and extension services offer to sell them at cost to homeowners, Snead said.

"People can test a home on their own," he said. "All they have to do is purchase a test kit, and read and follow the instructions."

The U.S. Surgeon General has recommended that people test their homes for radon every two years, and retest any time they move, make structural changes to the home or occupy a previously unused level of a house.

Homeowners also can hire a radon expert to come in and test levels, an action that some states require as part of a home sale, Snead said. About 20 states have laws requiring notification of radon levels in real estate transactions, and more are considering it, he said.

"Just as lead is a required notification, should the same thing happen with radon?" Snead said.

If high levels of radon are discovered, a relatively low-cost home repair can alleviate the problem, Snead said. The EPA recommends hiring a qualified radon mitigation contractor to do the work, because lowering high radon levels requires specific technical knowledge and special skills.

The most common method of radon reduction is called soil suction. It prevents radon from entering your home by drawing the radon from below the house and venting it through a pipe, or pipes, to the air above the house where it is quickly diluted, Snead said.

"The pipe discharges above the roof line, so this well-known carcinogen will dissipate into the atmosphere," he said. The pipes can work either passively, or with a fan used to pull air from the soil.

The average cost of a radon reduction system is about $1,200, according to the EPA. The cost generally ranges from $800 to $2,500, depending on the characteristics of the house and choice of radon-reduction methods.

Some homes now are being built to be radon-resistant, with gas-resistant foundations and sub-slab fill materials that allow gases to move easily away, Snead said.

Snead recommends that everyone, homeowner or renter, be proactive in dealing with the radon that could be building up in their homes.

"We save lives by having tests done and performing mitigation, and by building houses that are radon-resistant," he said.

More information

To learn more, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

SOURCES: Kristy Miller, spokeswoman, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Radiation and Indoor Air; Bruce Snead, extension specialist, Kansas State University, Manhattan

Some Cancer Patients Turn to 'Coaches'

2008-02-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

Feb 18, 5:40 PM (ET)

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE

The advice made her head spin: Have the lump removed. No, let them take the whole breast. Chemo? Radiation? Everyone seemed to have an opinion.

"I just shut everyone down around me," said Bernie Brann, a newly diagnosed cancer patient from upstate New York. "You're just so overwhelmed with information."

Bad advice, or just too much of it, can compound the trauma and damage done by the disease itself, cancer patients often find. Friends and relatives are important for support, but when these untrained people act as cancer coaches, they can sway people to make poor decisions about their care.

This includes survivors, whose opinions are highly valued by patients suddenly facing the scary diagnosis. They may know a lot about cancer, but can do harm if they project their own experiences onto someone else, who may have a different form of the disease that needs different treatment.

Survivors also may be out of touch with changes in the field, where genetic discoveries are rapidly reshaping notions of who needs chemotherapy and what kind.

What's the solution?

Many advocacy groups and hospitals are using "professional" coaches - trained volunteers or paid workers who can objectively help new patients navigate the maze of information and options.

The American Cancer Society started a patient navigator program a few years ago that now operates in 87 locations and is planning to expand. The National Breast Cancer Coalition also trains coaches, and big treatment hospitals like the University of Texas' M.D. Anderson Cancer Center are increasingly using them for breast, prostate, lung and other types of cancer.

Attendance set records in December at one of the top training programs, held during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. More than 240 breast cancer survivors spent late nights at the convention center, taking notes as scientists schooled them on the latest research.

These women go home to volunteer in hospitals and support groups where they staff hotlines, meet with new patients and teach other coaches what they learned. Demand for this training is so great that the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation gets grants from the Avon Foundation and nine drug companies to subsidize some attendees, but still can't meet the need. Dozens are turned down each year.

To find a coach or navigator, patients can ask their doctors, local cancer hospitals or groups like the cancer society for help. Brann, feeling a need for unbiased help, found a coach by calling the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, where associate director Bob Riter provided it.

"People are usually too free about giving advice," said Riter (pronounced RITT-er), a survivor of male breast cancer and graduate of the San Antonio program. "We never tell people what to do. We provide information, and we help them think out loud."

Whether amateur or professional, a good cancer coach should offer these things, experts say:

_Support: an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold.

_Resources: reliable information or help getting it, and only if the patient wants it.

_Objectivity: a willingness to help patients discover what is best for them, rather than to validate the coach's own cancer battle and choices.

"There's a big difference in saying, 'This is what I did' and 'Here's what you should do,'" Riter said.

Elderly people are especially vulnerable to having their decisions usurped, he added. "Sometimes middle-aged kids impose what they want to do on their parents" without asking what the parent wants.

No hard numbers exist on how many cancer patients bring professional coaches or informal ones - a relative or friend - to doctor appointments where treatments are discussed.

"The person coming with you can either be an asset or a liability," said Meg Gaines, a lawyer and ovarian cancer survivor who runs the Center for Patient Partnerships, an advocacy resource at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

It is good if the coach can ask questions, gather information and take notes for the shell-shocked patient to use later, she said. It is bad if the coach interferes with the patient's decisions.

Doctors often find themselves in the middle, fighting for the patient's trust. Some choices come down to personal values and risk tolerance, said Dr. C. Kent Osborne, a breast cancer specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Whether to have chemotherapy is an example. Some women want to avoid it at all cost. Others "don't want to leave any stone unturned," and demand it even if it has harmful side effects and only a 1 percent chance of helping, he said.

As for patients being swayed by others, "a lot of that occurs when they're not in the doctor's office and they go back to their home and their community," Osborne said. "Then well-meaning friends might say, 'Well, gee, I was treated with this and you should get that,' or 'Aunt Molly got this and you should get that, too,' not understanding that every patient is different."

Patients can fall into the same trap when they coach each other, Gaines said.

"This is the potential downside of support groups - you don't have expertise around the room," she said. "Someone may be describing her own treatment and others will think, 'My doctor didn't tell me that,'" possibly because their cancer is different.

Mary Michaud, policy director at the Wisconsin center, warns: "Beware of people who tell you your experience is going to be just like theirs."

Anna Cluxton, a Columbus, Ohio, woman diagnosed with breast cancer at age 32, feels strongly that she did the right thing having her whole breast removed rather than just the lump. When she coaches other young women whose doctors have advised less drastic surgery, she said she will not express an opinion, but suggests a pointed question: "Ask them, 'What will be my chances of recurrence in that same breast?'"

"You need to be aware of all the options" and discuss them fairly, she said.

Vira Brooks, an Omaha public schools administrator, had a different experience 13 years ago. Although she had a tiny, very early-stage tumor, her surgeon recommended removing the whole breast. She chose less drastic treatment after a survivor she knew coached her through looking at other options.

"She was basically my champion. She helped me navigate the system," Brooks said. "She listened, she shared with me what she had been through," but didn't try to tell her what to do.

Brooks now tries to do the same. She has coached dozens of patients, including black women like herself who are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages and are more likely to die from the disease. A local hospital refers people to her.

As for Bernie Brann, the patient from upstate New York, she did not seek a lot of advice when she was first diagnosed. But word got around at Ithaca College Health Center, where the 69-year-old woman works two nights a week as a nurse's aide.

Doctors told her she could either have a mastectomy or just the lump removed, and at first, she thought she would do the latter. "But I had so many people saying, 'No, no, no, that's not the way to go.' Most people said, 'Have a mastectomy.' It was so radical. It just overwhelmed me. It was not something I wanted to do."

She credits her three children with offering support without telling her what to do. Her oldest son went with her to appointments, as did a close friend with nursing training. Ultimately, she changed her mind about what would be best for her, and had a mastectomy in late December.

"I didn't want to go through this again. My feeling was, get in there, get rid of it, get on with your life," she said.

"It's been quite a rollercoaster," she said. But she feels more confident now that she can make good decisions about her future care.

---

On the Net:

American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org

Personalized treatment decision tool: http://tinyurl.com/2uvyu6

American Society of Clinical Oncology patient site: http://www.plwc.org

National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov

Treatment options: http://www.nccn.org/patients

Association of Cancer Online Resources: http://www.acor.org

Breast cancer support groups:

http://www.y-me.org

http://www.komen.org

http://www.bcaction.org

http://www.stopbreastcancer.org

The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle LIghting

2007-12-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

The Compassionate Friends
Worldwide Candle Lighting ®

Held annually the second Sunday in December, this year December 9, The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor and remember children who have died at any age from any cause. As candles are lit at 7 p.m. local time, hundreds of thousands of persons commemorate and honor children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries.

The Worldwide Candle Lighting is a gift from The Compassionate Friends to the bereavement community allowing us all to join together in unity to remember and honor the memories of all children so they may never be forgotten.

Believed to be the largest mass candle lighting on the globe, the Worldwide Candle Lighting creates a virtual 24-hour wave of light as it moves from time zone to time zone. Hundreds of formal candle lighting events are held and thousands of informal candle lightings are conducted in homes as families gather in quiet remembrance of special children to always be remembered.

The Worldwide Candle Lighting started in the United States in 1997 as a small Internet observance but, as it has been embraced by the bereavement community, has swelled in numbers as word has spread throughout the world of the remembrance. A memorial message board is available during the event at TCF's USA website http://www.compassionatefriends.org/. Thousands of postings are received each year from all over the United States, as well as dozens of other countries, with many messages in foreign languages.

Here in the United States, publicity about the event is widespread, being featured in the past in Parade Magazine, Ann Landers column, Guideposts magazine, Annie’s Mailbox, and literally hundreds of U.S. newspapers, dozens of television stations, and numerous websites. Information on the Worldwide Candle Lighting and planned memorial candle lighting services is posted on the TCF website at http://www.compassionatefriends.org/ each year as the event nears.

For many of the years of the Worldwide Candle Lighting, the United States Senate has joined in its observance through the unanimous passage of resolutions declaring the second Sunday in December National Children’s Memorial Day. TCF/USA appreciates our government’s understanding of what the Worldwide Candle Lighting means to so many.

The Worldwide Candle Lighting gives bereaved families everywhere the opportunity to remember their child . . . that their light may always shine!

November - Lung Cancer Awareness Month

2007-11-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

After a much published breast cancer awareness month in October we are a couple of days into November. November is the Lung Cancer Awareness Month and also Pancreatic Cancer Month. Below are some facts about lung cancer.

172,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008

163,000 Americans will die of lung cancer this year- equivalent to to the 9/11 attacks occurring 53 times in a year.

The average patient is diagnosed at around age 70, usually diagnosed with an advanced stage of lung cancer.

It is estimated that 50% of people diagnosed are smokers or former smokers who quit decades ago.

Lung cancer can occur in people who have never smoked.

Here are the cold facts about lung cancer - it's hard to find early and difficult to treat. I have learned it is one of the more miserable cancers to suffer from. However, lung cancer is also one of the most preventable types of cancer. That is the good news! By avoiding certain risk factors for lung cancer, we can reduce our chances of developing it. This is the first step in lung cancer prevention..The 5 ways to prevent lung cancer are:
1. Quit smoking - NOW
Smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer. It is estimated that 87% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. As soon as you quit, your body reaps the benefits of being tobacco free. Quitting smoking is the BEST defense against lung cancer. Need help kicking the habit? Visit About's Quit Smoking Site

2. Listen to Mom, and eat those fruits and veggies!
Fruits and vegetables are rich with antioxidants and flavonoids. Antioxidants and flavonoids help protect your cell's DNA and repair damaged cells.

3. Have your home tested for radon.
Radon is the result of broken down uranium. It is a radioactive gas that cannot be seen, felt, smelled or tasted. Uranium occurs naturally in the soil, and the fear is that homes are being built over natural deposits, creating high levels of indoor radon exposure

4. Know what you are being exposed to in the workplace.
If you are exposed to fumes, dust, chemicals, etc in the workplace, you have a right to know what you are being exposed to. Gasoline, diesel exhaust, arsenic, beryllium. vinyl chloride, nickel chromates, coal products, mustard gas, and chloromethyl ethers are all carcinogens and can be found in some work environments. Talk to your employer about limiting exposure.

5. Keep away from secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is the smoke exhaled from a smoker or smoke from a lit cigarette, pipe, or cigar. This smoke contains over 60 known carcinogens (agents causing cancer). These carcinogens interrupt normal cell development. This interference of cell development is what starts the cancer process.

Fortunately new treatments are developed every day so more people get treated and are getting hope and a better quality of life.
Lung cancer and also pancreatic are grossly underfunded and the treatments as for example as with breast cancer are not as widely available. I hope that there will be some awareness this month and that people will find it in their heart to donate some money to lung cancer research. I will post later date a little bit more about pancreatic cancer since we share November as a awareness month.

Two Year anniversary

2007-10-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today it is 2 years ago we lost Laurianne. Life has never been the same since that awful Saturday in 2005. We are so fortunate to have Calem in our life. Sometimes it is bittersweet to see him become what he is now and know that Laurianne is missing out of all of that.
Tonight we will burn a candle in her honor and for all the people who are battling this disease and lost their life to it.

Are you There?
by Diane Robertson

Misty breeze wraps about my shoulders, thinly clad.
I shiver not, despite the coolness on my skin.
Comfort, I now feel.
Is it you my precious Angel?

Are you there? I cannot hear your quiet voice,
But bird song fills the air
From high treetops to grassy marsh.
I wonder – is it you, Dear? Are you there?

The roses in your garden bloom large,
And varied in hue from crimson deep, to barely pink.
I cup the velvet bud, its fragrance soothes a troubled mind.
This must be you, my little girl. Are you there?

Are you the fiery autumn maples,
Or the star-like flakes of snow?
Are you the sparkle in the water of the lake that we both loved,
Or, perhaps, the warmth I feel in the sand beneath my toes?

Though your quiet voice I cannot hear,
Nor can I see again your sparkling eyes,
Or feel your dainty hand laid gently on my own,
You are here.

For memory's book will never close –
Each lovely sound, or sight, or scent,
Another page from special times that we have shared.
Oh, yes! You are here child – everywhere

Today September 22

2007-09-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today it is 23 months ago that Laurianne left us. Since it is Saturday it is a 100 weeks ago today. We will celebrate her life today with burning a candle. There is not one day in my life I'm not thinking about her and when I see her son becoming bigger and bigger there is always a twinge of pain of her missing out of it. We will also celebrate her life and that of other people who are battling this disease and the ones who has lost their life. Today is also the day today that my brother in law and friend Hans lost his battle with lung cancer in 2001. He was only 52 and left his wife and 3 young children behind. We will remember him as well and burn a candle for him too.

More May Be Offered Lung Cancer Surgery

2007-09-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

My mom saw this a few weeks ago. I was just a little slow getting it up here. :)

More May Be Offered Lung Cancer Surgery

Aug 31, 1:31 PM (ET)

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE

Thousands more lung cancer patients each year could be offered surgery or other aggressive therapy under a new system that classifies many tumors as more treatable than in the past.

It is the first big overhaul of a decades-old method used to predict survival and help determine whether a lung cancer patient will have surgery, chemotherapy or be treated at all.

The new guidance is to be presented at a conference of lung cancer specialists in Seoul, South Korea, that starts Saturday. It is expected to be adopted by policy-making groups in the next year.

Lung cancer is the world's top cancer killer, claiming 1.3 million lives each year. In the United States, 213,380 new cases and 160,390 deaths from the disease are expected this year.

Nearly 60 percent of people die within one year of diagnosis, and nearly 75 percent die within two years, American Cancer Society statistics show.

In treating it, doctors use a formula called tumor staging. It is based on a tumor's size, how far it has spread and other factors to predict a patient's survival odds and to guide treatment.

The current system was developed from about 5,000 tumor samples from University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston decades ago - before improved scanning technology was available to evaluate a cancer's spread.

The new plan is based on 100,000 tumor samples from around the world including Asia, where lung cancer rates are projected to climb because of trends in smoking, unhealthy lifestyles and aging populations.

It keeps four broad groupings but sorts people more precisely based on refined understanding of tumor characteristics.

The result: "There will clearly be shifting of patients from categories not operable to operable" - as many as 10,000 a year in the United States, said Dr. David Johnson, a lung cancer specialist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He reviewed the plan, which was partly published in a medical journal recently.

The stage of the tumor at diagnosis is the best predictor of survival. Only 20 percent of cases are diagnosed in Stages 1 or 2, when tumors are small and confined to a lung, Johnson said. About 30 percent to 40 percent are found in Stage 4, after they have widely spread. The rest are in the middle.

Five-year survival rates are 47 percent for Stage 1 and 26 percent for Stage 2, but only 8 percent for Stage 3, and 2 percent for Stage 4, according to the American College of Surgeons.

Most lung cancers are the type called "non-small cell," which is covered by the new staging system. The system was developed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, a group of lung cancer specialists from around the world.

Dr. Peter Goldstraw, a surgeon at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, led the project, and Canadian scientists independently validated the recommended changes by comparing survival across geographic regions.

Among the changes: creating more sub-stages for tumor size, reassigning some large tumors to a more advanced stage, reclassifying tumors that have spread into the fluid surrounding the lung, and recognizing that spread to certain lymph nodes is more dangerous than its spread to others.

"By changing some of these groupings, some patients will get moved to an earlier stage of disease for which we tend to be more aggressive" in treatment, said Dr. Joan Schiller, a lung cancer specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

"Before, a patient may have only been offered chemotherapy. They may now be offered chemotherapy and radiation," or more intense radiation, she said.

Conversely, some people thought to have earlier-stage tumors now will be grouped with those whose tumors have widely spread, and discouraged from undergoing therapies that have little chance of helping them.

"In some cases, patients were getting inappropriately aggressive treatment," Schiller said.

Some people with very small tumors may get away with less therapy - taking out just a segment of lung instead of an entire lobe, said Dr. Stephen Swisher, a chest surgeon at M.D. Anderson.

The impact of the changes in Europe and Japan is unclear because doctors in those countries tend to remove whole lungs rather than lobes to treat lung cancer, Johnson noted.

Doctors hope that ultimately survival will improve, but that won't happen "unless we get patients into the right hands" and they get correct treatment, Johnson said.

Revising the staging system also will do little good if doctors don't do the right tests to properly stage a tumor, said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.

Staging for lung and other types of cancer should become even more precise in the near future as biomarkers and gene tests are developed to better sort patients, he added.

---

On the Net:

American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org

National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/lung

Cancer staging explanation: http://tinyurl.com/2np8um

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Don't Pass Gas

2007-07-31T20:21:00.001-07:00

I will not pass gas in my house
I will not pass gas near my spouse
I will not pass gas in your face
Because the gas I pass is worse than mace
A silent by deadly cloud of toxic waste.

The End

What does this have to do with lung cancer awareness? Click the link and find out:

http://www.dontpassgas.org/

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Just Thinking About You

2007-07-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

It is 21 months today that we lost Laurianne. After all this time it is still hard to believe that she is gone and it seems like a bad dream. We are fortunate to have Calem and we see a lot of things in him what we used to see in his mother. Today is also the day my mother passed away in 1999. We are burning a candle for both of them today.

A Wish Come True

2007-07-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

No matter how big or small, you can still get lung cancer.

A Wish Come True
Written by Letitia Baldwin

The Ellsworth America
Thursday, July 05, 2007

Sullivan Boy with Lung Cancer Gets a Playground of His Own

SULLIVAN — He’s swung to his heart’s content at Jordan’s Snack Bar, patrolled the ramparts of the Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School Community Playground, flown down the slide next to the Sorrento-Sullivan Recreational Center and knows his way around just about every other playground in Hancock County.

Gabriel Grant’s eyes, though, grew very big when he spied the elaborate playground that magically had sprung up late last week in the front yard of his Transfer Station Road home in East Sullivan.

It had been thrilling enough for the 2½-year-old boy to sit up front with Sullivan firefighter Ken Gray and go for a spin in the Sullivan fire truck.

Helped down from the fire truck, Gabriel took a little coaxing before he climbed up on the 30-foot-wide cedar structure made by Cedarworks in Rockport. The blue-eyed towhead cooled off in the canopied cupola, hoisted the bucket, spun the steering wheel, fiddled with the play phone, and explored every other feature of the new playground provided by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine.

“We chase playgrounds,” Tabitha Coombs, the 2½-year-old’s grandmother and legal guardian, related last Friday.

Coombs had warm words for the kindness shown by Make-A-Wish volunteers Ron and Joanne Hamilton when the Ellsworth couple asked her grandson whether there was anything special he wished for.

“People I hardly knew. I feel there’s a bond there,” Coombs said.

On Feb. 2, Grant was diagnosed with pulmonary blastoma (PB), a form of lung cancer, which is highly rare among children. The child had been plagued by a severe cough, initially diagnosed as bronchitis, which got much worse one night.

“He got coughing really badly in the middle of the night,” his grandmother recalled. “It sounded like someone had popped an air mattress.”

In the United States, only 24 pediatric cases of PB are reported annually. The Sullivan boy’s lung cancer was caught before it transitioned into the disease’s second stage. The same month as his diagnosis, the 2½-year-old started a weekly regimen of chemotherapy at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. He is nearly halfway through his treatment.

“Gabe is really doing great,” Coombs said proudly. “You really can’t keep him down.”

All Friday, Coombs, her partner Scott Lee and the Hamiltons tried to keep the energetic Gabriel occupied while a two-man crew from Rent-A-Husband, a Portland-based business, spent the day assembling the multifaceted playground. The Holiday Inn in Ellsworth put up the crew overnight for free as its gesture to make Gabriel’s dream come true.

“A lot of kids go to Disney World and they are done. What makes this so cool is the fact Gabe will be able to enjoy this for years,” Ron Hamilton remarked.

Coombs, who originally lived in a tent and van before building her modest home on the Sullivan property, agreed. She plans to add a sandbox and small wading pool to the play area.

“It’s no Taj Mahal,” she said, watching her grandson explore the playground. “But it’s home.”

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I Believe

2007-07-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

I believe-
that we don't have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.

I believe-
that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every
once in a while and you must forgive
them for that.

I believe-
that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I believe-
that you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.

I believe-
that it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.

I believe-
that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It may be the last
time you see them.

I believe-
that you can keep going
long after you can't.

I believe-
that we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.

I believe-
that either you control your attitude
or it controls you.

I believe-
that regardless of how hot and
steamy a relationship is at first,
the passion fades and there had
better be something else to take
its place.

I believe-
that heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.

I believe-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe-
that my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time.

I believe-
that sometimes the people you expect
to kick you when you're down,
will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe-
that sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me
the right to be cruel.

I believe-
that just because someone doesn't love
you the way you want them to doesn't
mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe-
that maturity has more to do with
what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them
and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe-
that it isn't always enough to be
forgiven by others. Sometimes you
have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe-
that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe-
that just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't love each other
And just because they don't argue,
it doesn't mean they do.

I believe-
that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a
secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe-
that two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally.
different.

I believe-
that your life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe-
that even when you think you have no more
to give, when a friend cries out to you
you will find the strength to help.

I believe-
that credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

I believe-
that the people you care about most in life
are taken from you too soon.

by Unknown

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2007-07-16T09:09:00.001-07:00

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2007-07-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

Beverly Sills is a name from opera even my mom knows. (My mom is not a big opera fan.) In June, Beverly Sills was diagnosed with lung cancer. At the beginning of July, she succumbed to the disease.

Beverly Sills is a perfect example of how quickly lung cancer can progress. I would bet that she really took care of her lungs and voice while in the profession. Many articles have stated she was a non-smoker. Still, she got the disease.

Because of Beverly Sills, and all the people who are fighting this disease, and all that have lost their battle with this disease, we need to find a cure.

Sills transcended opera stages
By RONALD BLUM
Associated Press Writer
In remembering Beverly Sills, Henry Kissinger didn't think about her singing - he never heard her perform.

Their birthdays were two days apart - Sills on May 25, Kissinger on May 27 - and they celebrated some years with joint parties. Kissinger visited her Friday, just before Sills left a hospital and returned home for the final time.

"She gave me many of the records which she recorded, and I listened to those," the former secretary of state said Tuesday, a day after the celebrated soprano died of lung cancer at 78.

"She was a woman of tremendous human intuition and tremendous compassion for others. She had a marvelous understanding of people," he said.

Sills never faded after she retired from singing in 1980 at 51. She handled CEOs and politicians as deftly as Donizetti's high notes, as smoothly as she soothed sopranos and tenors.

"New York, the nation, and the world have lost a leading light and a melodic voice," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Bubbles, as she was known throughout her life, spent 10 years as general director of the New York City Opera, then served as chairwoman of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and later as chairwoman of the Metropolitan Opera. She became a leading figure on the American cultural scene, hosting TV broadcasts and raising millions of dollars with just a few phone calls.

"New York City, the arts community and music world have lost a major light," former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said. "Beverly Sills' exuberance in spreading the joy and beauty of the opera helped bring it those who might have not been familiar with it."

Sills took on the coloratura repertoire at a time when it was out of favor, shunned by Rudolf Bing's Met, where Verdi, Wagner and Puccini reigned. She became famous at the smaller City Opera, triumphing in Bellini, Rossini, Handel and Massenet.

And, with guest-hosting stints on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and TV appearances with Carol Burnett, she became the one American opera singer known by the masses.

"I lost one of my best friends ever, and I'm devastated," Burnett said.

Julius Rudel, then City Opera's music administrator, first heard Sills in the early 1950s at the recommendation of her teacher, Estelle Liebling. Sills had to make several auditions before she was hired by the company, then headed by conductor Joseph Rosenstock.

"He was a little concerned about how tall she was," Rudel recalled. "She said, 'I'm happy to come back, but I'm not going to shrink.'"

Sills, about 5-foot-6 according to manager Edgar Vincent, became a giant in the bel canto world, helping revive works that had gone out of fashion, such as Donizetti's three operas about Tudor queens - which still have never been staged by the Met.

Placido Domingo, who starred opposite Sills at City Opera, remembered "beautiful times of bubbling, giggling" nights spent on trips to Los Angeles, Mexico, Peru and other places. In recent years, she gave the tenor advice on his jobs running the Los Angeles and Washington Operas. He was surprised by the speed of her decline in recent weeks.

"We had been planning a dinner for the last year and a half," he said by phone from Madrid, Spain. "We seem to always meet on opening nights with a 1,000 people there. We missed that dinner."

At City Opera and then the Met, Sills influenced a generation of singers - the Met even established an award in her name in 2005.

"There isn't another American singer in the 20th century who managed to accomplish the enormous feat of making opera accessible to the American public," soprano Renee Fleming said. "We shared our first lunch together four years ago, when I was overwhelmed by her generous candor, her vulnerability, and the openness with which she shared her life with me. She gave advice freely, on repertoire, negotiation, on possible career trajectories, and I felt suddenly that I had a much-needed mentor, so many years after she had hired me to sing Mimi in 'La Boheme' at New York City Opera as a beginner." James Conlon, music director of the Los Angeles Opera, remembered attending City Opera performances in the 1960s, then while at Juilliard playing rehearsals as an assistant conductor for one of her performances of Bellini's "Norma."

"She demonstrated that one's commitment to opera doesn't have to stop when the singing is over," Conlon said.

In recent weeks, Sills had been concerned with the future care of Muffy, her daughter, who was born with severe hearing loss. Her son, Bucky, was born with mental retardation, and she spent much of her final years caring for her husband, Peter, who died last September.

"She had a very hard life herself in some respects, but she never talked about it. She was an inspirational person," Kissinger said.

A private funeral was scheduled for Wednesday. Lincoln Center planned to honor Sills with a moment of silence Tuesday night on its plaza, and the New York Philharmonic was to celebrate Sills' life with a conductorless version of Bernstein's overture to "Candide."

The Met hopes to arrange a memorial tribute for August or September.

"Opera has lost its biggest booster and friend," said Met general manager Peter Gelb - hired on Sills' recommendation.

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Female Lung Cancer Deaths Up Five-Fold

2007-05-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

Female lung cancer deaths up five-fold
DutchNews.nl
Wednesday 30 May 2007

The number of women dying of lung cancer has gone up five-fold since 1970 and they are likely to die at a younger age than men, the national statistics office CBS said on Wednesday. Last year, some 9,400 people died of lung cancer in the Netherlands, accounting for some 7% of total deaths.

Because women started smoking heavily at a later date than men, the women’s death rate is still rising, the CBS said. Among the men who die aged 60 to 70 and women who die aged 50 to 60, one in seven will be killed by lung cancer, the CBS said.

Nevertheless, men are still twice as likely to die of lung cancer than women, even though male death rates are falling.

Some 30% of the Dutch aged 12 and over smoke and a similar percentage will have stopped smoking, usually before they reach their early 40s, statistics show.

But fears that stopping smoking could lead to weight gain may be true, the statistics indicate. Ex-smokers are 1.4 times more likely to be overweight than smokers, with female ex-smokers weighing four kilos more than smokers and women who never smoked, the CBS said.

The Netherlands is still struggling to develop a policy for smoking in bars and restaurants, with health minister Ab Klink saying he wants a total ban next year. And although smoking is banned in public buildings and all workers have the right to a smoke-free environment, bar and café workers are exempt from the rules.

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The Glamour of Smoking

2007-05-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

I saw a report on TMZ.com that said smoking is going to be factored into a movie rating. It it is glamorized, then a movie could earn an "R" rating.

Since TMZ.com is a gossip rag, of course, I had to search out some articles from some other sources.

I actually was a little concerned a few weeks ago, when TMZ had on their sidebar, "Check out the smokin' celebs in our photo album, Whatcha Smokin'" or something like that. I clicked on it out of curiosity. Here is a sampling:

click to enlarge

I don't think it looks all that glamorous. But that's just my opinion. Now sometimes seems rather glamorous in movies, so keep reading to find out about how smoking is going to affect movie ratings.

MPAA adds smoking as film-rating factor
DAVID GERMAIN
Associated Press
As reported by: Akron Beacon Journal

LOS ANGELES - Smoking will be a bigger factor in determining film ratings, the Motion Picture Association of America said Thursday, but critics said the move does not go far enough to discourage teens from taking up the habit.

MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman said his group's ratings board, which previously had considered underage smoking in assigning film ratings, now will take into account smoking by adults, as well.

That adds smoking to a list of such factors as sex, violence and language in determining the MPAA's G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 ratings.

Film raters will consider the pervasiveness of tobacco use, whether it glamorizes smoking and the context in which smoking appears, as in movies set in the past when smoking was more common.

Some critics of Hollywood's depictions of tobacco in films have urged that movies that show smoking be assigned an R rating, which would restrict those younger than 17 from seeing them.

"I'm glad it's finally an issue they're taking up, but what they're proposing does not go far enough and is not going to make a difference," said Kori Titus, spokeswoman for Breathe California, which opposes film images of tobacco use that might encourage young people to start smoking.

Glickman said a mandatory R rating for smoking would not "further the specific goal of providing information to parents on this issue."

Smoking in movies with a G, PG or PG-13 rating has been on the decline, and the "percentage of films that included even a fleeting glimpse of smoking" declined from 60 percent to 52 percent between July 2004 and July 2006," Glickman said.

Of those films, three-fourths received an R rating for other reasons, he said.

"That means there's not a great amount of films in the unrestricted category as it stands," said Joan Graves, who heads the ratings board. "We're not saying we're ignoring the issue. We're trying the best way possible according to what we've learned from parents to give them information about what's in a film."

Titus said smoking in films had declined in recent years but remains more prevalent than MPAA figures indicate.

Descriptions on sex, violence and language that accompany movie ratings now will include such phrases as "glamorized smoking" or "pervasive smoking," Glickman said.

If rated today, a film such as 2005's "Good Night, and Good Luck," about chain-smoking newsman Edward R. Murrow, would have carried a "pervasive smoking" tag but probably would have retained its PG rating because of its historical context in the 1950s, Graves said.

Titus said film raters should be as tough on smoking as they are on bad language to minimize the effects of on-screen smoking on children, including her own 5-year-old daughter.

"I don't want her using that language, but last time I checked, she's probably not going to die from that," Titus said. "If she starts smoking from these images she sees in movies, chances are she's probably going to die early from that."

While Titus' group wants tougher ratings restrictions, the MPAA released statements of support for its plan from John Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden and filmmaker Rob Reiner, among others.

"By placing smoking on a par with considerations of violence and sex, the rating board has acknowledged the public-health dangers to children associated with glamorized images of a toxic and lethal addiction to tobacco," Barry Bloom, dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a statement.
[end article]

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To Smoke, Or Not To Smoke

2007-05-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the few weeks of nice weather we have here in Indiana, before it gets too humid to really enjoy being outside. When my husband, Dan, and I met for lunch, it would be really nice to sit outside.

There is one thing that stops us though. The nice weather always brings out smokers. If there is a breeze, it always seems to blow in our direction. In a lot of ways, I am more sensitive to it than Dan is, and even he will say, "It's such nice weather. Too bad sitting outside would be ruined by smokers."

I remember the great debates about smoking in California, before their establishments became smoke-free. In Indiana, it seems to be different. I think Indiana has a great smoking population than California does. We also have some of the best cancer research centers. Go figure. The way many people in Indiana feel is that if they are smokers, they have the right to smoke. They should be able to do this whenever and where ever they want. I remember reading an article in the IndyStar about how family restaurants were going to be changed to non-smoking. A woman commented that it would be nice to go some place with her family where she didn't have to worry about breathing in the smokey air. A person commented back to her that they were a smoker, and if this woman didn't want to breathe smokey air, she should just stay home.

Even before this ordinance, I was a little conflicted. Dan and I went to two restaurants where we asked for non-smoking, and the hostess sat us on the border of the smoking section. My sister had just passed away at the time, so as soon as we started smelling the foul stench of cigarettes, I flagged down the hostess and told her that we needed to be moved or we wouldn't be patronizing their establishment. I would tell her how my sister died of cancer at 25 years old, and even though it wasn't because she was a smoker, it doesn't mean it couldn't have factored in. The truth is, we probably will never know what caused Laurianne to develop lung cancer.

Once again, these are just my opinions. I can tell people to stop smoking, and list all the harm that smoking does to the smoker. Ultimately, it is each individuals choice. I know this. But, I think it is only fair, though, that smokers and non-smokers show each other consideration. Maybe then, I could enjoy the nice weather.

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Vote for Laurianne's Hope for Best Health Blog for the Blogger's Choice Awards 2006.

Five Blogs That Make Me Think

2007-04-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Shelli at Shelli's Sentiments awarded me the Thinking Blogger Award for this blog.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to the original post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

Between this blog and my less serious blog, I have been thinking long and hard about the blogs that make me think, because almost everyone in my blogroll has at one point or another. (Note that these are not cancer-related blogs, just people who I admire and make me think.) The people I choose are:

Mammassage - Because of her own personal experience with her daughter, she shares information about the importance of organ donation.
Life, Vegas Style - Vegas Princess talks about the issues that are important to her, whether it is family life, career, media, or just something on her mind.
LynneMW - Unfortunately, we will never see this award on Lynne's blog, because she passed away last August. However, Lynne's blog is still out there. In her archives you can find out the struggles she had to go through as a person with non-smoking lung cancer. I highly recommend reading some of her entries. I want to give Lynne's blog posthumous recognition.
For Smith's Sake - Anne is a real person, going through ovarian cancer. Her blog is about her life, relationships, and living with cancer. She shares her thoughts and fears about this path that was put before her.
My Life - Cathy's blog, My Life, is about her life, going to school, and the various triumphs and struggles that she has gone through or is going through. I have gotten some interesting ideas from reading her blog, and I love when she posts a recipe.

Congratulations to you all! :)

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Vote for Laurianne's Hope for Best Health Blog for the Blogger's Choice Awards 2006.

Clues to the Cancer - St. Petersburg Times

2007-04-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Awareness about the Human Papilloma virus is still relatively new to the public. I found this article about David Hastings to be very interesting and informative. This article seemed like something worth sharing here. (Please note: I have notified Mr. Barry that I would like to share his article on this blog. However, at his request, this post may be removed.)

~oOo~
[Times photo: Martha Rial]
David Hastings nearly died last year from throat cancer. His wife Jo saved him by nagging him to see a doctor.

Clues to the cancer
David Hastings doesn't fit the throat cancer profile. So he looked for answers and was surprised by what he found.

By John Barry
St. Petersburg Times
Published April 17, 2007

During the grisly battle for his life, David Hastings played medical detective. He read everything he could find on what was trying to kill him. Nothing made sense. Hastings had throat cancer, mostly known for killing old people. Imagine an elderly soul addicted to cigarettes and alcohol for 40 years. There's a likely victim.

Hastings didn't fit. He was 58. He looked 48. He hadn't smoked since college, and he doesn't drink. His chief addiction is cycling. He rides his bike about 100 miles per week.

He'd never have guessed where he finally did fit in.

He did not have an old smoker's disease, after all. His throat had been attacked by a cancer-causing virus infamous for killing women. It was HPV, the human papilloma virus, that causes most cervical cancers. HPV is the virus at the center of a national argument over preventive vaccinations of young girls.

To his great surprise, Hastings discovered that this controversial women's vaccination plan aimed at ridding the world of HPV cancers may have started with the wrong gender.

One day, the answer might be found here. A thousand Tampa men are currently participating in the world's largest study of male HPV infections. The National Institutes of Health has awarded the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa $10-million for the work. It involves 3,000 men worldwide, including the Tampa thousand, and may soon include their female partners. One preliminary finding is a male infection rate double that of women.

Hastings found other studies as well that have long linked HPV to anal and penile cancers. Gay men and men in impoverished countries are most afflicted. They were horror stories - cancers that required the most ghastly of surgical remedies.

By the end of his searches, Hastings had become an official HPV cancer statistic - one of 10,000 American men afflicted by any one of five types of HPV cancers each year. The male number is close to the annual number of HPV cervical cancers detected in women.

Doctors are seeing more and more cases like Hastings': young, nonsmoking men and women who are turning up with oral cancers they aren't supposed to have. There has been an 11 percent increase - after 50 years of constancy - even as smoking has declined. A Chicago conference is planned for June. The maker of the current vaccine for girls is seeking FDA approval to give it to boys, too. Some Johns Hopkins University patients are receiving a new experimental vaccine.

Hastings even found himself briefly inserted into the debate in Tallahassee over requiring vaccinations of schoolgirls. His message to the lawmakers: HPV kills men, too.

It almost killed him.

- - -

Hastings had shaved over a swelling on the left side of his neck in March 2006. "It felt muscular," he says, "almost as if I'd been working out." He ignored it. That was typical of his personal approach to all things medical. "I didn't even know what a primary care physician was."

He's a CPA. His tax office is next door to the Habana Cafe in Gulfport, run by his Cuban wife, Josefa. They've been married for 17 years. They have one of those marriages where the fun and fur fly simultaneously. "She promised me I'd never have to work in the restaurant when we started it 10 years ago," he says. "I've been there every night since the first night."

A month went by before he showed his wife the swelling. It was a Friday morning.

"God, you've got golf balls in there," she said.

Jo wanted his neck checked that day. Over his protests, she started calling doctors. The only one she could find late on a Friday was their neighbor, a plastic surgeon. He felt two swollen lymph nodes and arranged a Monday appointment for Hastings with a primary care doctor. That doctor referred him to a general surgeon.

The general surgeon said it might be cancer or might not be, but, regardless, they should come out. He scheduled surgery for that Thursday.

Hastings was finally paying attention. He wanted a second opinion. Jo thought he was trying to get out of the surgery. She called another doctor neighbor, this one an oncologist.

That doctor told Hastings he didn't fit the profile of a "cancer candidate." He thought Hastings might have caught cat-scratch fever from one of Jo's eight cats. Surgery was scrubbed; Hastings went on an antibiotic. But the oncologist also ordered a CT scan.

Then Jo tricked her husband. She asked him to take her mother to an ear, nose and throat specialist. After examining the mother-in-law, the specialist turned to Hastings: "I understand I need to look at you, too."

The doctor felt the neck. "That's not good." He took a foot-long needle out of a drawer. With the needle, he extracted fluid for biopsy. Then he looked over a report on the CT scan. It contained the word "necrosis." That means dead cells and usually indicates cancer. "I didn't want to read that," he told Hastings.

A week later, the doctor saw him again. "Your wife saved your life," the doctor said.

He diagnosed a deadly squamous cell carcinoma. He said Hastings would need a radical remedy that involves the removal of lymph nodes, jugular veins, nerves and muscle between the tip of the ear and the collar bone. It would leave him with a drooped shoulder. And afterward, Hastings would still need chemo and radiation.

His chances of survival after all the cutting, chemo and radiation would be 60 percent.

Hastings fainted.

- - -

He again went looking for options. He ended up at Moffitt, which gave him the first good news since he'd felt the lumps. It concluded he didn't need the surgery. It preferred simultaneous radiation and chemotherapy as a first step, saving Hastings from a crippled upper torso.

During 35 treatments in seven weeks and nausea and dehydration that nearly killed him, Hastings read up on HPV.

It's sexually transmitted. About two-thirds of the population are infected with it in young adulthood. But about 3 percent of women get a strain called HPV-16 that causes cervical cancer and kills about 3,700 women a year.

Last July, the FDA approved a HPV-16 vaccine called Gardasil for young girls. Almost immediately, legislatures, including Florida's, drafted laws to require the vaccinations for girls in public schools.

Almost immediately, parents and religious groups protested, fearful that the vaccinations might encourage sexual promiscuity and take medical choices away from parents.

Overlooked in the furor was the fact that men can get HPV-16 from having sex, too. Sexual encounters in their teens can come back to haunt them in their 50s. The virus usually lies latent until middle age. Then it can show up in anal and penile cancers or in oral cancers like Hastings'.

HPV vaccinations of schoolgirls are a fine thing, contends Brian Hill, founder of the Oral Cancer Foundation in California and a survivor of HPV cancer in his tonsils.

"But if they don't do boys it's solving only half the problem."

- - -

Studies at Moffitt are tending to confirm that. Early findings in one study are showing a 60 percent overall HPV infection rate among men, compared with less than 30 percent among women.

Anna Giuliano, Moffitt's lead HPV researcher, is seeking an additional grant in order to add female partners to her study of the 3,000 men. Then she should know if men are more commonly infected than women.

The ultimate goal, she says, is "one simple vaccine" for all.

Merck, the maker of Gardasil, has already submitted to the FDA its tests of the vaccine on boys ages 9 to 15. They're in the process of testing boys and men ages 16 to 23. Moffitt is participating in those trials. Gardasil is already given to boys in European Union countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Hopkins is testing an HPV vaccine specifically for men who already have oral cancers. "It's designed to enhance the immune response to the HPV-16," Maura Gillison, the lead HPV cancer researcher at Hopkins, said by e-mail.

Hastings has tried to get into the trial. He did so by pressing Moffitt to send his cancer tissues to Hopkins for HPV-16 testing.

Last month the tests for HPV-16 came back positive, vindicating his medical detective work.

Some good news from Hopkins came as well: People like Hastings with HPV cancers have a higher survival rate than those with oral cancers from smoking.

Now Moffitt, which has sent other samples besides Hastings' to Hopkins, is testing a screening procedure of its own.

- - -

Hastings took his message to the Legislature's House Education Committee in early April. He flew to Tallahassee with Ed Homan, a Tampa representative who was sponsoring the schoolgirl vaccination bill. He told Hastings, "Tell them you're a man with HPV."

He had three minutes. Hastings is a guy who has trouble telling his name in three minutes. He rattled off his message as fast as he could. "I was told my testimony was emotional."

Then, with little discussion, the committee rejected the vaccination plan.

Hastings left the hearing shocked by his three-minute civics lesson.

"Unbelievable!" he sputtered. "Kids will die in Florida."

John Barry can be reached at (727) 892-2258 or jbarry@sptimes.com

Fast Facts: HPV- The human papilloma virus is one of the most common sexually transmitted viruses. More than half of all people will be exposed to any one of 80 HPV viruses.- The HPV-16 strain causes most cervical cancers, nearly 10,000 a year in the United States. It kills about 3,700 U.S. women annually.- HPV-16 has been linked to oral, penile and anal cancers in men. About 9,800 U.S. men are afflicted each year.

Blogger's Choice Awards Update

2007-04-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

We are still needing a lot of votes for Laurianne's Hope at the Blogger's Choice Awards. It looks like we are no longer in the Best Educational Blog category, but we are still in the running for Best Health Blog.

If you haven't voted, please consider doing so. I am proud of the work my dad and I have done on Laurianne's Hope. It would be nice to be recognized and possibly even bring in more traffic.

Of course, then I should probably post more. :)

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Vote for Laurianne's Hope for Best Health Blog for the Blogger's Choice Awards 2006.

Pall Malls

2007-04-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I read the Kurt Vonnegut died. I also read he was a long time fan of Pall Malls cigarettes. It got me to thinking.

The Pasadena Weekly said: Vonnegut smoked non-filter cigarettes most of his
adult life. Pall Malls to be exact, which back in Vonnegut's beginnings in the
mid-1950s had a catchy TV commercial pitch that invited consumers to try a smoke
that was “smooth and rich, and you can light either end.”

The Republican quoted a local lawyer as saying: "He always smoked Pall Malls and
drank JB with soda on the rocks," Scheinman said.

The Times Union said: Mr. Vonnegut died Wednesday at 84, some age for someone
who so long ago called himself an old (mildly scatological word here) with his Pall Malls.

From what I have read of Mr. Vonnegut, he seemed to have known the risks of lung cancer. It is even said that he felt his unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes were "a classy way to commit sucide". And what does he die from? Hitting his head.

The point I am trying to make is not that you shouldn't smoke. Ultimately, that is your decision. The point that I am trying to make is that you never know what is going to do you in. Still, people want to blame lung cancer on smoking. I think more awareness is getting out there, but I have learned of so many people who have died from lung cancer, and never smoked. We need to think of these people too.

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Until we found out my sister had lung cancer, I would have been one of the people who said, "Well, you shouldn't smoke if you don't want lung cancer." I probably would not have attributed smoking to increasing breast cancer, colon cancer, prostrate cancer, any other type of cancer, but smoking increases your risk of getting those types of cancer as well.

So, how is it that a man can smoke for 70 years, and die from brain injuries, and someone in their 40's, 30's or 20's can be a non-smoker and die from lung cancer? Because other factors besides smoking can contribute to lung cancer. Other factors besides smoking can contribute to any kind of cancer.

That is why we created this blog.

St. Baldricks - March 2007

2007-04-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures of St. Baldrick's for March 2007. These were taken in Santa Rosa, California, at Sweet River Grill & Bar. One of the young boys pictured below raised $1000 to have his head shaved and help find a cure for childhood cancer!

To find out more about a St. Baldrick's event in your community, visit www.stbaldricks.org

(On a side note, don't forget to vote for this blog in the two categories it has been nominated for - Best Educational Blog and Best Health Blog. See more details in the sidebar.)

Happy Easter and Vote for Us!!

2007-04-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Guess what!? Laurianne's Hope was nominated for Best Educational Blog at The Blogger's Choice Awards! Last I looked, we were on page2. If you want to vote, you will have to register. Registering is easy and takes about 30 seconds. So, please vote for Laurianne's Hope! We can't win without your vote!

Laurianne's Hope

Laurianne's Hope was also nominated for Best Health Blog. Last I looked, we were on page 2 there as well. Go vote!!

Laurianne's Hope

Happy Easter!

Happy Birthday, Laurianne!

2007-04-07T22:50:00.001-07:00

In My Heart Forever
I thought of you with love today.
But that is nothing new.
I thought of about you yesterday.
And the days before that too.
I think of you in silence.
I often speak your name.
Now all I have are memories.
And your picture in a frame.
Your memory is my keepsake.
With which I'll never part.
God has you in his keeping.
I have you in my heart...forever.

Twenty seven years ago a beautiful baby girl was born.
One year, 5 months, 2 weeks and 2 days ago this beautiful blue eyed girl grew wings.

Today we celebrated her 27th birthday in a quiet way. Unfortunately, this year Lynda was not able to come but Lynda and Dan had their own celebration for Laurianne.
We put some flowers by her picture and lit several candles.
In the afternoon we released balloons. We got two large balloons and seven smaller balloons.
Each balloon had a little card attached with the blog address and a Happy Birthday note on the back. We released them one by one and watched them till they became a tiny dot in the sky. Who knows, maybe someone will find one of the cards an will leave a comment on this blog.
Laurianne's favorite dessert was chocolate cake. Of course we could not pass up the day without indulging in some chocolate cake to celebrate Laurianne's special day.

Loving you is easy,
We do it every day,
Missing you is a heartache,
That never goes away.

Happy Birthday, Laurianne!

2007-04-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

If you have ever lost someone very important to you, then you already know how it feels, and if you haven't, you cannot possibly imagine it.

-A Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortnate Events), Lemony Snicket

Today is Laurianne's birthday. She would have been 27. Yesterday, I was feeling a little artistic, so I modified this picture to express my feelings about this. Even though we can't see her, she is still there - in our memories, in our hearts, in Calem.

Happy Birthday, Laurianne!
We miss you!!

Cancer Stories: Mike's Mom

2007-04-04T07:11:00.000-07:00

This is Mike's mom's story. Today is the one year anniversary of her passing away from breast cancer.

It is important that anyone can get breast cancer. Men typically do not get mammograms, but like women, they can do a monthly self-check to make sure there are no lumps in their chest region. Despite all you hear about breast cancer, there is still no cure!

I am sure after reading Mike's story, you would not want to see any loved one have to go through what his mom did. (And if you have a moment, you can see in his comments the effect cancer has had on others as well.)

This was originally posted in October on Mike's blog, The Mindless Dribbler, which is now defunct.

~oOo~

Mom...

In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month...and one of my best friends.

Being breast cancer awareness month, it's bringing about mixed feelings for me. Not that I'd ever declare a month dedicated to breast cancer awareness as stupid, not at all...but just the fact that it raises so many uncomfortable thoughts, I'm kind of feeling....sad and inspired at the same time.

I'll tell you my own personal story for the sole purpose of recognizing how important getting your regular mammogram is. Mainly because I wouldn't wish this on anyone, not even my ex wife and that in itself speaks volumes of the cancer's ability to darken even the brightest of days.

The last month of my Mom's life were the hardest for me. I helped get her in the tub for her baths, I helped set her on the portable toilet we kept by her bed, I helped change her clothes, and Trish and I laid in her bed with her to keep her company. I could understand this if she were 80 years old...but at the time, she was only 56.

For most of her last month, she was incoherent in speech and void of any meaningful conversation.

The night they took her to the hospital for the last time, my sister called Trish and I and told us to come to Mom's house as quick as we could. We showed up and they were "prepping" for her return to the hospital. The last sound I heard issued from Mom's mouth was a scream filled with such agony and pain that I had to turn away. As bad as that sounds, I couldn't look at her. It killed a part of me, mainly because I knew the inevitable was upon us.

Once we reached the hospital, they started the morphine until 4 days later, her last day. I never heard her voice again. The only sounds were of her labored breathing.

I have seen up close and personal the ravishing effects breast cancer has on a person. I have seen eyes that have always shone with such life and optimism turn into windows to one's soul where I could see nothing but sadness and terror. A mouth that had always been so quick to smile and tell you that she loves you, turn into a permanent grimace from the pain endured.

I not only lost my Mom to the vile cancer, I lost an amazing friend who'd call out of the blue and offer to buy me lunch once a week. I lost a guidance counselor and a teacher. I lost an inspiration....a "holy spirit on two feet" as her husband once told me.

On one of her many stays in the hospital, she came shuffling back to her hospital room from the chapel and told us about a family that needed praying for, someone she had met while there praying. I thought "here she is, fighting for her own existance and yet, she's down in the chapel praying for everyone else". That was just her character.....she never changed or waivered from being selfless.

Breast cancer isn't a joke. For your own health and peace of mind, get your yearly mammogram. Breast cancer doesn't just affect the one it inflicts, it takes a part of everyone that's close to that person.

I'm proof.

You folks be careful.

Some Chemicals found in Secondhand Smoke

2007-03-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

Because I signed up for Smokefree Indiana information, I recieved a guide to help quit tobacco for good. For the record, I do not smoke.

Then again, Indiana has laws that allow smoking in some places. Recently, Dan and I went to Memphis, and even though I don't remember them asking us smoking or non-smoking, the people next to us were given an ash tray and lit up. I was glad we were done with our meal.

Stopping in Effingham, IL for dinner, we were asked smoking or non-smoking by the hostess. My well trained husband said, "As far away from smoking as possible!" Even worse is when you have to walk through the smoking section to get to the non-smoking section. Dan and I had that situation happen to us once at a restaurant.

Getting back to Indiana, a recent smoking law was passed that family restaurants were not allowed to have smoking sections anymore. If there was a bar, like in Applebee's, smoking is allowed during non-family hours, which is after 10 p.m. Dan and I use to go to lunch at this place near my work. We had only gone a few times, but they had pretty good burgers and potatos done in a different way. When the new smoking law came out, they actually built a bar and did not allow anyone under the age of 21 to enter the establishment.

Dan and I went there one time afterwards, right before they were about to close. Since they were ten minutes from closing, they turned us away. The place never smelled smoky and I never noticed anyone smoking, but I told Dan that I wasn't going to patronize them anymore. Why take the risk? Do you know what is in second hand smoke. The folks at WhiteLies.TV have a list:

Some Chemicals found in Secondhand Smoke.
Polonium-210 Power in space satellites
Benzo[a]pyrene Motor vehicle exhaust
Hydrazine Rocket fuel
1,3 butadiene Found in gasoline
Benzene Found in crude oil
N-nitrosopyrrolidine Found in pesticides
Nickel Used in batteries
Aniline Used in lacquers and wood stains
2-Naphthylamine Used in dyes
4-Aminobiphenyl Rubber antioxidant
Nicotine Insecticide/addictive drug
Cresol Industrial adhesives
Pyrene A main constituent of coal tar
DDT A banned pesticide
Carbon Monoxide Car exhaust fumes
Ammonia Toilet bowl cleaner
Hydrogen Cyanide A fumigation poison
Acetone Fingernail polish remover
Methanol Rocket fuel
Formaldehyde Embalming fluid
Butane Cigarette lighter fluid
Naphalene Moth balls
Nitrobenzene Gasoline additive
Arsenic Rat poison
Cadmium Found in batteries
Toluene Industrial solvent
Isoprene Tire rubber

I prefer fresh air, thanks.

P.S. Anyone need a pocket guide to help them quit?

This Saturday

2007-03-22T04:32:00.000-07:00

Playing for a Cure

Middle & High School Invitational
Band & Classical Solo Competition

Saturday, March 24, 2007, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Craigmont Middle School, Memphis, Tennessee

My husband and I will be there! Hope you can make it too!

One Year Ago This Month

2007-03-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, March 6 was the anniversary of Dana Reeve's death from lung cancer. I did not fail to notice and wanted to blog about it. I just didn't know what to say.

I am glad there is still some awareness out there because of this disease. She really put lung cancer in the media spotlight. It still makes me angry that people were trying to brush off her death to smoking, because she use to sing in smokey lounges. I admit that second hand smoke could be a factor, but in the long and short of it, anyone can get this disease. Laurianne never sang in smokey lounges.

Hopefully, people continue to be aware of lung cancer. I heard recently of a breath test that has been developed. It shows if you have lung cancer, no matter what stage you are at. It sounded very promising. For those of you in the medical profession, the results were published in the medical journal, Thorax. I still see it on my Google alerts as well, so some news agencies are still talking about it.

Every breakthrough is a step closer to awareness, detection and cure.

Look Good, Feel Better

2007-03-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

When Laurianne found out she had cancer in 2005, she went to the American Cancer Society to find out more about wigs. This is just one of the services the American Cancer Society offers as a service to cancer patients. Fortunately, Laurianne took some pictures of her wig choices, so she is my model for this post.

The American Cancer Society administers a program, in partnership with the National Cosmetology Association, called Look Good, Feel Better which provides wigs to women who have lost their hair to cancer. There is also a program for Men called Look Good, Feel Better for Men as well as a program for teens, and the 2BMe website.

If you know someone who doesn't have web access, you can call the program at 1-800-395-LOOK or contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345. You can also visit the American Cancer Society's Look Good, Feel Better web page.

By calling 1-800-395-LOOK (1-800-395-5665)you can also request self-help materials. And because you don't need to struggle with cancer alone, some areas offer group programs. Here is some information on the group programs, taken from the American Cancer Society's Look Good, Feel Better web page:

Volunteer beauty professionals lead small groups, usually consisting of 6 to 10 women, through practical, hands-on experience. Women learn about makeup techniques, skincare, nail care, and options related to hair loss such as wigs, turbans, and scarves. Each group program participant receives a free kit of cosmetics for use during and after the workshop.

Laurianne was lucky. She didn't actually end up losing her hair. But, most people do experience hair loss with chemo. With programs like this, someone going through cancer can feel less self-conscious and better about themselves. And sometimes that is half the battle.

Hairless Heros

2007-02-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

Click to Enlarge

This picture, provided by my mom's friend B, is the Santa Rosa Fire Department St. Baldricks participants for 2006. I noticed there are no women. Maybe Britney Spears will join them next one?

The next St. Baldrick event in Santa Rosa is:

Sweet River Grill and Bar
Event Date: March 16, 2007
Address: 248 Coddingtown Mall, Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Please visit www.stbaldricks.org for a location in your area, or information on how to start an event in your location.

St. Baldrick's

2007-02-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

I have always wondered what it would be like to be bald. I imagine a warm breeze over a bald head, or rolling down the windows of my car and not having to worry about getting rid of tangles later. Unlike Laurianne, who loved her hair, I have never been as attached to my hair as it is to me. I keep saying that one day I will definately try it.

Yesterday, my mom told me that some friends of hers read this website, and that they participate in an organization called St. Baldrick's Foundation. (Hi, friends of my mom!) This organization raises money for kids with cancer. In fact, their mission statement is:

The mission of the St. Baldrick's Foundation is to raise awareness and funds to cure kids' cancer by supporting cancer research and fellowships.

In Indianapolis, they are having an event for St. Baldrick's towards the middle of March. I am hoping to get out to one of these events and see what it is all about. I am not going to shave my head this year though. I still want to grow my hair out for Locks of Love. But, to help raise funds for cancer, I would be willing to shave my head.

Just in time for summer, too!

Cancer Stories: Shelli's Dad, Mike

2007-02-15T07:01:00.000-08:00

Today's story is from Shelli at Shelli's Sentiments. I came across Shelli's blog shortly after Laurianne died. We found we had a lot in common, including cancer. Shelli has asked people on her blog to consider donating your favorite cancer organization, one of the organizations on this website, or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN). One of the organizations not on the sidebar is our Laurianne's Hope Relay for Life team 2007, which you can visit to make a donation to as well.

~oOo~

There is a man behind my blog. It is not my husband, Jason. The man is silent to most everyone, but I hear him loud and clear within my head and my heart. He is the reason that I started blogging. He, rather the loss of him is the reason. In February of 2005, I started my blog as a way to deal with the grief and to tell people about my dad. He believed in my ability to write and I wanted to honor that belief in some way. My very first post was titled Lessons From My Dad and was a tribute to him. Let me tell you about him.

My dad was born in October of 1944 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the first son and second child in a family that would eventually grow to seven children. He would not lead an easy life as a child. But he loved his parents and his siblings immensely and it was obvious.

Dad grew up to meet my mom, Carole, and they were married on August 8, 1964. He was in the army reserves in what was an undoubtedly difficult time in our nation's history. He never went to Viet Nam, and I think that was always a source of guilt and pain for him. He had intended to go, had joined the army with that in mind, but at that time they only took unmarried men and my dad was married. He got news that he would be going but then they said that he couldn’t go if he had any children or any on the way. That was the week that my mom found out she was pregnant with me. There must have been a reason that he wasn’t supposed to go there. Probably it was so that he could have the three of us and raise us to be who we are today.

My dad was a paramedic for 11 years for North Memorial hospital. I loved to ride in his ambulance with him. It was so cool. Maybe that is where I got the first bug to do something medical. He also was a construction worker. He would work his shift at night for the hospital and then go to work during the day at his carpentry job. At some point, that became too much for him and he dropped the paramedic’s job. He really liked his job as a carpenter. He was good at it, too. He especially enjoyed the finish work. He was a craftsman who took pride in details and the beauty of the finished product. When my husband and I got married, his present to us was that he did a major part of the work on our house so that it would go towards the down payment. Now, everywhere I look, I see his loving touch.

Our nightmare with cancer started when everyone else was worrying that the world was going to end. Midnight, January 1, 2000. I called my parents, as I always have, at midnight to wish them a happy New Year. My mom said that they had gone home early because my dad wasn’t feeling well. He had severe abdominal pain. I told them that I loved them and would talk to them in the morning. When I hung up the phone, I told Jason that something wasn’t right and that it was my dad. I just felt that foreboding that something was really wrong. Jason tried to reassure me, but I couldn’t shake it.

The next morning, well it was closer to noon, my mom called and she said that they were heading to the hospital and asked me to meet them there. Jason went to pick up the kids at his parents and I met them at the emergency room.
The attitude of the ER doctor was a little perturbing at first. My dad had been experiencing these symptoms for several weeks. I am sure that the doctor thought “what the hell are they doing here? Why couldn’t they have waited to see their regular doctor on the next work day?” I know he was thinking it because, I have thought similar things myself when people bring their kids in emergently when things have been going on for weeks at a time. But this was different. My dad looked like shit. He was yellow. The man that stabbed himself at work one day and just bandaged it back up and went back to work was in so much pain he couldn’t focus. As the doctor ushered my mom and I out so that he could examine my dad, he still had this look of irritation, but I said, “Dad, make sure you tell him about the 20 pounds that you have lost in the last several weeks without trying.” The drape was closed and my mom and I waited patiently.

The doctor had done a 180 by the time he opened the curtain. He stopped talking to my parents (he knew that I had medical background), his face had lost all it’s color and he was the doctor he should have been from the beginning. He told me that they were going to have to order some X-rays and an abdominal ultrasound for the next business day which was in a day or so (I don’t remember exactly), he also told me that my dad’s liver panel was way out of whack. Here I am thinking that he has hepatitis or liver cancer and I am hopeful that it means a liver transplant and all would be well again. I was very wrong.

He had his radiological studies and then he went to his regular doctor to get the results the same afternoon. In the mean time, being the nurse that I had been, I knew the way to call in and listen to the radiology reports and (I know it wasn’t legal—shhhhsshh) so I did it. I called the radiology line from my home and listened. It took me several times to get through it because I was sobbing. I heard…”Several small lesions on the pancreas…multiple lesions on the liver, with the largest being 3 [or 4] centimeters in diameter…consistent with pancreatic cancer with multiple liver metastases.” Fuck! I knew what it meant. I thought instantly of Michael Landon. I called a friend from my previous work and I was sobbing. The first person who answered, another friend, couldn’t understand me and she handed the phone to the person whom I had asked for. I screamed out, “I am not going to have a dad at the end of this year.” It was unfathomable. And it was like someone was stepping on my chest. I couldn’t breathe.

The next weeks were filled with tests, pain, medicines, hospital rooms, pain, chemotherapy, hiccups and pain. The pain never was completely gone and neither were the hiccups, which caused pain. For the last 6 weeks of his life, my dad had the hiccups, no matter what they gave him to alleviate them. I felt like I was trying to walk through quicksand. To say it was painful doesn’t begin to explain it. And that was nothing compared to the pain my dad was feeling. I told someone once that watching my dad in so much pain was something that made me think of Mary and how much she must have suffered watching Jesus being tortured and crucified. It was unbearable.

As unbearable as it was to watch, that’s all that I wanted to do. I don’t mean that in the sick way that it sounds. I just wanted to never be away from him. While writing this, I went back and read a journal that I kept at that time. There were two phrases that I kept repeating over and over in that journal. The first was, “My life sucks and I hate it,” and the other was, “I am so hungry for every moment with my dad.” And I was. I had a very hard time leaving the hospital every night. In fact, some nights I didn’t. I would stay and sleep on a cot in his room and in the morning, I would get up and go home and take care of kids all day and in the evening I would go back again. He was on a patient controlled pain medication where he could push a button to give himself a “bump” if he needed it. If I wasn’t there to do it for him, he would sleep through several bumps and then his pain would be way out of control. I hated that. It took so much catching up. I needed to be there to control it. It was the only thing that I felt like I could do to help him. I felt so powerless in every other way.

From the first day in the ER to the day he left us, it was only 6 weeks and 3 days. Forty five days. It was too short of a time for us and too long of a time for him. Whenever I was with him towards the end, he looked so small and I felt like I really wanted to lie down in the bed with him and just have him be my daddy and me his little girl again. Minutes before he died, I did just that. I lay down with him and as I wiped his mouth with a sponge, I felt him leave and I said, “Good bye, Dad.”

Those weren’t the last words I ever said to my dad. I still talk to him all the time. Sometimes I do it daily. I hear his answers in my heart. I still miss him everyday. I miss that he never got to see Sam or Emily play ball or that he never got to see his beautiful granddaughter, Isabelle. I think she resembles him so much sometimes. I am sure there will be many other things that I will miss him seeing or being a part of.

I could make this go on and on and on, telling you about the man that was my Dad, but if you read on and on and on, I still don’t think you would know. It’s simple, though. He was a good man. He loved his family very much. And we loved him very much. Cancer took him away from us physically, but it could never steal him away from our hearts and minds.

Cancer Stories: Blue's Mom, Sharon

2007-02-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

Bluepaintred asked me to post her mom's story on the 10th anniversary of her death. Also, she is going to try to quit smoking for herself. I think that is a great way for her to remember her mom, and I wish her luck!! Also, if you are trying to quit smoking, check out the sidebar. There are some links that may be useful to you.

~oOo~

Maybe, as a smoker myself, I have no right to criticise the lives cancer steals. Or maybe as someone who does smoke, as someone who thought ‘I can quit anytime’, until the first time I tried to quit, I can teach just one person how hard it is to quit. How physically and mentally exhausting it is. How it is not worth it! Maybe I can stop them from lighting up that very first time.

*We do not smoke inside out home*.

I teach my children that smoking is disgusting that it fills my lungs with tar, even my youngest, 2, tells me I smell yucky, and I encourage that… I don’t lie or try to hide my smokers cough from them. I couldn’t bear it if they started. Yet if I had to leave them early, like my mother was forced to leave us, it would hurt so much more.

Today, February 13, 2007, on the tenth anniversary of my mothers’ death, I will put down my cigarettes and try once more to quit. I have failed in the past, but if I keep trying, one day I will succeed.

*************
Sharon Gehon.

May 18, 1954 – February 13, 1997

In September of 1996 my father and I were digging up potatoes in the garden when he told me they found “something” in my mothers’ lung. It all happened very fast from then on; she had a biopsy, which was positive for cancer. I’m not sure the type.

I was seventeen at the time.

My mother hurt her back at work and had me rub it every night. It never seemed to get better, but she did not really think about it.

She had been a long time smoker, and had quit 4..5 (?) years before. I can remember when she was trying to quit, she had a little plastic smoke that she used like a baby would a pacifier. When she was really wanting, she would stick it in her mouth and suck, unfortunately she often forgot, and lit it!

I can’t recall the events very clearly, but some things really stand out in my mind.

Sound. It bothered her a lot when she was in chemo. We, (I have two other siblings, a sister who was 20 and a brother who was 11 at the time), would have to tip toe around, TV was very low and even talking was frowned on.

Smells. They were the worst for her, I think. We had a fridge and a stove down in the basement though, and my dad would cook food down there to help with the smells.

If it’s possible to have a favourite memory of a loved one suffering from chemo, it would be when my mother, sick and tired of hair falling in her food, had me vacuum her head. It occurred to me, much later, that the hair must have been bugging her something awful to have put up with the noise of the vacuum. But hearing her laugh as I tried to get it all… that’s something I cherish.

I got my drivers licence while my mom was in the hospital, I can remember going in to show her it. I was very excited! She looked so tired.

My mothers’ parents came down and stayed with us for a long time. They were there with us in the end.

I was on the phone, down in my room with my then boyfriend when ..my uncle.. my grandpa(?) came and asked me to get off the phone, that dad wanted to call the hospital for a check in. Within minutes all of the adults knew, and I think us kids knew too, that this was it. My dad made it to the hospital in time, and I am happy for that.

I do not remember who told me, or how. That day is very much a blur for me.

It was February 13, 1997, she was 43 years old.

I met my future husband seven months later. Mom never got to meet him. She would have liked him, I think. And when I was pregnant with my first baby, I wanted so badly to ask her about a million questions. There was no way for my dad to know all the stories a mother tells her child.

How big was I? What did I weigh? Was I on time?

I have three boys and they will never know their Grandma Sharon. That, I think is the worst thing of all.

Bluepaintred
Me, Myself and Us - http://redblogblue.blogspot.com/

Cancer Stories: Sheelaugh's Dad

2007-01-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

This is an email I received from Sheelaugh, who last her dad in September. She gave me permission to post this and share her dad's story with you.

~oOo~

Thank you so much for your wonderful blog. I have just learned of it today.

My father passed away on Sept. 26, 2006 (aged 67) after a 2 year battle with Lung cancer. While he was a smoker, he was also a millwright and shipwright. As a youth, he worked in coal mines, factories with tire black, and a number of other heavy industry related positions long before face masks and safety equipment were the norm. While it is most likely that his smoking caused his cancer, the doctors could never rule out his past work history as a strong contributing factor.

Sheelagh.

Cancer Stories: Christa and her Mom

2007-01-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

Christa from Awful Souls is sharing the story of both her mom and herself.

She sent this in a few days ago, but I have had a bit of a cold and didn't post it until today, so I want to say sorry to her. If you have a story to share, please feel free to email it to laurianneshope@gmail.com for submission. - Lynda

~oOo~

A lot of people know about cancer, but a lot of them are too scared to actually talk about it. There's even grown up people out there who believe it's contagious, which is crazy. So there's still a lot of ignorance going on.

My story is long and spans over two generations. First out was my mom.

She was one of these happy creatures that could spread a smile in a wink. She always had something good to say about everyone and she was not a smoker either. However, she was a passive smoker. Dad was puffing away around us all for as long as I can remember.

Anyway...my mom's cancer began with breast cancer. They thought they found it in an early stage and she went through both surgery, chemo and radiation. This was between 1975 and 1977, but I believe that the odds are about the same today when it comes to survival. She was doing good after the surgery and the treatment was done and over with, and we all took a deep breath and we were glad it was over.

Then, about a year later, in 1976, she got this stubborn cold that wouldn't go. Her cough was getting worse and worse, and she was complaining about a pain in her right side, just under the ribcage. Dad finally got her to the docs again when the cough was so dry and so intense that she could barely breathe. And it didn't take long before she was diagnosed with bone cancer.

I didn't see her at all during the last 3 months. Dad wanted us to remember her the way she was, which is something I'm very thankful for today. She passed away on August 16, 1977. The autopsy later showed that her whole body was full of tumors and that her cancer had started in her brain. So the breast cancer wasn't the first physical place where it settled down, even if that was the place where it showed first.

That was my first experience with cancer and I was 13 years old when we lost her.

All the way throughout my teens I was scared to death to get cancer myself, but by the time I was in the end of my 20's and had my own family since years back, I'd forgotten all about it.

So when I had what seemed to be a stomache flu, it didn't bother me more than it done before. It really didn't ring a bell anywhere. I ended up at the ER with my flu however, and that was my lucky star I guess. The stomache ache I had made them set up an emergency appointment with the gynecologist since it was impossible to say what was really wrong.

The day after I was up in that horrible chair and they did an ultrasound scan. What they found was a simple inflamation in the tubes, but bad enough to require surgery. I already had a son, so the loss of the tubes was not a big deal at the time. That it would literally save my life, I had no idea about at the time.

So I went in to take the tubes away. It was a laparoscopic procedure and I was back home and back to work within a couple of days. And everything went just fine.

A couple of days after I arrived home, I had a message on my answering machine when I came from work late on night. It was the surgeon who took out both my tubes that wanted me to call back no matter how late it was. Just that in itself scared the poop out of me, but I had to make that phonecall.

When I talked to him, he told me that they've done some tests when they took out the tubes. The tests were routine and nothing strange at all. It was just that mine were not good. So while I was still catching my breath, watching my 13 year old son sitting in front of the TV set, this guy told me over the phone that I had an aggressive form of cervical cancer and that they wanted me to show up on Friday to discuss this. A bed at the ward was already available for me and I was planned on getting admitted the following Monday.

This was Wednesday and after that phonecall I was completely numb for days.

I had my best friend coming with me to that meeting on Friday, and I got the picture pretty clear of what was going to happen and why. The tumor was located very close to the back of my spine and it was growing very fast. They would do a radical hysterectomy, which in practise meant that they would remove the cervix, uterus and also the upper part of the vagina and the tissues around the cervix. The pelvic lymph glands was to be removed since the cancer could spread to these glands. It was a big surgery that took nearly 8 hours and 2 teams of 4 surgeons each to do. And it became a bit bigger than expected. They removed more glands than they first thought they would and the appendix went as well...but they left the ovaries since they were not affected at all. The ovaries were moved up in level with the hipbones however, just for the sake of eventual radiation later.

I never had to go through any chemo or radiation. And I was damn lucky. Just before the hysterectomy, I asked the doc how long he would give me if I didn't go through with it, and he gave me a qualified guess that limited the rest of my life to about 2 weeks. That time frame and how close it had been didn't hit me until months later while I was still in remission.

There is a lot of emotional bits and pieces in surviving cancer that is very difficult to both explain and handle at the time. I guess you could say that it's changes a lot. Especially the view on life around us. And that is something that most cancer survivors have in common. I was trying to find a reason why I was still alive and not my mom. Silly things like that. Didn't feel guilty for surviving, but a purpose for still being here would've been nice at the time.

The cancer that I had you can get a shot for today, which is amazing. I just hope that it will save some lives in the future.

I was young when this hit me, only 31. This spring I will be 43 and so far so good. I will be in the same age as my mom was when she passed away in about a year, and for some reason that bugs me. I just hope I will pass that limit in time without any more incidents like this.

The side effects from this hysterectomy have panned out in a chronical pain syndrom on my behalf. I had a lot of nerve damage at the time and later it showed it's ugly face in a burning pain. In the beginning it was skin deep, but today, 12 years later, it's a deep roaring pain that can hit from nowhere. Morphine will take it out, but I'm trying to stay away from it if I can. The hallucinations are too icky to handle on a daily bases. My nervous system is confused and indicates injury even if there isn't anything wrong.

But no matter the pain that followed this, I'm still very happy to be alive. And I'm aware of how darn lucky I was back then.

What I would like to change in awareness around cancer is the fear. Yes, it can be scary as hell...and yes, sometimes it goes very wrong. And cancer usually don't see the difference between people and people, what age you're in or how much money you have. We're playing Russian Roulette every day when we leave for work, or sometimes just by leaving bed. I find life very precious these days, but death doesn't scare me either. I've made peace with both of them.

And maybe most important of all - I don't take life for granted anymore. And no one should. Enjoy it while you can. The amount of control we have over our own lives is nothing but an illusion.

Christa
http://www.awfulsouls.com/blog

Cancer Stories: Miki's Husband

2007-01-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Tonight's story is from Miki, at Thoughts of a Rambling Miki. I read Miki's blog quite a bit when her husband was going through treatment, and I am happy that he is doing well now. Please read and give your her your support. If you have a story, please send to laurianneshope@gmail.com.

~oOo~

I thought I would give you my story about cancer, not lung cancer, but cancer, Multiple Myeloma in fact.

First let me say that the past year and a half has been a learning experience for my
family. My husband and myself know more about chemo drugs, stem cell transplants etc. than we have ever wanted to know in our lifetime. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells. It affects bone marrow, and is incurable. If caught, it is treatable, but at present, there is no cure.

My husband was diagnosed on August 9, 2005. His bone marrow was 90% compromised with Myeloma cells. He was 39 years old. The doctor that we were refered to by our family doctor was aggressive and caring. He started treatment that day, with a medication called Zometa. Zometa's function is to keep the calcium in the bones, not to let it leach into the bloodstream. The following day, he started Chemotherapy. Some of the drugs used were Velcade, Dioxin, Cytoxin, with some Benedryl for allergies, normal saline, and a few others that I just can't remember without referencing my spiral notebook. The Doctor's staff, he has a chemo lab right in both of his offices, are wonderful people. They were caring, would talk to you as a human, efficient, and always took care of him in a timely fashion. He was referred to St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Care Center, in Manhattan, NY, by the hematologist here, at home. We live in the middle of Long Island, NY, so to get to NYC it wasn't too much of a stretch. OH, wait, I digress...It was discovered that my husband had lesions(tumors) sticking out of two places in his spine, the hope was that the chemo would kill these, and make them shrink, along with the cancer cells in his marrow. He also had a lesion that had eaten a hole in his left hip.

75% of the bone was gone and it could have shattered in no time at all.
He was lucky with that one. The doc refered him to an orthapeadist here
on the island, within a month of diagnosis. The doc here wanted all
chemo and steroid treatment to stop immediately so that the hip could be
operated on, that wasn't the plan that the hematologist had in mind, and we
told the doc that. He refered us to someone at NYU whom he went to
school with, what a great thing he did there. This doc at NYU was an
orthopeadic oncologist. His nurse practicioner has LYmphoma, which
closely mirrors MM. This doc sent my husband to have a brace made, so
that he had an outer shell to protect the hip. At the time he was using
crutches, and had to continue to use them along with the brace. He wanted the
MM semi controlled before we would do an operation. Durring all of this
mess, my husband was refered to a DR Jagganath, at St Vincent's. Dr J is
world renowned in MM research, and in some circles is known as "The King" of
Myeloma. He had bbeen on board the whole time, our doc was
checking the treatment plan with him all along.

We went to see him in September, and continued treatment at home. By Feb. my husband was ready to "harvest" stem cells. By March, he went into the hospital to have a stem cell transplant, using cells harvested from him. By July, we had the results, he was in a partial remission. His marrow was 15% compromised, but that meant that the transplant, as far as the National Transplant Registry, was a failure. The good thing here was that the doctors didn't really consider it a failure. The gave us 4 more options to bring the counts down further:

1. do nothing and see how it goes2. go on maintenence meds to keep it stable
3. a donor transplant
4. another (tandem) transplant using my husband's cells

We opted for the 4th choice. The 3rd choice would have been a "cure" but the risk to him would have been too much. He needed a relative who would match him, he had a 20% mortality rate, that is him, not the donor, and his recovery and immunity would be compromised for a longer period of time.

He had the tandem transplant in October. He came home from the hospital on a monday and went back to work on a wednesday. So far, he had a head cold, and that cough that is going around. He is tired when he gets home from work, but he feels good.

We go at the end of the month for his evaluation, to see if the transplant "worked."

The doctors will be happy if the myeloma count is down to 10% or lower, and he will still have to go on maintenence meds, probably for life. But, if it means that the disease stays in remission for another 10 years with no chemo or anything worse, then we will take the meds, pay the astronomical cost and live.

These are the symptoms of MM:
Bone pain (which my husband didn't have)

pain is usually extreme, to the point that it never goes away.

high calcium levels in the blood

aneamia
My husband would not have known that he had MM if he didn't have to take a physical for his job that involved blood work. Get physicals often, get blood work often, that is my advice. If caught early, you can LIVE with MM.

It affects men and women. It is twice as likely to affect African American men, and at an earlier age. My husband is caucasin(I know that is spelled wrong) but he was affected at 39.

Just get routine blood work.

It has no known cause, it isn't yet determined that it is absolutely heriditary. So it can affect one or more members of the same family, who knows??

There is a research foundation for it and many new advances have been made in the area of MM.

Their websiteis: http://www.multiplemyeloma.org/

thanks for letting me share my story, it helps to get it out there!

Miki
www.thoughtsofaramblingmiki.blogspot.com

Cancer Stories: Zed's Sister, Carole

2007-01-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

Today's story is from Zed at The World According to Zed. I am not sure how I found Zed's blog, (in fact, I think she found me) but I know we immediately shared our connection of how we lost our sisters to cancer.

~oOo~

I lost my sister Carole, a photographer, artist, sculptor, author, and international traveler in August 2004 to breast cancer. She was a long-time survivor, but in January 2004 NOTHING worked to lengthened her life any longer, and we began the long, slow march toward her death.

Doctors insisted she still try various treatments, thinking perhaps something would suddenly work. But nothing did and she just became sicker and sicker. At a birthday party I threw for her in early 2004, she looked terribly ill and ashen, and she could barely stay awake.

By May she courageously refused any further treatment and choose to spend of the rest of her life without any form of chemotherapy or radiation. She wanted to try to maintain a certain quality of life with dignity and grace.

In the next two months, literally hundreds of friends and family came to say goodbye to her, and she always had a smile for everyone who came to visit. In the first days of August she weakened considerably; before she slipped into a coma, she squeezed my hand, gave me a slight wave, and said "I love you." Then she lost consciousness forever, and died the next morning at 6. My strong, loving older sister and rock was gone. She was such a good friend to me ...

The lack of a cure after all these years and all the billions and billions of dollars that have been donated is frustrating and makes me very angry. Carole should have not have died of cancer. NO ONE should have to die of cancer. It needs to stop now.

I pray a cure comes quickly.

Zed
The World According to Zed

Cancer Stories: Sudiegirl's Dad

2007-01-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Our first post is from Sudiegirl at Musings of a Chick. Please visit her website for the live version of Joe Jackson's "Cancer". Thank you for sharing, Sudiegirl!

~oOo~

Original Post Title: Today's Moment of Dad: "Dad's trip to Cancer World"

Today's Moment of Dad entry is entitled "Dad's Trip to Cancer World".

If you hit play on the MP3 player posted above, I've selected the live version of Joe Jackson's "Cancer". It is a rather macabre selection, but sometimes gallows humor is what gets you through the day. I think Dad would have agreed with me if he'd gotten a chance to read the lyrics.

Dad was no stranger to infirmity. He saw his father work his way through heart problems. One of his nephews succumbed to cystic fibrosis. My sister's asthma, my mother's miscarriages, my bipolar disorder, and many other things in addition to the usual aches and pains - he dealt with it the best he could. We never felt we lacked for support...he wasn't squeamish about illness.

He had his own problems too...Graves' Disease, back problems, plus the usual cold/flu stuff.

In late November/early December of 1998, Ed H. and I were snug in our beds, snoozing away with our cat Scotchie draped over both of us. At 4 AM on a Saturday morning, Mom called. We lived in a security building, so she had to call us through the speaker phone outside and then we let her in.

Mom looked rumpled and weary. She said that Dad went into the emergency room with breathing problems, and the county hospital did x-rays and saw a collapsed lung. They rushed him to Mercy Hospital in Iowa City (where I lived), which was more equipped to deal with this kind of thing. Could she take a nap on our couch?

We said, "Oh, my...wow...oh wow...yes, of course you can nap here."

Mom crashed and Ed and I went to bed with greater worries than the first time we entered slumber.

The next day, Ed and I went to see Dad, and even though he was in bed with the hospital gown and everything, he was talkative and happy to see us. The doctors couldn't really run any tests until Monday, but Dad's GP came in to talk to him about what to expect. (BTW, I also had a stress fracture, and had to wear a monster Frankenstein-type cast for about 6 - 8 weeks. Attractive, no?)

I was in training at GEICO back then, and was in the classroom for the second round of it. After work on Monday, I went to the hospital to see Dad. Ed went on ahead of me because we were both anxious for updates.

I arrived at the hospital, and my aunt Martha was there too in addition to Ed. Your favorite bipolar redhead said to herself, "Oh, this can't be good."

And it wasn't.

Right away, Ed came up to me and said, "Your dad's been diagnosed with lung cancer. The doctor isn't sure how long your dad has."

I was...stunned? Oh yeah...that's the right word.

Martha hugged me...I asked if Ruthi already knew and they said yes. I think she had to get home to the kids...I don't remember how everything played out. I remember hugging Mom. I remember calling Ed's mom and telling her the news, and she was sad right along with us. (Ed H., if you're reading this, let me know if there are any details I missed.)

The tears didn't come full force until the next day, in the middle of training. Then they flowed like Niagara. My trainer was so helpful...she and I went to a service supervisor and got permission to leave for the day, so long as I was back tomorrow.

I got to the hospital, and this time Ruthi was there with her three kids. As I've mentioned, those three kids loved John-Grandpa, and John-Grandpa loved them right back. At one point, the nurses came in and found the three C's (as we called them) in bed with Dad, watching TV. It was touching...I don't know if there were pictures taken of that, but if there were, I am going to find a copy come hell or high water. This is my quest...ANYWAY...

Dad started chemo right away (while in the hospital), and got home in time for Christmas. They were renting a house in town on a temporary basis while their home in the country was being rebuilt (it was blown down by a windstorm in the summer of 1998). There is a picture of all of us grouped around Dad, and even though he looked tired, he also looked happy.

Chemo kept on going for Dad through the winter of 1999, and he lost his hair, his appetite, and occasionally, his lunch. (Sad, but true, folks.) The first time I saw him after Christmas was in February of '99. Ed and I were fighting colds, and didn't want Dad to get sick. However, one day, Dad needed us for help because he was unsteady on his feet and Mom was on the mail route and couldn't come home.

When Ed and I stepped into the "town house" to see Dad, it was a shocker. He was thinner (and he didn't have much weight to lose), and he had no hair. He was pale. He looked so small. Even though my dad wasn't a tall guy, he always looked pretty healthy. Not that day...he was still in his pajamas, and looked so weary.

I kept my chin up and did my best, but I did have to leave the room for a few minutes to regroup. I was very thankful that Ed understood the shock I was going through, and he held me for a minute while I cried. Then we went in, fixed Dad some soup, and helped him around the house. I also remember folding laundry for Mom so she wouldn't have to mess with hit when she got home.

Dad only went through one round of chemo, and got checked out by the doctors on a regular basis. He and Mom moved back in to their house in the country, and life continued. He complained about being bald...he even asked Ed H. how he could stand to shave his head? "My head gets cold!" was Dad's complaint.

Many things changed, though. Dad wasn't as impervious as he seemed to be when we were kids, but he kept a good attitude. He didn't hide the fact that he had cancer from people, but he didn't play the sympathy card either. He did the best he could. He was more susceptible to respiratory stuff than the average bear, and when things got too bad, he had his lung drained.

In the summer of 2005, things got bad. He went in for routine surgery to have a drainage tube put in his thoracic cavity. They sent him home earlier than I would have thought they should, but what did I know? I wasn't there. Then things spiraled...staph infection, pneumonia, complications with his heart, etc. I asked Mom if I should come home, and she said "no" because she didn't want Dad to worry. He was in the University Hospital for quite sometime, and he was finally transferred down to Washington County Hospital in August.

After three weeks at the Washington hospital, Dad came home in late August. He had an oxygen tank and he tired easily, but I remember calling him most every day just to say hi and talk to him about stuff and nonsense.

The last time I talked to my father was October 21st, 2005 (a Saturday, I believe...I don't remember the date but I remember the day). He was giving me a description of Mom's Halloween costume...she was dressed up as a bedside table and called herself a "one-night stand". Classic stuff. Doug and I had moved into our new place, and Dad was looking forward to coming to DC for our wedding. We laughed and talked, and we said "I love you" to each other.

By that Tuesday, he went into the hospital for what would be the last time. Mom and Dad knew that things were declining, and were preparing for hospice care. I had just started my job, and was very apprehensive about asking for time off so soon but knew I would need it. Luckily, when I mentioned it, my bosses were most supportive. I had planned to go home on Veterans Day weekend.

However, things moved a little bit more quickly than anticipated. By Thursday, Dad was heavily sedated and made comfortable so nature could take its course. It's what he and Mom wanted, and my sister and I never fought their decision. People came and went to say their last goodbyes. A group of kids that were friends with "the three C's" came to the hospital to say goodbye as well, some with their Halloween costumes on. Family members came as quickly as they could.

Dad passed at 4:45 AM on Friday, October 28, 2005. I missed the initial phone call because we didn't have a cordless phone or a phone in our bedroom, but Ruth left a message to call the hospital right away, so I did. I got Mom that time, and she told me when it happened.

My regret that I couldn't get home in time to see him is something that I will not repeat with my mother, and something that will haunt me to the end of my own life.

I hope Dad knew how much I loved him, even though I couldn't get there to say goodbye. I hope he knows right now.

Sudiegirl

Joel Roux-Neville: Wife of singing legend Aaron Neville dies after battle with cancer

2007-01-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

Wife of singing legend Aaron Neville dies after battle with cancer

Jan 5, 2007 09:44 PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Joel (joh-EL') Roux-Neville, the wife of R&B singing legend Aaron Neville, died today at her home south of Nashville.

She was 66. Roux-Neville was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004 and at that time was given three months to live.

She died surrounded by family members.

The high school sweethearts would have celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary on Wednesday.

Aaron Neville issued this statement: "Joel was the love of my life and she had a tremendous courage and spirit. I'm sure God will reward her for her loyalty, good heart and sense of family."

While she never performed with her husband's family, she was a fixture in the New Orleans music scene for decades.

Aaron Neville had returned home shortly before Christmas to be with his wife following a nationwide concert tour.

The couple moved to the Nashville area in 2005 shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated their hometown of New Orleans.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

LUNGevity Foundation Co-Founder Melissa Zagon: 1967 - 2007

2007-01-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Melissa Zagon: 1967 - 2007
Fought lung cancer on all fronts

After diagnosis, lawyer started group to raise funds, educate

By Trevor Jensen
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 5, 2007

After being diagnosed with lung cancer, Melissa Zagon helped start a group to fund research for a cure and spread awareness that the disease also strikes non-smokers.

The Harvard-educated lawyer died Tuesday, Jan. 2, at Evanston Hospital, her husband said.

Mrs. Zagon, 39, was chairman of the Lungevity Foundation, a group dedicated to funding lung cancer research. While she gamely served as the group's front-woman--a non-smoking young suburban mother fighting a deadly disease--her work also had an understandably self-serving motive.

"She was really looking to find a cure for herself," said her husband, Glenn. "She said that cancer will not get her. She did not want to be a statistic."

Following a summer of headaches, Mrs. Zagon was diagnosed with lung cancer in September 2000. She had just started a job at True North Communications after eight years of working in law firms. Her daughter, Hannah, was 2 years old at the time.

Within weeks, she got together with another north suburban woman with lung cancer, Gayle Levy, and with five others launched Lungevity. Levy died in September 2001.

Mrs. Zagon was the group's president through January 2005. As the group's public face, she gave countless speeches and interviews to make people aware of lung cancer's reach, said Jill Feldman, Lungevity's vice president.

"We got media attention because of what she was--a young professional, a mother," Feldman said.

The mission was to let people know that more people die of lung cancer than any other type of cancer and that smoking isn't always the cause. Lungevity has raised more than $3.4 million since its founding, Feldman said. The group works with a number of other fundraising and research organizations, including the American Lung Association.

"She gave face to the issue that anyone can develop lung cancer. You don't have to be a smoker," said Kevin Tynan, deputy executive director of the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago. "She had such a compelling story and was such an eloquent spokesperson."

Born Melissa Lumberg, she grew up in Southfield, Mich., and earned a degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1989 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1992, her husband said.

She moved to Chicago and worked for Jenner & Block and then Goldberg Kohn, where she made partner status in 1999. She had taken a job as counsel at True North in the summer of 2000 in an effort to make more time for her family, her husband said.

While smoking is a major cause of lung cancer, Mrs. Zagon wanted to remove the disease's stigma of blame and always told people that it wasn't that important what the underlying causes were. "You just get cancer," Feldman said.

"Everyone always asked her if she smoked," Glenn Zagon said. "The thing that annoyed her was that they assumed she smoked."

In 2001, Mrs. Zagon told the Tribune that "nobody, regardless of whether they smoked, deserves to suffer through lung cancer."

In private moments, she showed the same resolve in battling the disease that she did while stumping for Lungevity, her husband said.

"She never complained about it ... and said `Why me?'" her husband said. "She just fought it."

Mrs. Zagon also is survived by her daughter, Hannah; her parents, Edward and Sherri Lumberg; and a brother, Michael.

Share Your Cancer Story

2006-12-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

Today I added Sharon Gehon to my list of people who died from lung cancer. Sharon passed away from the disease only 5 months after diagnosis. Her daughter, blogger Bluepaintred left me the information in the comments.

This left me with an idea. Sometimes it is very difficult for my dad and I to come up with a post. There is interesting news articles sometimes, and sometimes an event. But a lot of you visit here, and you have said you have lost loved ones to lung cancer.

If you leave a name and a date in comments or email me at laurianneshope@gmail.com, then I will add your loved one to the sidebar. If you would like, you can also email me your lung cancer story, and I will post it here on the webpage. And since Laurianne wanted Calem's generation not to have to worry about cancer, if you have a different cancer story, I am willing to share that too!

People who find Laurianne's Hope read about my sister, Laurianne. There are a lot of other stories out there, and I think the voices of those we have lost need to be heard as well. Lung cancer can spread so quick, that we as the loved ones need to help share their story.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-24T23:44:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

from our family

to yours!

Don't Forget - Light a Candle Tonight (Sunday)

2006-12-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

Click logo for more information

Breaking The Cancer Code: CBS News

2006-11-30T09:52:00.000-08:00

Imagine if one day you could treat cancer, without having your whole body feel sick. Research is being done to do just that. I think it would be promising for lung cancer patients, because of how delicate it is to work on the lungs, and how difficult (almost impossible) it is to remove a tumor.

This video was originally aired on October 13, 2006.

Worldwide Candle Lighting

2006-11-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

Light a Candle Day

Sunday, December 10

7:00PM

This is put on every year by The Compassionate Friends. This is worldwide, at 7 PM in your time zone light your candle for 1 hour. It's in memory of all children who have died, at any age and from any cause. It's a 24 hour sweep of the world. I know it is a busy time for everybody but I'm hope you're able to join us.

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

2006-11-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

We hope you and your family had a happy Thanksgiving, and have a safe and healthy holiday season.

Lynda, Henry and family

13th month anniversary

2006-11-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

We remember Laurianne's today as it has been 13 month since her passing. It looks like a long time to me since we remembered her one year passing last month and went to the beach and everything. At the beginning of the holiday season we will take some time to reflect on her life. I feel very sad but fortunate to have had such a special child in my life even for such a short period of time . We are also fortunate to be able to enjoy and raise Calem . Her spirit lives through him and everyday we see things in him what we saw in Laurianne. We pray for good health so we can raise him into adult hood. I also hope that during this difficult season you can take a little time and think about Laurianne and all the other people who lost their live to this terrible disease. We are burning a candle tonight as we have been doing every month.

Death of sister-in-law brings thoughts of mortality

2006-11-18T04:01:00.000-08:00

Here is an article about Lynne White, and her battle with non-smoking related lung cancer. It was written by her sister-in-law Sue White.

Death of sister-in-law brings thoughts of mortality
The Saginaw News
Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The other day, I drove by the frosty green house on Cass where we spent many hours visiting my sister-in-law Lynne and her family.

The memory of one afternoon comes back so vividly, I almost can smell the brownies baking in the oven. We got there in time to watch her spread the batter, and then sat around the kitchen table while it cooked.

By the time the knife came out clean, even the kids had wandered down from the big playroom upstairs, waiting for a bite. And we now know that leaving the sugar out doesn't affect anything but the taste -- and that taste is gosh-awful, no matter how good they look and smell.

Memories keep Lynne alive. Death took her too early.

At the dinner following Lynne's memorial service earlier this month, her children invited people to come up and tell their favorite stories. But beyond a rousing toast, most of us quietly shared our memories.

Since then, well, it's interesting how the whole idea of your own mortality works its way around. This is something that happens to our parents' generation. She was only 55, she didn't smoke, where are the guarantees?

We know the answer.

Conversations drift to the past; a simple comment about the weather goes back to "Remember the time we drove up Mount Washington ..."

Trips put off for one reason or another now find their way into being, as if we're making up for lost time. We see old friends, and hug and stare as if we're trying to memorize their faces for all time.

Lesser worries take a back seat now, but ones that carry any risk, such as my grandson Alex's upcoming eye surgery, leap into overdrive, creating worst-case scenarios.

You start looking around and wondering who's next? Maybe it's time to tackle that basement, sort through the boxes, see what the kids want to keep when you're not there anymore to tell them why a three-legged milking stool has a plaque with your name on it.

Lynne and I didn't stay close after her brother and I divorced, but our lives once were tightly entwined. Back when my parents wouldn't allow me to go on car dates with my steady boyfriend -- imagine that! -- she drove us to proms and movies and the mall.

Lynne was my matron of honor, not terribly long after her own wedding. Her son Josh was born a few months before my Nicole. Her Jonathan came along less than a year before my Jennifer, and Jill was born just months before my Brian.

She was Nicole's godmother, and Jennifer's namesake -- Jennifer Lynne.

Maybe I should have taken better notice when she divorced, because it wasn't much longer before I was treading that path, too.

Maybe I shouldn't put that basement off for too long, either.

Lynne leaves a great legacy -- paintings, a children's book about her beloved Pogo, and three beautiful children who would make her very proud of the way they've stepped forward in these difficult times.

None of this seems real, and all too real at the same time. And until my time comes, I'm determined to make this a life that counts. v

Lynne is sorely missed, says News Staff Writer Sue White.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

2006-11-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

**This entry has been post dated**

November is Lung Cancer Awareness month. Many people know October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Not quite as many know Novemer is Lung Cancer Awareness month. Before Nancy Brinker (Susan Komen's sister, Founder of the Susan B. Komen Foundation) started spreading the word about breast cancer, it was not as survivable a disease. Now you can buy products in the store that will support a breast cancer cause.

Like Nancy, one of the ways we can share the word about lung cancer is to tell people about it. Right now, the disease is only 5% survivable. It doesn't matter if you smoked all your life or never picked up a cigarette. That is a very low and scary number. One day, I hope to see lung cancer as being 80% survivable, like breast cancer. Please consider adding this code to your side bar. If you do not want the image center aligned, just removed the

at the beginning and

at the end. And if you add Laurianne, let us know. I will be creating a post of the blogs that have added this image.

Make people aware!
Add to your webpage or blog!

Cut and paste this code into your webpage or blog:

<div align="center">
<a href="http://lauriannes-hope.blogspot.com"></a>

<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"
codebase="http://home.comcast.net/~cactus_flower/Lynda.swf" width="120"
height="120" id="Lynda" align="middle">
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" />
<param name="movie" value="http://home.comcast.net/~cactus_flower/Lynda.swf" />
<param name="quality" value="high" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" />
<embed src="http://home.comcast.net/~cactus_flower/Lynda.swf" quality="high"
bgcolor="#000000" width="120" height="120" name="Lynda" align="middle"
allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"
pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" />
</object><p><a href="http://lauriannes-hope.blogspot.com/2006/11/november-is-lung-cancer-awareness.html">Make people aware!<br>Add
to your webpage or blog!</a></div><p>

****

Sighted at these Blogs and Websites

Please leave a comment or send an email if you would like me to add your blog or website.

Please Visit Mel's Meaningless Ramblings

2006-10-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

My blog buddy Mel got some very bad news this week. They found out her father has lung cancer. I am appealing to all the readers of my blogs to visit Mel and send her your thoughts, prayers and best wishes.

I know that some of you have gone through this before. I also know that some of you have had family members go through this before. Mel said her father was a heavy smoker, but as I have been saying for over a year now, smoking should not be a factor in getting the treatment and research dollars to find a cure for this disease. And blaming smoking, though one of the best things you can do to prevent this disease, does not help the people who never smoked a day in their lives. Mel credits her dad for being the reason she NEVER smoked.

So, please take a moment out of your day to visit Mel. Keep her family in your thoughts and prayers, and remember that next month is Lung Cancer Awareness month. What a good time to consider quitting smoking, if you are a smoker, talking to your doctor abouta little nagging cough you have, and being a voice for those with the disease. And even if you don't do all that stuff, still stop by and give Mel your best.

Visit Mel Today!

Some of the promised picture

2006-10-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Some part of the Sonoma coast calles Bodega head close to the place we scatteredLaurianne's ashes.
a part of the pier we were walking on at bodega harbor .
some of the pelicans actually I never see them before over there
group of seagulls flying over. Michael Calem and me on the pier in bodega bay close to th place were we scattered Laurianne's ashes .
Above are some of the pictures I promised to download . A couple of days later then I wanted to due to work . As I mentioned it I would like to call it Laurianne's celebration of life day. It was a difficult day but on the other hand also a peacefull day . We enjoyed fairly nice weather.

New Scans Could Prevent Many Lung Cancer Deaths

2006-10-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2006

New Scans Could Prevent Many Lung Cancer Deaths
By GINA KOLATA
The New York Times

Researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center report that they can save the lives of millions of people by detecting lung cancer early and treating it immediately, when it can still be cured.

The stakes are high — lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in this country, killing more than 160,000 people a year, which is more than 95 percent of patients. And while the death rates for other cancers have fallen, the rate for lung cancer remains stubbornly high, possibly because the cancers are often caught too late. For years, doctors have thought there was very little they could do for lung cancer, but now with more sensitive scans for screening, many are rethinking that view.

“You could prevent 80 percent of deaths,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Claudia Henschke, a professor of radiology and cardiothoracic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Her study, being published in Friday’s New England Journal of Medicine, involved more than 31,000 people in seven countries. The participants included smokers and former smokers, as well as people in Japan who had never smoked but had the scans as part of their annual physical exams.

The scans found 484 lung cancers, 412 of which were at a very early stage. Then the researchers kept track of those cancer patients, following them for an average of about three years after the cancer was found. After three years, most were still alive. The researchers projected that more than 80 percent of those with early stage cancer would live at least 10 years after their cancer was detected.

But the report is engendering controversy. Some medical experts and a patient advocacy group saying that because this study is so much bigger than previous studies and so carefully done, it should change the testing landscape. Others are saying that the study did not include comparison groups to clearly demonstrate that there is any benefit from annual CT exams.

Supporters include Dr. James Mulshine, a professor of internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The study design may not have been perfect, he said, and there is more to be learned from other studies that are now under way, but the data from the new study convinced him.

“This is a profoundly important report,” Dr. Mulshine said. “It is a remarkable result.”

An advocacy group for lung cancer patients, the Lung Cancer Alliance, agreed.

“This is the most important breakthrough for the lung cancer community that has ever happened,” Laurie Fenton, the group’s president, said in a press release.

And, says Dr. Henschke’s colleague, Dr. David Yankelevitz, it makes sense that early detection of lung cancer could save lives. Lung cancer screening is analogous to screening for breast cancer, he said. In both situations, he added, “treatment is easier and the outcomes are better when the tumor is small.”

But mammograms are advocated by many national groups, whereas lung cancer screening is not. And while praising the new study’s careful accumulation of data, representatives of groups like the American Cancer Society, the Society of Clinical Oncology, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force say the study is unlikely to persuade them to recommend lung cancer screening as a public policy at this time.

One reason is that everyone in Dr. Henschke’s study had CT scans. And so, researchers say, with no comparison group of people who did not have scans, they are left with a pressing question: Does screening, in the end, save lives or cost lives?

“Intuitively, it makes sense —if you have a cancer, take it out,” says Dr. Stephen Swensen, a professor of radiology at the Mayo Clinic who conducted a study that was similar to Dr Henschke’s but smaller. “It makes sense that if you find a cancer earlier you will save lives,” he added. But Dr. Swensen said, “The science hasn’t backed that up yet.”

Cancer specialists have long known that all cancers - and lung cancers are no exception - include ones that stop growing and never kill or that grow so slowly that they never cause problems if they are simply left alone. So, some of them ask, how many of the people said to be cured were never in danger? And how often will people have operations that can involve removing part of a lung, and that can themselves kill a patient, when their cancer was not lethal? The problem, as with other cancer scans, is that science today cannot always tell the difference between cancers that will stop and those that will go on to kill.

The other question that researchers ask is slightly different: How often did the scans find cancers early but without affecting the person’s life expectancy?

“Everyone knows we can pick up things better with screening,” said Dr. Elliott Fishman, a professor of radiology and oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. “But is picking up the same thing as curing? If I pick up a tumor that is one centimeter today and you live five years or I pick it up four years later and you live one year, it’s the same thing.”

Even evaluating patients with suspicious CT scan results can be risky, much more dangerous than, say, evaluating women with suspicious lumps on a mammogram, said Dr. David Johnson, deputy director of the cancer center at Vanderbilt University and a past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. In Dr. Henschke’s study, doctors investigated more than 4,000 nodules in patients, finding about 400 cancers.

“This is not sticking a needle in a breast,” Dr. Johnson said. “It is sticking a needle in the chest where it can collapse a lung.” In some cases, that is followed by surgery to further evaluate a lump. The issues become pressing with the uncertainty about whether the screening can save lives.

“How many people do we subject to needless evaluations?” Dr. Johnson asked.

It is not even clear, some researchers said, whether the patients in Dr. Henschke’s study really did survive 10 years on average. The investigators used a statistical model to estimate how long patients would be expected to live after most had survived about three years.

“Ten years should be 10 years,” Dr. Fishman said. “It’s being guesstimated out. Let’s look in 10 years and see what happens.”

More definitive answers about the value of CT testing may come in a few years when another study, being conducted by the National Cancer Institutes of Health, is completed. It randomly assigned its nearly 55,000 participants, all smokers or former smokers, to have annual CT scans or, for comparison, a chest X-ray. Based on previous studies, many researchers consider chest X-rays largely ineffective for the early diagnosis of lung cancer so it can serve as a placebo control in this study.

Another cancer institute study is rigorously assessing chest X-rays by randomly assigning participants to have an annual chest X-ray or to have no lung cancer screening.

In the meantime, cancer specialists say doctors and their patients must decide what to do on an individual basis. They could wait for the clinical trials to be completed. Or they could decide to have scans now, even though the data may not be ideal.

The scans can be expensive. Dr. Howard Forman, a professor of diagnostic radiology at Yale, says that Yale charges a total of $802.39 for the scan and the doctor’s interpretation. And many insurers have not paid for CT lung cancer screening tests.

That may change, Dr. Forman said. He himself is not convinced by the new study — like others, he says he needs to see data from a control group. But Dr. Forman, who is on the Medical Policy and Technology Assessment Committee for Wellpoint, a health insurance company, said it will be difficult to deny paying for the test now that the data were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“The New England Journal of Medicine is a de facto Good Housekeeping seal of approval,” Dr. Forman said. “This is a big step toward public acceptance. It’s not proof that screening saves lives,” he said. But, he added, “Proof for a lot of medicine is not there.”

For now, says Dr. Robert Smith, director of cancer screening at the American Cancer Society, it might make sense for smokers or former smokers to have CT scans for early lung cancer detection.

Patients, he added, should thoroughly discuss the test with their doctors first, going over what is currently known and not known about the testing, including potential benefits and potential harms. And they should be careful to go to a center that has the expertise and experience to do the scans and any follow-up medical procedures properly.

But, Dr. Smith said, the new study adds to the information that CT scans might save lives.

“There is a lot of promise here,” he said. And so, he said, “it is not at all unreasonable for individuals at high risk of lung cancer to seek testing on their own.”

Others, like Dr. Ned Patz, a professor of radiology, pharmacology, and cancer biology at Duke University Medical Center, say that they suspect patients’ ardor for the testing might cool if they hear the full story about the uncertainties and risks.

“A lot of patients ask about it,” he said. “We counsel them and tell them what the data are. Then they are not interested.”

Laurianne's Celebration of Life Day

2006-10-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Laurianne's Celebration of Life Day is what I would like to call it instead of her memorial day. We had a relatively peacefull day. First some friends came over to the house to give their support. In the afternoon we went to the beach and walked over some piers close to the place where we scattered Laurianne's ashes. Personally I felt very sad initially but a feeling of inner peace came over me wich stayed with me the rest of the day. The weather couldn't be nicer today. On the way back we enjoyed some beautiful fall colors in the vineyards. We have to go back later in the week to take some pictures. Then we had a nice dinner with the four of us. We enjoyed a piece of chocolate cake and Josie is watched desperate housewives, Laurianne's favorite show. Looking back on today it wasn't as bad as expected but Iam still glad to have it behind me. There are still a few obstacles to cross but we shall overcome one day at the time. I want to thank all of our family and friends who are reading this blog for their continued support, today and during the past year. I will post some pictures we took at a later time.

Unofficial Eat Chocolate Cake Without Guilt Day

2006-10-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Laurianne loved chocolate cake. It is one of the things I have in common with my sister. So, my mom put out a note to the family to eat a piece of chocolate cake without guilt today, in honor of my sister, for the one year anniversary of her death. She said Laurianne was partial to Claim Jumper Chocolate Motherlode cakes. (But I know she liked the Molten Lava cake at Chili's as well. At least until she threw it up because of her brain tumor.)

I told my mom I was going to ask the blogging community. Eat a piece of chocolate cake in honor of my sister. Tell someone about this person you know and about how lung cancer can affect anyone. Share the website http://lauriannes-hope.blogspot.com with people.

Calem will have some chocolate cake as well. He loves it as much as his mommy and his Tante Dynda. Well, maybe almost as much.

Relay for Life - The Middle

2006-10-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

Note: Pictures to be added
Click here for Relay for Life - The Beginning

I bet you never thought I would continue the story! (My mom did, and she was there!) I had the best intentions!

So, Mary Callahan started walking with us, and when we got back to our camp, we talked with her in a circle. My dad was still holding Calem, so, I took Calem from him (because 1 year is a heavy age, remember?) and sat in the closest chair I could find where I could sit safely with a sleeping toddler, and still hear. Well, I found a good seat, but I couldn't hear a thing, except the occasional bits and pieces. At one point I heard my mom say that Laurianne's sister flew out from Indianapolis to be here. So, after Mary was done talking with my parents, my brother, and my aunt, she came over and talked to me. One of the things she asked was why I came to this Relay for Life. I told her it was because Laurianne asked me to come this year, and because she asked, I felt I needed to be here. Mary wrote notes furiously and asked me a few more questions, then thanks us all. (Or thanked me because she had thanked my parents?? I am not sure anymore.)

Eventually sleepy Calem woke up. He looked a little confused, but he wanted to walk. Michael started to take him for a walk around the track, and I wanted to go, so I went to catch up with him. I didn't have to go far, because Calem has short legs. I took Calem's free hand and we walked with him. Michael said he would carry him when he got tired, but Calem did the whole quarter mile. Calem's Oma was quick to get pictures, which made me happy. Soon Calem's Opa came and he was in the stroller, going around and around.

Everyone had a booth set up, and next to us was a massage table, where two ladies were giving massages. Dan was very interested in this, so I gave him some money to get a massage. He was like a loose noodle the whole rest of the time. lol! I went down the way where they had these Relay for Life stars that lit up when you flip the connector around. I bought one for my mom and myself.

After a lot of walking and a lot of looking around, the police came for my uncle. It truely was the Sherrif's Department. But today it was for Relay for Life. You see, someone put my Uncle Piet in jail for being good looking and riding a Harley. It was me. I paid $5 to have him incarcerated for 5 minutes. Piet had the choice of paying $5 to get out, and he declined. In fact, he said, "It isn't like it's the first time." We laughed and laughed. Even Calem laughed. Then when we got there, there was two gals in the jail. I said I didn't think that was a fair incarceration! He would enjoy himself too much. hehe. We took a lot of pictures.

Well, later my dad said that he wanted to do the same thing for Dan. So we went around and around. We took Calem with us. I had been threatening Dan with incarceration, and after Piet was hauled away he thought he was safe. My dad and I went around and he held Calem while I filled out the form. My dad had him incarcerated for being too relaxed at Relay for Life. And my dad paided $20 for 20 minutes. Poor Dan. Well, Dan was ready to do a lap when the sheriff came by. I said to Dan, "Wait here a moment" then yelled to the officer, "He's right here!" So, the whole family followed Dan to the Relay for Life jail. I ran ahead and took pictures, and my aunts and uncle started singing the theme song to Cops. "Bad boy, bad boy. What you gonna to do? What you gonna do when they come for you?" I think Dan wished the earth would swallow him about that point.

Calem laughed some more. We laughed some more. We took more pictures. So, Dan only had to spend 10 minutes in the slammer. First Dan looked really sadly out the chain link. I think he was mad at the world. They had a cot in there and Dan laid across it. I yelled out, "Hey, he is too relaxed in there too!" I think Dan thought this could be his revenge! Then I think my dad started to feel bad for him. He paid half his bail. After Dan was released, he and I walked a lap.

When evening fell, the Luminaria Ceremony was going to begin. We all gathered at the bleachers, but I couldn't find Dan....

(part 3 - coming sooner than part 2)

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2006-10-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

One of my blog buddies, who calls himself The Mindless Dribbler, posted a very touching post* about his mom. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We hear so much about breast cancer, and it is so funded, it is easy to forget that people still die from this disease. MD lost his mom to breast cancer this past year. I believe it was April 2006.

It is important to remember that lung cancer can affect anyone, even a non-smoker, anyone can get breast cancer. Men typically do not get mammograms, but like women, they can do a monthly self-check to make sure there are no lumps in their chest region. Despite all you hear about breast cancer, there is still no cure!

I am sure after reading MD's story, you would not want to see any loved one have to go through what his mom did. (And if you have a moment, you can see in his comments the effect cancer has had on others as well.)

Mom...

In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month...and one of my best friends.

Being breast cancer awareness month, it's bringing about mixed feelings for me. Not that I'd ever declare a month dedicated to breast cancer awareness as stupid, not at all...but just the fact that it raises so many uncomfortable thoughts, I'm kind of feeling....sad and inspired at the same time.

I'll tell you my own personal story for the sole purpose of recognizing how important getting your regular mammogram is. Mainly because I wouldn't wish this on anyone, not even my ex wife and that in itself speaks volumes of the cancer's ability to darken even the brightest of days.

The last month of my Mom's life were the hardest for me. I helped get her in the tub for her baths, I helped set her on the portable toilet we kept by her bed, I helped change her clothes, and Trish and I laid in her bed with her to keep her company. I could understand this if she were 80 years old...but at the time, she was only 56.

For most of her last month, she was incoherent in speech and void of any meaningful conversation.

The night they took her to the hospital for the last time, my sister called Trish and I and told us to come to Mom's house as quick as we could. We showed up and they were "prepping" for her return to the hospital. The last sound I heard issued from Mom's mouth was a scream filled with such agony and pain that I had to turn away. As bad as that sounds, I couldn't look at her. It killed a part of me, mainly because I knew the inevitable was upon us.

Once we reached the hospital, they started the morphine until 4 days later, her last day. I never heard her voice again. The only sounds were of her labored breathing.

I have seen up close and personal the ravishing effects breast cancer has on a person. I have seen eyes that have always shone with such life and optimism turn into windows to one's soul where I could see nothing but sadness and terror. A mouth that had always been so quick to smile and tell you that she loves you, turn into a permanent grimace from the pain endured.

I not only lost my Mom to the vile cancer, I lost an amazing friend who'd call out of the blue and offer to buy me lunch once a week. I lost a guidance counselor and a teacher. I lost an inspiration....a "holy spirit on two feet" as her husband once told me.

On one of her many stays in the hospital, she came shuffling back to her hospital room from the chapel and told us about a family that needed praying for, someone she had met while there praying. I thought "here she is, fighting for her own existance and yet, she's down in the chapel praying for everyone else". That was just her character.....she never changed or waivered from being selfless.

Breast cancer isn't a joke. For your own health and peace of mind, get your yearly mammogram. Breast cancer doesn't just affect the one it inflicts, it takes a part of everyone that's close to that person.

I'm proof.

You folks be careful.

*(Warning: This isn't his typical style for a post.)

For Shame!

2006-10-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

I know I promised a Relay for Life continuation weeks ago. Life has been fast paced recently, but I know you will want to hear about how the sherrif came for my uncle and my husband. Those troublemakers!

Today I want to post about showing some restraint. Yesterday, my blog buddy Anne at Supposedly this is good therapy...posted about how she went out to dinner and a family at the next table made FUN of her while she was leaving. I am going to quote Supposedly this is good therapy...: My 300th post here:

You know..Ive been thinking that maybe I would do a really nice post for the 300th one. I didnt know it was up next.

Unfortunately Im not in a nice post mood.

I am in a blog-about-it mood though. So here goes.

I met AD, Baby Girl and Jackass for dinner tonight at Red Hot and Blue. Dinner was fine until we were leaving. Then (shit you not guys) the family in the booth behind us made fun of me.

Maybe made fun of me is a stretch. They were talking about me right in front of me. And the whole fucking table turned and looked at me. It was like three kids and two parents. And they made it really obvious that they were talking about me and staring at me.

Do you guys know how much that hurts?

And yeah. I was just wearing a scarf thing on my head. So it was really obvious and everything. And Im not trying to hide anything. But I cant believe that they were so obviously rude to me. And I know you guys are thinking that I am exaggerating. But AD noticed it too..and she was bitchy enough to look at them and say "Im sorry..did you say something to us?" and when the mom said no AD said "Yeah..I thought not. " And Im glad that she said that so that they could hopefully be embarassed about it...but really it just embarassed me more.

And I dont know why its bothering me so bad. It just is. I feel like a freak show right now. I cant believe how much it is bothering me. I totally pretended to AD that I didnt care. That they were just assholes. That I wasnt really hurt..just angry. But its opposite.

I just dont want to be like this anymore.

Part of me thinks that I look worse than what I see..you know? Like I am picturing an upgraded version. So I dont know to think right now.

I know Im being petty. I just really wish that they could have talked about me after I left. I dont know why it was so important to have everyone at their table turn and look at me while I was still there.

Stupid fuckers. Okay. Maybe I am a little angry too.

It amazes me that grown adults would talk about someone with cancer right in front of them. It is one thing to talk about how Auntie Emily had cancer and had to wear something similar on her head. It is a whole other thing to point it out and make a person feel bad.

Sometimes it just takes a little reminder. Don't point, don't stare, don't make rude remarks. People like Anne are fighting a battle. Hair loss is just one of the battle scars. If you need to talk about it, wait until the person has left the room, at the very least.

Of course, I do like to think that these people are more of the exception than the rule. At least I hope so.

11th anniversary

2006-09-22T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today is the 11th month of Laurianne's death. It is unbelievable how fast the time goes. We had friends over today and I had to go to work for couple of hours today so I am late with my blog. Josie burned some candles tonight and maybe we will burn some tomorrow too. We are very happy and thankful that Calem is with us and that we see a little of her in him.

I didn't Forget

2006-09-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

I didn't forget to update you on Relay. I don't know why it seems like writing about takes longer than actually living it. lol.

I will try to get you all updated by this weekend.

Relay for Life - The beginning

2006-09-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Note: I have gone to a new subscription service, FeedBlitz, for Laurianne's Hope. If you would like to be notified by email as to when we update this blog, please sign up below or in the sidebar.

When we arrived at Relay for Life, the first thing we did was go into the "stop, drop and roll" area. This area was where teams could drop off their things and go to park their car before taking their things to their team site. I immediately took charge of Calem, and was introduced to several people in the drop-off area. Normally I don't like to hug people I just meet, but it didn't feel odd, hugging these people I have heard about, people who chose to honor Laurianne with this Relay.

We worked on setting up the tents, canopy, and other things. Dan and I were introduced to team members. I don't think I even knew everyone's name. Right away, we wondered where Laurianne's banner was, because we were told it would be featured prominently. We didn't see it.

We each had to go to a table to get a wristband to show we were walking. This would entitle us to food that was donated to this event, like pizza from Mary's Pizza Shack. The survivors in our group - Dan, my aunt Angie, Marie (the doctor who delivered Calem) - all registered at a separate table where they got a survivor's package. I was told the survivors were treated like royalty, and it seemed to be true. Dan even brought me 3/4's of a chocolate muffin, and every survivor on our team shared fruit. What was also really cool was when the ceremony began, all our survivors except one held the banner. The fourth survivor was the son of my mom's coworker, who had a rare cancer as a baby. His name was Brandon. I didn't actually talk with him personally, but he is the red-headed young man below in the pictures I posted with the newspaper text.

As the survivor's walked people stood around the track and clapped for them. This upset Calem. He is sensitive to clapping and cheering. My mom ran down the track with him, and I chased her down and took him when she was a quarter way down the track. I took him and pressed him against my shoulder and covered his other ear, and started humming a song my dad sings to him. After I did this he almost instantly fell asleep. then as we approached the stage where they were going to do the opening ceremony and we saw it...
Laurianne's banner.

During the opening cermony, they introduced the people that made this all happen. They talked about Laurianne, and her dedication to Relay last year, and how this Relay was dedicated to her. Then they asked our family to cut the ribbon and begin the first lap. I was grateful when my dad took Calem from me after we walked about a quarter way. One year old is a heavy age. :)

While we were walking, Mary Callahan came to talk with us. We invited her back to our tent, impressed that the Press Democrat wanted to talk to us. But I will talk more about that tomorrow....

The Actual Newspaper Article - Recongnize Anyone?

2006-09-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Click any image to enlarge

Tomorrow, I will begin posting my views about Relay for Life. This was such a wonderful event. As important as research is, I didn't really realize the other important things the American Cancer Society does, like provide transportation to appointments for patients, and free wigs for those who have lost their hair. Isn't recovery so much easier if the patient can make their appointments and feel good about themselves?

We Made The Paper!!

2006-09-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

RELAY FOR LIFE

Quest For A Cure

Cancer survivors, families, friends join in 24-hour fund-raiser at Maria Carrillo High School

By MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Laurianne Koning had a baby and advanced lung cancer when, on the eve of last year's American Cancer Society's Relay for Life fund-raiser, she was rushed to the hospital.

Still, the 25-year-old Santa Rosa woman somehow made it to the event and immediately began anticipating this year's relay.

It was to be an unfulfilled dream. She died Oct. 22.

Instead, Saturday's event was dedicated to her memory and led off by her family: her parents, their 1-year-old grandson, Calem, her brother, and her sister and brother-in-law from Indianapolis.

Also present were Koning's grandmother, an aunt and uncle, several nurses and the obstetrician who delivered Calem two days before his mother's cancer was diagnosed.

"Everybody wants to find a cure," Koning's mother, Josie Koning, said simply.

The 24-hour relay at Maria Carrillo High School - the region's largest - was one of eight similar events scheduled this year in Sonoma County. The six previous events raised $1.1 million, said Alison Urmson, a cancer society spokeswoman.

The relays work by having those who do the walking line up sponsors to pledge money for their participation. The final Sonoma County relay of the year will be held next weekend in Petaluma, By then, 7,000 people will have taken part, Urmson said.

"It's the biggest fund-raising event in the world," Urmson said. "And we are the second largest contributor, other than the federal government, to cancer research" in the United States.

Events in 4,350 U.S. communities last year generated $351 million for research, advocacy and patient services. In California, 255 relays generated $28 million.

Santa Rosa organizers said they expected 1,000 people just at Maria Carrillo, where 85 teams were registered to participate, each with enough people to have at least one person on the track throughout the 24 hours.

Despite its scale, the Relay for Life experience is an extremely personal and moving one for participants, each inspired by reasons both unique and universal.

"You feel so powerless against this disease, and I think when you feel like you can do something, you do it," said Pat Hall. She was a member of Judy's Team, honoring Judy Palinkas, an occupational hand therapist who died of lung cancer and, like Koning, was a nonsmoker. "It's very empowering."

Koning's aunt, Angie Williams of Grass Valley, is fighting leukemia. "Everybody's been affected by cancer in some way," she said. "You can't find anyone who doesn't know someone who's been affected."

Like the other relays, the Maria Carrillo event was organized around a kind of tent city, where teams set up camps for those scheduled to stay overnight.

Around the track, many teams erected elaborate information tables addressing specific types of a cancer or booths selling everything from leis to lemonade, all for the cause.

Friends and colleagues on Judy's Team decided at Palinkas' memorial service that they had to do something to honor her. They laid out a garden plot with dozens of flowers, statuary, a bird bath and other ornaments to which they planned to have people add, "so it's ever changing and growing, like a real garden would."

At the nearby "jail" set up by members of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department team, people incarcerated at the whim of anyone willing to pay for the privilege had to choose between doing their time or paying to get out.

At dusk, the track was to be lined with 5,000 luminaria, each a tribute to someone who has battled cancer.

Diana Bowland, a cancer survivor of 23 years, said there's nothing like seeing those lights around the track to make her feel warmly supported and extraordinarily lucky to be alive. But it's the strides in diagnosis and treatment since that bring her back each year, she said.

"I'm doing it for the next generation," said Coleen Gervant, who won her first bout with breast cancer a decade ago but recently was diagnosed with recurring, stage 4 cancer. "But also, it's been such a great thing to do while going through treatment. It's something positive. I feel like I'm fighting at some other level."

Good-bye to My Blog Buddy, Lynne White

2006-09-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight I shed belated tears because I found out my blog buddy, Lynne White, died of non-smoking related lung cancer on August 29, 2006. She died on her 55th birthday. Lynne found me though another blog, and told me about her interest in Laurianne's story. Lynne and I talked about lung cancer, and we both agreed that no one deserved to have lung cancer. Lynne often blogged about the difficulties and unfairness of the disease. I recommend you visit and read her archives.

I found a picture of Lynne on her blog. Hopefully her family doesn't mind that I use it. You can see what a beautiful, young woman she is. She was only a few months older than my mom. It is just further proof that this disease can happen to anyone. Two of her children have just gotten married within the last year and a half.

I would like to share Lynne's first blog entry from March 27, 2005:

I've decided to begin journaling by using a blog. I'm a 53 year old never-smoked woman with lung cancer. I'm 7 months past diagnosis, and doing well, considering it is Stage IV. I know that's not good, but I'm pressing on.

I've been though 6 rounds of chemo with good success, and with a partial remission, I am stable and being evaluated every three months. I tend to worry and focus on every little ache and pain, but I suppose that's natural.

I have lost a lot due to the cancer.... I became unable to work, I had to give up my home, and I am currently living by the grace of my daughter and her fiance, in their home. I am fortunate to have three fabulous grown children, three loving pets, and two of my children will be married in 2005.

I feel blessed to be alive, and have learned to mediate, visualize, and hope. Thanks to ECaP, Dr. Bernie Siegel's books Peace, Love and Healing, and Love, Medicine, and Miracles, I am learning to live each day and be grateful for the love that surrounds me.
Good-bye, Lynne! I am sure Laurianne will be there to help you along on your new journey!

Only 4 days left...

2006-09-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

...until the Relay for Life starts. The last couple of weeks we have a great response for donations . I want to thank all the people who has made donations in the last couple of weeks. There is still a lot of work left. I am exited about Lynda and Dan here this weekend to celebrate Relay for Life and honor Laurianne. We are also thankful for all the people who are on our team and keeping Laurianne's memory going.

only 4 more days

2006-09-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

Only 9 more days

2006-08-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

It wil be only 9 more days until the relay for life. We have in the last couple of days received many donations. I am very thankfull for all the support in our effort to make this event succesfull. this years relay for life will be dedicated to Laurianne. This and the outreach of many people had made the last 10 months bearable. I hope to keep this blog updated days and I hope yoy will be checking in from time to time.

Happy Birthday

2006-08-31T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Lynda's bitrhday. For all you folks new to this blog Lynda is Laurianne's oldest sister. She is the driving force behind this blog over the last couple of months. I personally can never thank her enough for this. The reason I mention her bithday on this blog is that Laurianne never forgot any of our birthdays and would be the first person to call or to congratulate you. Lynda I know wherever Laurianne is she is wishing you a happy birthday .

10 Month anniversary of Laurianne's death

2006-08-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

It is 10 months ago today That Laurianne passed away . It is hard to believe it is that long already especially with all the preparations for the relay for life. We are still try to burn a candle today for her and for all the people suffering from this dreaded disease. As I have done in the past I will also post a poem.

In our Hearts We though of you with love today.

But that is nothing new.

We thought about you yesterday.

And days before that too.

We think of you in silence.

We often speak your name.

Now all we have is memories.

And your picture in a frame.

Your memory is our keepsake.

With which we'll never part.

God has you in his keeping.

We have you in our heart.

(author unknown)

Laurianne Sightings

2006-08-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Laurianne and Calem - Relay for Life 2005

Laurianne has been sighted on the following blogs (in alphabetical order):

Cathy - My Life

Factor 10 - Did You Ever Get the Feeling....

Mr. Fabulous - Pointless Drivel

Jaye - Just a Mom

Jen - I Reject My Reality and Fabricate My Own

Jolie - Allrighty Then

Libragirl - If Life Were Perfect

Ms. L - Those Weird Homeschoolers

Shelli - Shelli's Sentiments

Zed - The World According to Zed

(Please let me know if I forgot you, and I will add you as soon as possible.)

Please visit our Relay for Life Team, Laurianne's Hope, to see how well we are doing or to make a donation. Every dollar makes a difference towards a cure for cancer. If you are unfamiliar with Laurianne's story, please visit http://lauriannes-hope.blogspot.com or click Laurianne's Story on the sidebar.

Laurianne - Thanksgiving 2002

If you would like to add Laurianne to your blog, please use the following code and leave a comment. I will add you to the list:

Support team Laurianne's Hope
Relay for Life 2006
Every dollar makes a difference.
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Code:

<div align="center"><a href="https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=157840&supid=122204887" target="_blank"><img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d2/lkscherf/laurianneicon2a.jpg" alt="Laurianne at Relay for Life 2005" border="0" /><br>
<span >Support team Laurianne's Hope<br>
Relay for Life 2006<br></span></a><span style="font-size:78%;">
Every dollar makes a difference.<br>
<a href="http://lauriannes-hope.blogspot.com/2005/11/lauriannes-story.html">Click here for Laurianne's Story</a><br>
<a href="http://lauriannes-hope.blogspot.com/2006/04/relay-for-life-2006-add-laurianne-to.html">Add Laurianne to your blog!</a></span></div>

No matter how you have given us your support, we thank you all!

Upon Request - Laurianne's Story

2006-07-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of days I had many request to publish the speech I gave for the Relay for Life meeting last week. First of all I want to thank my daughter Lynda for her help on this and also for keeping this blog going. I hope to help her by publishing some articles again in the future. This is a revised version of Lynda's article she wrote a while back.

Laurianne's Story

My daughter, 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 nawhinny 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 us 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 the beginning of December 2004, Laurianne told us she was pregnant. She often would find herself out of breath walking even the shortest distances. 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, Josie and I convinced her to move back home to California so we 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 us 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 grandson, 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 re-inflate her lung. Two days after Calem was born, Laurianne was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was later determined the cancer was mucinous adenocarinoma, a rare form of lung cancer for non-smokers. It was very hard on her not to be with her baby like any other new mom. Instead, they had to put her on medications so she couldn't breast feed, and Calem had to spend his first few days in the nursery because he wasn't allowed in ICU. 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.. 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 2005 she was planning to attend relay for life to make people aware of lung cancer. Laurianne was suffering from dizziness and severe headaches at times. The Friday before Relay For Life, we convinced her 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. We feared 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 Relay For Life 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. On Tuesday, September 20, 2005, we almost lost Laurianne 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 strong and positive she was during this ordeal. I am very grateful to the doctors that helped perform the operation because it gave us one more precious month to have her in our lives.

On October 22, 2005, we went with Laurianne to a friends house for dinner. She was in the doorway when she collapsed. CPR was quickly started and 911 was called. Laurianne died from complications of her illness on the way to the hospital.

There is a stigma that lung cancer only affects smokers. No one in my family is a smoker. My 25-year-old daughter never lived with smokers. Yet, because of lung cancer, Josie and I have no longer our youngest daughter. Because of lung cancer my other 2 children have no longer their sister. Because of lung cancer, my grandson 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 daughter, Laurianne, and other victims of this insidious disease whose voices are no longer heard. I want a cure for lung cancer and all other cancers so that other families will not have to suffer loss the way my family is suffering because Laurianne is no longer with us.

Santa Rosa Relay for Life Dedication

2006-07-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

This evening Josie, Calem and I went to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life meeting. We are the team captains of our team, Laurianne's Hope. We had been asked if we would share Laurianne's story. Each month someone would share their story to focus on the reasons why we Relay for Life.

After I gave my talk, Jackie-one of the organizers took over and she said how inspired they all were last year by Laurianne's involvement (our team raised over $7700) and enthusiasm she had for Relay while undergoing treatment. Because of this, they are dedicating this years Relay for Life to Laurianne. Of course we are very honored.

They had a large banner made with Laurianne's picture and it says: Santa Rosa Relay for Life proudly dedicates this event to Laurianne's Hope. Then Laurianne's words "So Calem and his generation will not have to worry about cancer". This banner will be visible as participants enter the Relay track on September 9-10.

This Relay for Life dedication, the Laurianne's Hope awards that were presented by Lynda to the winning bands at The First Annual Playing For A Cure in Memphis TN, Dr. Michael Siegel who ran his first half marathon in Boston for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society in memory of Laurianne and others and Lynda has some other friends who did a walk and wore t-shirts with Laurianne's name on it, make the more difficult moments more bearable.

Nine Month Anniversary

2006-07-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today is the nine month anniversary of Laurianne's death. It is hard to believe and from time to time still very unreal. Very often I relive that terrible saturday and sometimes if I hear an ambulance or firetruck I have flashbacks of that night. On other nights it almost seems like she is in New York and will call any moment. We feel fortunate that we have Calem and we see little things in him what we would see in Laurianne. I wil think extra about her today since it is a saturday today and burn a candle tonight .

My Memories
by Jessica L. Gray

It seems as if yesterday

you held out your hand

for a walk in the park

a play in the sand

I know it was just last night

I tucked you in bed

saying our prayers

with a kiss on the head

Sometimes I wonder why you had to go

But the answer to this I already know

So much suffering just can't go

on I finally had realized what I knew all along

I had so much to say

I Love You's to tell

I started to slip

and I almost fell

But I kept on moving one day at a time

My memories kept going

on and on I’m my mind

The day you were born

Your first big girl bike

I know you put these there

for me to keep in sight

I know you are with me

each hour and minute

I feel you around me

There seems to be no limit

So my darling daughter

I want you to know

I miss you and Thank You

for helping me let you go

Blood Saves

2006-07-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

Today I visited a website, that I plan to add to the sidebar. It is a website that talks about donating blood.

In all honesty, I have never donated blood for another human being. I had a lot of bloodwork done as a child and as a result, I am terrified of needles. But I do know my sister, my brother, and my dad at some time in their lives, have donated blood.

Visiting this site today, it made me think of how important blood donation was to Laurianne when she had her brain tumor removed. They told her she needed a blood transfusion. An in all honesty, this was the first time I turned to my dad and the nurse and said, "I will give my blood if she needs it." Of course, with all the testing they had to do, it didn't come to that (whew!), and they had it on hand. Laurianne was really worried about the blood transfusion, because she didn't realize what it did - replaced blood she lost due to her surgery.

If you have had any body art done, i.e. tattos, or if you have had your navel pierced, giving blood is even easier than that. Your blood could save the life of car accident victims, people who have gone through surgery, organ transplant recipients, premature infants and burn victims. Blood is something the body can not handle synthetically. I have been thinking long and hard of donating since I saw how it helped Laurianne. I might ask my dad to go with me the first time when I am out in California. So, learn more about blood donation. Consider donating. Visit bloodsaves.com today and find out how you can save a life.

A New Tabocca

2006-07-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

I just heard on the news that Philip Morris is using Indianapolis for a new product called Tabocca. It is a spitless, smokeless alternative to tobacco. One cube is the equivelent to four cigarettes.

The news stated that it was not a safe alternative to tobacco and smoking. It can still cause oral cancer. It makes me wonder, why even put it out there? I would think that Philip Morris has enough lawsuits, that they should just focus on Kraft, the food portion of their company.

Maybe Kraft isn't making them enough money....

Cancer in the Family

2006-07-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

I think that it is very rare to find a person who hasn't been affected by cancer. This blog is dedicated to Laurianne, my sister, who had lung cancer. But, there have been other important family members who have also been affected by cancer.

My aunt Lin has chronic lymphocytic leukemia. If you knew Lin like I did growing up, you would know that she was very active. She and my dad would run together, and up until recently she was always running. Of my mom's three sister, Lin was the one who was always on the go. She could put the Energizer bunny to shame. Lin lives a very healthy lifestyle. She doesn't smoke. If she drinks at all, I think it is only on special occasions or rarely. When we were told of her diagnosis, no one would have guessed it.

My aunt Marina, my dad's sister, had breast cancer. She survived breast cancer for many years before she died from a heart condition. She had to have a masectomy, and I remember her being very open about her disease when I had questions for her. Marina smoked and drinked, but she lived in Europe where they also tend to walk a little bit more. She probably did a few things that increased her risk factors, but she was treated and able to live a cancer free life.

My uncle Hans had lung cancer. He was a heavy smoker. The few times I visited, he was a cigarette smoker, but he had graduated to cigars. My husband and I were visiting my folks in 2001, and I remember Hans talking to my dad about coming out for a visit. But his lung cancer spread quickly to his brain. Within a few weeks, lung cancer killed my uncle.

Since my sister's death, I have corresponded with a lot of wonderful people online. In March, Dan and I went to Playing for a Cure, which was organized by Jamie Young, a lung cancer survivor. I regularly visit the blog of another lung cancer survivor, Lynne, who is still fighting the disease and the blog of RoseNose, a breast cancer survivor. And recently, I started reading the blog of a young woman, Anne, who is Laurianne's age and has ovarian cancer. And the list goes on.

Laurianne's hope was that Calem would not have to worry about cancer. One of the things she wanted to do was save the stem cells in her umbilical code to help our aunt Lin. Unfortunately, that wasn't meant to be. That is why, in addition to lung cancer, we have other links on our blog. Hopefully, if someone find their way here, looking for help, they can leave with something that will help them.

Samples

2006-06-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some samples of what I am talking about:

Lung Cancer Awareness Shirts - Please Share Your Thoughts

2006-06-23T09:32:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking a long time about making some lung cancer awareness T-shirts. I want something that stands out, or some kind of catchy slogans. I want to promote Laurianne's Hope with the shirts, by putting the web address underneath or on the back.

I want to take the funds and donate them to lung cancer research and the American Cancer Society, as well to be able to save some money to travel to lung cancer awareness events like Playing For a Cure Right now, I am so po' I can't afford the 'or, and I want to be able to do these things for my sister and for myself.

Here are some of my slogan thoughts:

Smoking, Asbestos and Radon! Oh, My! (These are some of the causes of lung cancer.)
Lung Cancer: It isn't just a smoking disease anymore. (In response to the smoking/lung cancer stigma. Orignially, I thought "It isn't just for smokers anymore" but then people would immediately think second-hand smoke.)
I love someone with Lung Cancer. (Shows the human side of the disease.)
I breathe for lung cancer research. or how about I breathe for a lung cancer cure.(Like the "I break" bumper stickers. Lung cancer needs more research. This also would be an indication of my activism.)
No, I didn't smoke! (Non-smokers get asked that a lot.)

The question is, would anyone else buy them? Please share your thoughts.

Lung Cancer Awareness Shirts - Please Share Your Thoughts

2006-06-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Smoking, Asbestos and Radon! Oh, My! (These are some of the causes of lung cancer.)
Lung Cancer: It isn't just a smoking disease anymore. (In response to the smoking/lung cancer stigma. Orignially, I thought "It isn't just for smokers anymore" but then people would immediately think second-hand smoke.)
I love someone with Lung Cancer. (Shows the human side of the disease.)
I breathe for lung cancer research. or how about I breathe for a lung cancer cure.(Like the "I break" bumper stickers. Lung cancer needs more research. This also would be an indication of my activism.)
No, I didn't smoke! (Non-smokers get asked that a lot.)

The question is, would anyone else buy them? Please share your thoughts.

8 month anniversary

2006-06-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

It is and I just realized that it is 8 months ago that Laurianne passed away. It was a busy day today with friends coming over and Calems swimming lessons. I am glad Lynda wrote a nice blog today. It was a beautifull evening here with a clear sky and we burned some candles in a lantern. We feel very fortunate that we are able to take care of Calem and I would not have know how to cope with Laurianne"s death if it wasn't for him . thank you Lynda for your beautifull blog and keeping Laurianne"s memory alive.

8 Months Ago

2006-06-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

Doris Roberts, who is probably best known as the mother on Everybody Loves Raymond or the secretary on Remington Steele said:

You have an opportunity when a person dies who is so close to you to lie down and die with them or start another life. It is new. It is different. It won't be the same.

She lost her husband on August 30, 1983 to leukemia after 20 years of marriage.

This quote really resonated with me. It would be so easy to give up, and just let life go by, to stay in bed and not be apart of it anymore. But, the people we love wouldn't want us to give up on life.

Today is the 8 month mark of Laurianne's death. The sun is shining, and though I miss my sister terribly, life feels pretty good. Calem is learning to swim. His Opa is helping him, while his Oma takes some pictures. Life goes on. It is different.

It is the new normal.

Nancy Michener Dies After a 7 Year Battle

2006-06-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

After a 7 year battle with lung cancer, Nancy Michener has died from the disease on June 16, 2006 shortly after 7:30 p.m. She was surrounded by her family.

Nancy was a never smoker, and in my opinion, one of the louder voices in the fight for lung cancer. If you do a search for her name, you will find she was interviewed for many articles. She fought to raise awareness for herself and others with the disease. She even took her fight to the captial, to create a lung cancer awareness proclamation Unfortunately, her words were changed that the proclamation became an anti-smoking proclamation.

At that time, Nancy said:

Like most cases in non-smokers, my doctors and I have absolutely no idea what caused my cancer. Do you know what? What caused my illness does not matter to me at all. What matters is that I have cancer: I need to be treated and I want to survive.

But, the real problem with the proclamation’s obsession with causes is that by the time a person has lung cancer it is far, far too late to worry about the reason they have it. As a never-smoker with terminal lung cancer, at this point I really could care less why I have it; it simply does not matter. I am also so very, very, very, very tired of answering the eternal question “Did you smoke?” The answer to the question does not change the terrible fact that I have cancer and am fighting for my life.

Nancy was also co-chair of the CA Steering Committee of the Lung Cancer Alliance. To me, she did for lung cancer what Angelina Jolie does for children of third-world countries, without the drama. She made her voice heard in this fight against this insidious disease.

Nancy, and her husband Stuart, recently lost thier daughter Alision in a tragic boating accident. I am sure Nancy's untimely death only compounds this grief. For Nancy, and for others who have lost the battle to lung cancer, as well as for those fighting to win, we must make it know that lung cancer is not just a smoker's disease.

This is Your Post

2006-06-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

This is your post. Create a comment and tell me how cancer has affected you. It doesn't have to be lung cancer - just any cancer. Or if you would like, just tell me how this website has affected you.

I know my dad would like to hear from you too!

I'm Free

2006-06-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free
I'm following the path God laid for me
I took his hand when I heard Him call
I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
I found that place at the close of the day.

If my parting has left a void
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss.
Ah yes, these things I too, will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow.
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life's been full, I savored much.
Good friends, good times, a loved one's touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all to brief;
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me
God wanted me now, He set me free.

**This poem was used for my coworkers mother, who passed away last Friday. I thought it was beautiful, so I decided to put it here as well.**

Women Against Lung Cancer Changes Their Name

2006-06-12T19:10:00.001-07:00

I recieved this in my email box the other day:

As of June 1, 2006, Women Against Lung Cancer has become National Lung Cancer Partnership.

Why have we changed our name? We want to make sure we are partnering with everyone who can help us achieve our goals, including men, women, young, old, physicians, researchers, allied health professionals, survivors, advocates, industry, and the general public.

Although our name has changed, our goals have not. Our mission remains to decrease deaths due to lung cancer, and help patients live longer and better through research, awareness, and advocacy.

We are still focused on:
*Raising awareness of the deadly impact of lung cancer, particularly upon women
*Increasing funding for lung cancer research
*Supporting and promoting research into sex differences in lung cancer
*Encouraging professionals, particularly women, to enter into and be successful in lung cancer research, treatment, and care.

WELCOME TO NATIONAL LUNG CANCER PARTNERSHIP.

Personally, I am glad to see they changed their name. Even though they state they still are focused on women affected by the disease, lung cancer knows no gender differences.

Somewhere in New Jersey

2006-06-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in New Jersey, there is a team of people who are going to be walking for Relay for Life. Now, there are Relay for Life teams everywhere, but to me, this team is a little more special. Why?

They are going to be walking in shirts with the names of people who have had cancer on it. One of the people will have Laurianne's name on her shirt. AND a donation was made in memory of Laurianne. As far as I know, my family and I have never met them, but Laurianne's story has touched them so they are walking for her.

Now how awesome is that!

**Special thanks to my blog buddy Libragirl for letting me know about this**

Get Posts By Email

2006-06-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

I signed up for NotifyLists for people who are interested in following Laurianne's Hope and may want to get emails. This could be a good option for those who check everyday, since my dad and I don't update everyday. Some days it is just harder to talk about lung cancer than other days. Heck, some days it is harder to talk about Laurianne because we miss her so bad.

You can sign in below, or if you wish to later, use the box in the sidebar. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read. I know it isn't the most humorous of subjects, but it is an important one for people to know about.