Dis Breast Cancer Survivors - GAGWTA!

[laurabelle]

Hi All! I'm back from my SIS meet in St. Lou! It was an amzing time as expected! I am trying to reaclimate to life, it's hard to get back to reality! Hopefully I'll have more time to read and catch up here in the next day or so. I wanted to post a few pics...

Race for the Cure June 18th 2005

The City goes all out to support us!

A few of us wore our pink Crocs

One of our supporters I met along the way.

My team is living proof...

My tattoo!

 

[NHAnn]

Great pics!
Welcome home Laura

 

[Tinkertude]

Thanks Lil Tink, I hope you never have to face cancer either. There is a few things you can do to help the odds that you don't. Eat a low fat diet, don't smoke and exercise. You are not too young to learn self exam. It's not hard to learn and it is ok to do it. Encourage your mom to do self exam also and have mamograms if she is 40 or over. Right now early detection is the best hope we have.

Dan, it takes a real man to wear a pink ribbon. Thanks for your support.

Scarlet, I joined a support group 2 months after I was dx. I still attend 9 yrs later. Talk about a safe place. You can't say anything that you don't get a "Me too" from someone. It is true validation for your feelings. Also you can't scare them with your intermost fears cause trust me they have/had them too. We don't aways talk about cancer. We talk about life. And we laugh a lot. But it is ok to cry too.

to all other posters

 

[snappy]

Really enjoyed those pictures, laurabelle. So glad you posted them so quickly.
It looks like you and your team had a blast.

Loved the biker friend, he was brave to wear the pink wig thingy.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Love your tattoo, Laura. Is that a Mickey head I see at the top of the butterfly??

 

[Cruise04]

Thanks for sharing those pics Laura - awesome fountain!!!! And I love the tattoo (and I'm not much of a tattoo person).

I have a question for you all - do you have a symbol that signifies or shows meaning of YOU? The reason I ask is the tattoo of Laura's. I never really thought of it until my mom died - the day we buried her ashes a monarch butterfly came and hung around us and sniffed the flowers. That was my mom - she was hanging around trying to help us through that hard time. And now when I see a butterfly, particularly a monarch, I know it's my mom. Generally when we see them it's at odd places and times - the fall after she passed there was one that would hang out around my dd during her fall soccer games. And a butterfly showed up around me when I worked at the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer the June after she died. It's kinda freaky but it's soooooo cool. So do you have a symbol that signifies you - or a loved one that has either passed on or is still around???

 

[laurabelle]

Cruise04- I posted my tattoo on another thread, with my reasons for getting it. It kind of explains the meaning of it.
" A dear friend of mine designed it for me. The butterfly symbolizes that I'm a new creation in Christ, SIS stands for Sisters In Survivorship, the online group I formed for young women (under age 40 ) diagnosed with breast cancer, and of course the pink ribbon for bc awareness. I'm thinking about getting the head of the butterfly changed a bit to make it a hidden (I did!). The occasion is my group's 3rd annual SIS meet to do the Race For The Cure together. Some of my other sistas are getting the same tattoo."

I think it's cool that those butterflies keep popping up in your life...

 

[laurabelle]

Love your tattoo, Laura. Is that a Mickey head I see at the top of the butterfly??

 

[MerryPoppins]

I'm too tired to reply to everything I just read. My mom is in the hospital and I've been staying with her. All is better and she may be home by Thursday, so I'm home for a well-deserved nap.

This is such a safe place to share feelings and bounce ideas. I just wanted to say welcome to new friends and hi to those of you who spend time here. Thanks for being such a caring group. Oh, and I loved the pictures!

 

[laurabelle]

I'm too tired to reply to everything I just read. My mom is in the hospital and I've been staying with her. All is better and she may be home by Thursday, so I'm home for a well-deserved nap.

This is such a safe place to share feelings and bounce ideas. I just wanted to say welcome to new friends and hi to those of you who spend time here. Thanks for being such a caring group. Oh, and I loved the pictures!

MerryPoppins, I'm trying to catch up myself here, but wanted to send prayers & (((((hugs)))) to all who need them.

 

[snappy]

Here's something inspirational that my BC supoort group facilitator read to us today:

Surviving

We are survivors.
Survivors are people who have lived through a trauma or crisis.


Many of us dealing with breast cancer see ourselves as more than just survivors:

We are warriors against our cancer.

We have survived other things and will survive this.

We are strong-willed.

We will keep living.

We handle the tough times during our treatment.

We are strong.

We are connected to life.

We are living in a more meaningful way.

She choked up before she got to the end. Other than that, no one cried today. She is a 2 year survivor so she is living it with us. We had the biggest group ever today, must have been 10 ladies, three new members.
Very good discussion on sleep disorders likely to affect cancer survivors and
hot flashes and other problems of medical menopause.

Off to see my doctor now.

Have a good day all of you.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Great pictures, Laura, super. And what nice thoughts, Snappy.


Here is a picture Lisa (Tiger Fan) sent to me earlier from Epcot. Please do stop by to say hello to her......

http://130.94.75.33/showthread.php?t=843452

 

[Tinkertude]

I had a weak moment today, I'm blaming a laps in sanity to a dip in blood sugar. I agreed to take a last minute fill in for merchandise chair for Tulsa's Race for the Cure. Alrighty then, it's June 21, less than three months until our race, WHAT was I thinking I will be asking you guys to be my advisors on new ideas for us to sell since we are the experts on all things Pink!

 

[snappy]

I don't know if this is something that would be appropriate for your event but one of the ladies who attended our support meeting had a lovely scarf on, I believe it was either a black or dark navy background with smallish pink ribbons scattered throughout. She got several compliments, it looked very good against her light pink blouse. I even asked her where whe purchased it, at the specialty lingerie shop in town that sells bras, bathing suits, prothesis, wigs, etc. for BC patients.

 

[laurabelle]

snappy- thanks for sharing that...and I'm so relived for you!

Tinkertude - Do you have to find the merchandise? One year at the National race I bought a cute pink ribbon pin that lights up from a lady from Komen in TX. I have some links on my support group website for pink ribbon merchandise. I haven't personally done it, but I know from friends that some places may offer you a discount, so your group can make a profit. I'll go pull up some links for you and post them.

Disney Debbie - I'm glad your brother found us for you! Don't beat yourself up over your feelings...You do sound so normal for a survivor so just hang out here!

JoannaOhio -

Dan- Tell Marie I know how she feels! Did she develop gall bladder problems after her cancer dx? I thought I was having a GB attack, but scans showed nothing and eventually I was dxed with ulcerative colitis. The docs say it's tied to my immune system being screwed up. Send her

Kelly- Unbelievable! I'm so sorry sweetie! Praying that the meds work quickly and that you won't need surgery to fix it.

Denise - Whooooo hoooo!!! Welcome and congratulations! I hope you hang out here and don't be afraid to take a chance on your local support group. I also have an online support group exclusively for young women dxed under age 40 that you are welcome to join, just send me a PM.

Mom2Ashli - Saying prayers for you...waiting is awful.

Ann- Have you started rads yet? I've also wondered how her DIEP flap surgery went. Hopefully we'll get an update soon.

Whew! I think I'm caught up! lol!

 

[laurabelle]

Tinkertude - Here's the links. I haven't looked at all of them, but hopefully at least one will help...
http://www.pinkribbonshop.com
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
http://theBCmall.com

This one is through Komen:http://www.efastcom.com/Marketplace/control/main

This one is Deb Will's (from allears.net) she does pink ribbon cruises. I know she's a busy lady, but maybe she could help.
http://www.pinkribboncruises.com

 

[csmommy]

Hello all, you are truly inspirations for us all.

I do not know if this is OK to post here, but I am doing the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in NY October 1st & 2nd, & really need sponsors. My SIL has Breast Cancer, as did her mother, along with several of my friends in my town & I thought this was the best way for me to support them.

I just registered last week & now need to raise $1800.00. I am off to a fair start as several people in my community have sponsored me, but I have a long way to go. If you would like to, please PM me & I will direct you to my link at the Avon Walk site. I wish all of you the best.

 

[NHAnn]

Morning ladies....
can I just say that I'm tired....
I'm so tired....tired of thinking, tired of working on relaxing, tired of not being able to get to sleep and waking up too early, tired of trying to be grateful that my diagnosis and prognosis is very postive, tired of hearing that radiation makes you tired when I haven't even started yet ...tired of being tired. I guess it's time to give in and ask the doctor about a sleeping aid of some sort, but I'm too tired to decide which doctor I am supposed to ask.
Are you tired of me complaining yet??

pheeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww....thanks for letting me say that here instead of dumping it to someone at work or with family.....

back to your regularly scheduled day
gotta run to work!!

 

[laurabelle]

Ann- Having cancer is exhausting! Even if treatment hasn't started, there's so much running through your brain...I think it's part of your body's defenses just to want to shut down for a bit and nap. It's not a bad idea really. I took daily naps (not like my body gave me a choice at times) for the longest time. I still need them sometimes, but don't get it daily. And your body does alot of healing while you sleep! Again, I think it's good to post this stuff, so others know they're "normal" and don't get hung up on trying to act like people who aren't like us.

 

[Cruise04]

Laura - I didn't even notice the Mickey head at the top of your tattoo until it was pointed out - way cool!!!!!

Ann - sorry you are so tired. I don't know how cancer patients do it and my mom was always tired but worked 3 jobs to support herself - I have no idea how she did it but her body eventually said enough.

Here's another site I ran across with merchandise - it's where I got my car magnet...

http://store.pinkribbonjewelryandgifts.com/

MerryPoppins - sorry to hear your mom is in the hospital and glad she's coming home soon and doing better.

Chris