Monday, October 25, 2010
Thank you!
Thank you to all who ran, walked, donated, sponsored, volunteered, organized, wrote about, photographed, and cheered for the 1st Annual Team Elizabeth Run/Walk! It was a huge success! The weather held for us and most agreed that "it wasn't that cold!" We are still tallying up all the numbers but I can tell you with a reasonable amount of certainty that almost 150 people either ran or walked and that we raised in the thousands of dollars! All going to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Once everything has been officially counted I'll update and let you know! I'm already looking forward to next year!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Community
As we finalize all of the details and planning for this weekend's Team Elizabeth Run/Walk I've found myself doing an awful lot of reflecting on community. This past year has felt like decades to me and at the same time it doesn't always seem that long ago that I was living a life without fear or even much knowledge of cancer. What a difference a year can make?! Throughout this year I have learned so many things, too many to list, in fact. But one of those things is about community. I have realized over the year that I am a part of many amazing communities that have all come together in one way or another to support me and my family as we have ridden this ridiculous and frightening cancer roller coaster. These communities individually and as a whole have helped me take each day one at a time and put one foot in front of the other when at times it was all I could do to stand.
This Sunday, we will be bringing together people from many of these different communities to walk, to run, to volunteer, to make a difference. The outpouring of support for this first time event has been remarkable. In our quest to obtain local sponsors in the town of Hull I have had the opportunity to meet some very caring, giving, and thoughtful people. I have lived in this town for over 7 years and can't believe that it has taken me this long to meet and know these people. We have received monetary donations, food donations, space donations. Local businesses have posted our bright green signs in their windows and on their doors, many have signed up to walk or run and have encouraged their customers, clients, friends, and family to do so as well! Thank you.
Which brings me to my main point about community. Community is necessary and important but also thoughtful and kind. If each person in this world understood that they are a welcome part of many communities, the world would be a very different place to live. I think there would be more smiles, more purposeful acts of kindness, and a genuine gift of love from one to another. Take a look around at your community and see how you fit into it and how you could be a welcoming member of that community. You just might make someone's day!
This Sunday, we will be bringing together people from many of these different communities to walk, to run, to volunteer, to make a difference. The outpouring of support for this first time event has been remarkable. In our quest to obtain local sponsors in the town of Hull I have had the opportunity to meet some very caring, giving, and thoughtful people. I have lived in this town for over 7 years and can't believe that it has taken me this long to meet and know these people. We have received monetary donations, food donations, space donations. Local businesses have posted our bright green signs in their windows and on their doors, many have signed up to walk or run and have encouraged their customers, clients, friends, and family to do so as well! Thank you.
Which brings me to my main point about community. Community is necessary and important but also thoughtful and kind. If each person in this world understood that they are a welcome part of many communities, the world would be a very different place to live. I think there would be more smiles, more purposeful acts of kindness, and a genuine gift of love from one to another. Take a look around at your community and see how you fit into it and how you could be a welcoming member of that community. You just might make someone's day!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Today...another Anniversary...Part 2
So, I posted early this morning about today being the anniversary of diagnosis. Not really an anniversary to celebrate. One to acknowledge but to celebrate...not so much. Instead, Adam and I want to share with all that we spent today making a new anniversary. Grace spent the day playing with Aunt Susu and Jon so that we could renew our vows. Just the two of us and our minister. It was amazing and wonderful and a very special way to change the meaning of a day. Before I get too mushy and cry I just want to say remember to hug the folks who mean the most or give a call to someone who would love to hear your voice.
Today...another Anniversary...Part 1
Today is the one year anniversary of my official diagnosis of Primary Mediastinal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (There's a mouthful for you). Last year it was a Friday and although we already knew what was coming to hear the words from the oncologist was a bit like being run over by a truck. I remember sitting very quietly and nodding a lot as he went through what all those big words meant, what chemo would look like, what the potential side effects were, when chemo would start, and that he felt very good about this chemo and its success rates (especially in people like me - otherwise healthy, young, etc). It was all incredibly difficult to wrap my mind around, surreal in fact. The most concrete thing in the room, and I'll never forget this either, was my husband Adam's hand and fingers interlaced with mine. We were in this together, whatever it may bring. I'm pretty sure I cried and cried that night in bed (as I did on several other occasions) and Adam was there holding me and repeating over and over again that we, that I could do this.
So, it has been one year and look at me now!
So, it has been one year and look at me now!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Speech
Tonight I had the opportunity to speak at a pre-race dinner for a Team in Training Team of women who have prepared for and will run in the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women tomorrow in Boston. I was asked to speak about my cancer story and about my involvement with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Team in Training. After some thinking about it I decided that I should post the speech here for more to see. Enjoy.
Team in Training Tufts 10K Pasta Dinner Speech – Sunday, October 10, 2010
My name is Elizabeth Naylor and cancer gave me two birthdays. On May 4th 2011 I will turn 32 years old and on April 6th, 2011 my immune system and new healthier body will be +365 days old.
My diagnosis of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma came one year ago. Last fall, I was 30 years old and as the doctors love to say "otherwise healthy". I was a mother to two year old Grace, a wife to Adam, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a middle school teacher. I loved to read, to play on the beach, to ride my bike. I watched Law and Order re-runs and occasionally the news. In short, I was a normal 30 year old living a pretty normal life.
On August 31st I visited my primary care physician because of a nagging cough and some chest pain, certain that some antibiotics would clear up my self-diagnosis of pleurisy. Good thing I’m not the doctor. I was simply hoping to start another school year without the coughing. One week later I was having a CT scan to find out what the “something” was that had appeared on an x-ray. Never in a million years did I expect a cancer diagnosis.
On October 16th I was diagnosed at Dana Farber with Primary Mediastinal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, one of the many variations of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I had a softball sized tumor just to the right of the center of my chest. At this time the tumor had begun to push through my chest wall and although it wasn’t all that visible to others I knew it was there and can’t say I loved the everyday reminder.
On October 20th I began my first type of chemotherapy. The doctor explained that this particular chemotherapy was effective in 95% of patients and given my general health and age it was assumed by all that I would undergo 6 rounds of this chemo, some radiation, and by April 2010 would be on vacation with my family to celebrate my health and recovery. However, after only two rounds it was clear that it wasn’t working and I moved from the 95% to the 5% category. One of the great many things that I have learned from cancer is never to assume, expect the unexpected and then deal with what comes. By this time my tumor had become significantly more obvious externally and was sort of a marker for us. Was chemo working? Is the bump getting smaller or is it bigger? Also at this time I began joking about my third boob, not that it was all that funny, but you do what you have to do. Things had gone from bad to very bad.
In November I started a second type of chemotherapy, this one requiring 4 day inpatient hospital stays. The plan was that I would do four rounds and then radiation and likely a stem cell transplant of my own stem cells. No such luck. Two rounds in I was clearly getting worse. It was a Friday that we learned this and were exploring next steps with Dana Farber. On the following Tuesday, with the blessing and great understanding of my oncologist in Boston, my husband Adam and I were in Bethesda, Maryland at the National Institute of Health learning about an experimental protocol that the Lymphoma team there believed would help me.
I began my third type of chemotherapy at the end of that week. This chemo required 72 hours of continuous treatment as well as several more hours of other drugs to make up the whole cocktail. We travelled to and from Bethesda three times for this chemotherapy and on the third trip discovered that not only was my tumor virtually the same size but now I also had a tumor completely incasing my right kidney. Things had gone from very bad to almost hopeless.
It was now March of this year and my Lymphoma team was strongly recommending an allogenic stem cell transplant as my best option. The National Institute of Health had an experimental transplant protocol that I fit into but we were also encouraged to talk it through with Dana Farber as well. The conversation with Dana Farber basically gave us the following information: we do the standard stem cell transplant here. We are willing to give it a try with your case but we don’t believe it will work and we aren’t sure that with the way your cancer has progressed you would even survive the transplant process. This information made it quite easy to decide to participate in the experimental protocol at the National Institute of Health. This was a major turning point for us. My family and I moved to Bethesda where we knew we would stay for at least 100 days.
April 6th was one of the scariest days of my life but it was also rather anti-climactic. My sister Amanda had been previously confirmed as a full match for me, something for which I will always be grateful. Many people needing a transplant never find a match or have to move forward with a partial or non-familial match.
I spent much of the day simply waiting. Amanda spent the morning donating loads of wonderful stem cells and then we waited while the cells were tested and counted and finally in the late afternoon a batch was brought to my room. The nurses had warned me that the whole thing really would seem like no big deal, but in my mind, it was a transplant, I was sure they were confused, it had to be a big deal! No, they were right.
The transplant itself went like this: a small bag, sort of like a sandwich bag filled with what looked like tomato soup was hooked to my IV. We waited about 15 minutes for gravity to complete its work and then I was done. Pretty anti-climactic!
Now we began to count days, waiting to get to day +100. I was out of the hospital on day +9 and although went in and out of inpatient a few times during the 100 days, by and large I continued to improve. It turns out my sister Amanda, has a ridiculously strong immune system that did not like my tumors one bit! Each scan I have had post transplant has brought smiles to the faces of all of my doctors and nurses, and of course to me and my family. At day +100 we were given the go ahead to move back to Boston with instructions for me to have twice a week blood draws and return to Bethesda every four weeks to check-in. I am now in what they call partial remission with no sign of cancer or tumor on my kidney and no sign of cancer activity in the mass in my chest. In fact, I just returned on Friday from my most recent trip to Bethesda and the news couldn’t have been better.
So, here I stand before you a cancer survivor. Many have said I am a miracle.
What is a Miracle? Each day different people use this word with different meanings and intentions. Often to me it feels as though the word miracle could be replaced with words like coincidence, marvel, rarity, or surprise. The word miracle also often conjures up an image of God or Gods intervening to cause an event or a healing to happen.
Is it a miracle that in January of this year we were hoping that I would live to see my daughter turn three in June, and then did? Is it a miracle that one team of transplant doctors said they would be willing to do my transplant but did not believe it would work, and another team of transplant doctors said we have a research based transplant that we think will help you, and it did? Is it a miracle that after almost a year of bad reports and really bad cancer that didn't respond to chemotherapy it looks like I'm going to live a long life anyway?
My quick answer to all of these questions is sort of.
Over the past year, I have been listed on dozens of prayer lists at all kinds of religious institutions, both in the United States and some internationally. There have been prayer vigils held in my name. There have been countless fundraisers, gifts, cards, meals, love, and support all from a network that prior to diagnosis I didn't realize was out there.
During a great deal of my treatment I prayed and meditated (there were some gaps...God and I weren't on the best of terms for awhile but I think we're better now). Without all of this support, without all of these prayers, would I be here today? There is no way to know. What I do know is that the support and prayers and all the rest of it helped to pull me through a great number of very difficult moments, days, and weeks. This is why I can say today that in a very significant way I am a miracle.
So, do I believe in miracles? Yes I do. But I also believe that a miracle cannot occur without a whole lot of hard work. I believe that there may have been divine intervention of some sort, but I know that all of the doctors, nurses, technologists, aides, and specialists that I have worked with had and continue to have a great deal of responsibility in taking care of my body and health.
And not to be forgotten or even put close to the bottom of the list I believe that what you all do with Team in Training is a Miracle. I am not a runner, have never been ,but luckily for me and for so many battling Leukemia or Lymphoma my younger sister Susannah is a runner and wanted to help.
My introduction to Team in Training came when my sister Susannah and her boyfriend Jon decided to train with Team in Training for last June’s San Diego Marathon. This was Susannah’s third marathon and Jon’s second. And as far as I know their grand introduction to truly amazing fundraising! They decided to form Team Elizabeth. They had green bracelets made to give to people who donated. They created a facebook page and they emailed everybody they knew. After two weeks of intensive work they had already raised $5000 dollars. In only a few months and in time for the marathon Susannah was the top fundraiser in the state of Massachusetts and Team Elizabeth had donated over $20,000 dollars for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Quite an accomplishment! And I have yet to even mention all the miles they ran to prepare for the actual marathon which they completed successfully on June 6th.
I thank Team in Training for helping them both in this endeavor and truly from the bottom of my heart I thank the two of them for making the choice to run and to raise money for such a worthy cause in my name. Not only did Team in Training give my sister a concrete way to help me but the gift of the network of people it created who were thinking about me and my family is a gift that I can never repay to her or to Jon. There are many terrible days, weeks, months, and for some years that come with any cancer diagnosis. I have experienced many of those days and had to find ways to get through them. Thank you Susannah and Jon and everyone associated with Team in Training for helping me remember that I could get through those moments. All of your hard work each day brings hope to those battling these diseases, to those surviving these diseases, and to those caregivers who are helping their loved ones through the worst days. Hope is a great miracle that must be worked for, each and every minute.
Team in Training is a miracle. Team in Training has provided a venue for you all to come together in preparation for races like tomorrow’s 10K. Team in Training has made it possible for you to join others in running while raising money for such an important cause. Likely, Team in Training has also provided you with a network of friends that understand why you each show up to practices and events and why you are here tonight (assuming you came tonight for more than just some great pasta).
You all are a miracle. You run because you lost your mother or uncle. You run because your sister is battling or your cousin is in remission. You run because your best friend lost his brother. You run because you are a survivor and have learned the hard way that every day is a gift and that running makes you happy. You run because you want to help, you want to make a difference. You run because you care. And that my friends, is a miracle.
My name is Elizabeth Naylor and I now have two birthdays. Please keep running so that others may also celebrate more birthdays! I know I’m looking forward to two cakes and two parties from here on out!
Team in Training Tufts 10K Pasta Dinner Speech – Sunday, October 10, 2010
My name is Elizabeth Naylor and cancer gave me two birthdays. On May 4th 2011 I will turn 32 years old and on April 6th, 2011 my immune system and new healthier body will be +365 days old.
My diagnosis of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma came one year ago. Last fall, I was 30 years old and as the doctors love to say "otherwise healthy". I was a mother to two year old Grace, a wife to Adam, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a middle school teacher. I loved to read, to play on the beach, to ride my bike. I watched Law and Order re-runs and occasionally the news. In short, I was a normal 30 year old living a pretty normal life.
On August 31st I visited my primary care physician because of a nagging cough and some chest pain, certain that some antibiotics would clear up my self-diagnosis of pleurisy. Good thing I’m not the doctor. I was simply hoping to start another school year without the coughing. One week later I was having a CT scan to find out what the “something” was that had appeared on an x-ray. Never in a million years did I expect a cancer diagnosis.
On October 16th I was diagnosed at Dana Farber with Primary Mediastinal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, one of the many variations of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I had a softball sized tumor just to the right of the center of my chest. At this time the tumor had begun to push through my chest wall and although it wasn’t all that visible to others I knew it was there and can’t say I loved the everyday reminder.
On October 20th I began my first type of chemotherapy. The doctor explained that this particular chemotherapy was effective in 95% of patients and given my general health and age it was assumed by all that I would undergo 6 rounds of this chemo, some radiation, and by April 2010 would be on vacation with my family to celebrate my health and recovery. However, after only two rounds it was clear that it wasn’t working and I moved from the 95% to the 5% category. One of the great many things that I have learned from cancer is never to assume, expect the unexpected and then deal with what comes. By this time my tumor had become significantly more obvious externally and was sort of a marker for us. Was chemo working? Is the bump getting smaller or is it bigger? Also at this time I began joking about my third boob, not that it was all that funny, but you do what you have to do. Things had gone from bad to very bad.
In November I started a second type of chemotherapy, this one requiring 4 day inpatient hospital stays. The plan was that I would do four rounds and then radiation and likely a stem cell transplant of my own stem cells. No such luck. Two rounds in I was clearly getting worse. It was a Friday that we learned this and were exploring next steps with Dana Farber. On the following Tuesday, with the blessing and great understanding of my oncologist in Boston, my husband Adam and I were in Bethesda, Maryland at the National Institute of Health learning about an experimental protocol that the Lymphoma team there believed would help me.
I began my third type of chemotherapy at the end of that week. This chemo required 72 hours of continuous treatment as well as several more hours of other drugs to make up the whole cocktail. We travelled to and from Bethesda three times for this chemotherapy and on the third trip discovered that not only was my tumor virtually the same size but now I also had a tumor completely incasing my right kidney. Things had gone from very bad to almost hopeless.
It was now March of this year and my Lymphoma team was strongly recommending an allogenic stem cell transplant as my best option. The National Institute of Health had an experimental transplant protocol that I fit into but we were also encouraged to talk it through with Dana Farber as well. The conversation with Dana Farber basically gave us the following information: we do the standard stem cell transplant here. We are willing to give it a try with your case but we don’t believe it will work and we aren’t sure that with the way your cancer has progressed you would even survive the transplant process. This information made it quite easy to decide to participate in the experimental protocol at the National Institute of Health. This was a major turning point for us. My family and I moved to Bethesda where we knew we would stay for at least 100 days.
April 6th was one of the scariest days of my life but it was also rather anti-climactic. My sister Amanda had been previously confirmed as a full match for me, something for which I will always be grateful. Many people needing a transplant never find a match or have to move forward with a partial or non-familial match.
I spent much of the day simply waiting. Amanda spent the morning donating loads of wonderful stem cells and then we waited while the cells were tested and counted and finally in the late afternoon a batch was brought to my room. The nurses had warned me that the whole thing really would seem like no big deal, but in my mind, it was a transplant, I was sure they were confused, it had to be a big deal! No, they were right.
The transplant itself went like this: a small bag, sort of like a sandwich bag filled with what looked like tomato soup was hooked to my IV. We waited about 15 minutes for gravity to complete its work and then I was done. Pretty anti-climactic!
Now we began to count days, waiting to get to day +100. I was out of the hospital on day +9 and although went in and out of inpatient a few times during the 100 days, by and large I continued to improve. It turns out my sister Amanda, has a ridiculously strong immune system that did not like my tumors one bit! Each scan I have had post transplant has brought smiles to the faces of all of my doctors and nurses, and of course to me and my family. At day +100 we were given the go ahead to move back to Boston with instructions for me to have twice a week blood draws and return to Bethesda every four weeks to check-in. I am now in what they call partial remission with no sign of cancer or tumor on my kidney and no sign of cancer activity in the mass in my chest. In fact, I just returned on Friday from my most recent trip to Bethesda and the news couldn’t have been better.
So, here I stand before you a cancer survivor. Many have said I am a miracle.
What is a Miracle? Each day different people use this word with different meanings and intentions. Often to me it feels as though the word miracle could be replaced with words like coincidence, marvel, rarity, or surprise. The word miracle also often conjures up an image of God or Gods intervening to cause an event or a healing to happen.
Is it a miracle that in January of this year we were hoping that I would live to see my daughter turn three in June, and then did? Is it a miracle that one team of transplant doctors said they would be willing to do my transplant but did not believe it would work, and another team of transplant doctors said we have a research based transplant that we think will help you, and it did? Is it a miracle that after almost a year of bad reports and really bad cancer that didn't respond to chemotherapy it looks like I'm going to live a long life anyway?
My quick answer to all of these questions is sort of.
Over the past year, I have been listed on dozens of prayer lists at all kinds of religious institutions, both in the United States and some internationally. There have been prayer vigils held in my name. There have been countless fundraisers, gifts, cards, meals, love, and support all from a network that prior to diagnosis I didn't realize was out there.
During a great deal of my treatment I prayed and meditated (there were some gaps...God and I weren't on the best of terms for awhile but I think we're better now). Without all of this support, without all of these prayers, would I be here today? There is no way to know. What I do know is that the support and prayers and all the rest of it helped to pull me through a great number of very difficult moments, days, and weeks. This is why I can say today that in a very significant way I am a miracle.
So, do I believe in miracles? Yes I do. But I also believe that a miracle cannot occur without a whole lot of hard work. I believe that there may have been divine intervention of some sort, but I know that all of the doctors, nurses, technologists, aides, and specialists that I have worked with had and continue to have a great deal of responsibility in taking care of my body and health.
And not to be forgotten or even put close to the bottom of the list I believe that what you all do with Team in Training is a Miracle. I am not a runner, have never been ,but luckily for me and for so many battling Leukemia or Lymphoma my younger sister Susannah is a runner and wanted to help.
My introduction to Team in Training came when my sister Susannah and her boyfriend Jon decided to train with Team in Training for last June’s San Diego Marathon. This was Susannah’s third marathon and Jon’s second. And as far as I know their grand introduction to truly amazing fundraising! They decided to form Team Elizabeth. They had green bracelets made to give to people who donated. They created a facebook page and they emailed everybody they knew. After two weeks of intensive work they had already raised $5000 dollars. In only a few months and in time for the marathon Susannah was the top fundraiser in the state of Massachusetts and Team Elizabeth had donated over $20,000 dollars for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Quite an accomplishment! And I have yet to even mention all the miles they ran to prepare for the actual marathon which they completed successfully on June 6th.
I thank Team in Training for helping them both in this endeavor and truly from the bottom of my heart I thank the two of them for making the choice to run and to raise money for such a worthy cause in my name. Not only did Team in Training give my sister a concrete way to help me but the gift of the network of people it created who were thinking about me and my family is a gift that I can never repay to her or to Jon. There are many terrible days, weeks, months, and for some years that come with any cancer diagnosis. I have experienced many of those days and had to find ways to get through them. Thank you Susannah and Jon and everyone associated with Team in Training for helping me remember that I could get through those moments. All of your hard work each day brings hope to those battling these diseases, to those surviving these diseases, and to those caregivers who are helping their loved ones through the worst days. Hope is a great miracle that must be worked for, each and every minute.
Team in Training is a miracle. Team in Training has provided a venue for you all to come together in preparation for races like tomorrow’s 10K. Team in Training has made it possible for you to join others in running while raising money for such an important cause. Likely, Team in Training has also provided you with a network of friends that understand why you each show up to practices and events and why you are here tonight (assuming you came tonight for more than just some great pasta).
You all are a miracle. You run because you lost your mother or uncle. You run because your sister is battling or your cousin is in remission. You run because your best friend lost his brother. You run because you are a survivor and have learned the hard way that every day is a gift and that running makes you happy. You run because you want to help, you want to make a difference. You run because you care. And that my friends, is a miracle.
My name is Elizabeth Naylor and I now have two birthdays. Please keep running so that others may also celebrate more birthdays! I know I’m looking forward to two cakes and two parties from here on out!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
6 Months Post Transplant!
Home from another check-in with my team of Doctor's at NIH. They continue to be thrilled with my progress! My blood work is "normal" and seems to show up that way at each of my weekly blood draws here at home, I'm gaining weight (slowly but surely), I feel great, my GVHD seems to be being managed well, and last but, very important, my PET scan showed only that the mass in my chest is continuing to get smaller and there is no sign of cancer activity in it! There were a lot of smiles as the doctor's told me we call this partial remission! I think that Adam said it best when he said yesterday "so basically you're a normal human who gets to take a whole lot of pills and have scans regularly!" You all can decide how normal I may be but yes basically I get to continue living my life in the best way I know how each and everyday!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
San Diego Marathon Part 2 - Just a bit shorter!
San Diego Marathon Part 2! (Just a little bit shorter and maybe a few less participants)
As many, if not most, of you are aware on June 6th of this year my sister Susannah and her boyfriend Jon ran and completed the San Diego Marathon! This was after spending many months of time and effort to raise over $20,000 dollars to help support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Many of you gave donations to this cause and own or wear a lime green Team Elizabeth bracelet designed by Jon and Susannah to help raise awareness of the cause. They were able to use the power of the internet to raise over $5,000 dollars in the first 2 weeks of trying. This was followed by countless letters, thank you notes, phone calls, and fundraising ideas that eventually brought them to the grand total of $20,000! Susannah was the top fundraiser in the state of Massachusetts and even has a plaque to prove it! The money is an amazing amount but not nearly the most important part of what they did...the most important part is that they brought a community of people together to rally around their cause, my fight, and of course the grand color Lime Green! This community brought strength to me each and everyday. The idea that my sister had sent out all of these lime green bracelets and you were all wearing them and posting pictures of them on facebook brought smiles I didn't always know I had in me. Oh and in case I need to remind you all of this fundraising and community building was going on while they were also training through the winter in Boston to run 26.2 miles! Truly amazing! I write this tonight to say Thank you to Susannah and Jon for all that they did to help in every way that they could think of, and to thank all of you who wore or still wear a Team Elizabeth bracelet!
Now, you have the chance to participate in the Marathon Part 2 and I once again encourage all who can, to participate in the 1st Annual Team Elizabeth 4 Mile Run/2 Mile Walk on October 24th, 2010 at 8am. Once again Susannah and Jon came up with an idea to support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and continue to build community. This event will be special in so many ways, they have made it so.
If you have not already registered or can't be there but would like to donate please visit: www.racemenu.com/teamelizabeth
If you register before this weekend is over we can be certain that you will get a T-Shirt...if you wait the t-shirt guarantee goes down a bit! However, if you do wait keep in mind that you will be able to register at the event. Now, if you're still hesitating (even with the t-shirt promise), know that there will be hot Chowder, bananas, water, and coffee at the end of the run and walk, as well as an after race party at Daddy's Beach Club in Hull with Pizza and Music!
As many, if not most, of you are aware on June 6th of this year my sister Susannah and her boyfriend Jon ran and completed the San Diego Marathon! This was after spending many months of time and effort to raise over $20,000 dollars to help support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Many of you gave donations to this cause and own or wear a lime green Team Elizabeth bracelet designed by Jon and Susannah to help raise awareness of the cause. They were able to use the power of the internet to raise over $5,000 dollars in the first 2 weeks of trying. This was followed by countless letters, thank you notes, phone calls, and fundraising ideas that eventually brought them to the grand total of $20,000! Susannah was the top fundraiser in the state of Massachusetts and even has a plaque to prove it! The money is an amazing amount but not nearly the most important part of what they did...the most important part is that they brought a community of people together to rally around their cause, my fight, and of course the grand color Lime Green! This community brought strength to me each and everyday. The idea that my sister had sent out all of these lime green bracelets and you were all wearing them and posting pictures of them on facebook brought smiles I didn't always know I had in me. Oh and in case I need to remind you all of this fundraising and community building was going on while they were also training through the winter in Boston to run 26.2 miles! Truly amazing! I write this tonight to say Thank you to Susannah and Jon for all that they did to help in every way that they could think of, and to thank all of you who wore or still wear a Team Elizabeth bracelet!
Now, you have the chance to participate in the Marathon Part 2 and I once again encourage all who can, to participate in the 1st Annual Team Elizabeth 4 Mile Run/2 Mile Walk on October 24th, 2010 at 8am. Once again Susannah and Jon came up with an idea to support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and continue to build community. This event will be special in so many ways, they have made it so.
If you have not already registered or can't be there but would like to donate please visit: www.racemenu.com/teamelizabeth
If you register before this weekend is over we can be certain that you will get a T-Shirt...if you wait the t-shirt guarantee goes down a bit! However, if you do wait keep in mind that you will be able to register at the event. Now, if you're still hesitating (even with the t-shirt promise), know that there will be hot Chowder, bananas, water, and coffee at the end of the run and walk, as well as an after race party at Daddy's Beach Club in Hull with Pizza and Music!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A fall Weekend!
Fall is here and we spent the weekend enjoying it! For the first time in a year I finally feel back in synch with the seasons. Last fall was a whirlwind of diagnostic testing and the beginnings of chemo, winter was more chemo and the start of trips to Maryland, spring started early because we weren't in New England and summer...well summer was recovery time. I'm still recovering from the year but at least I understand the calendar again. Oddly it feels a little bit like having some more control. Clearly I have no control over the seasons but I can control what decorations to put out or when to buy pumpkins (never before October 1) or helping a 3 year old come up with what she wants to be for halloween! Right now I think I may just be loving fall and what it means to me more than I ever have before.
Yesterday Grace and I drove into the Boston Common to see my sister and the Team in Training Team that she helps to coach during one of their practices. The is the TNT Boston Winter team that I am fortunate enough to be the "Honored Hero" for. The runners are training for various races and thus doing various length runs but Grace was ready to clap and jump up and down each time a runner came by or stopped for a quick drink of water. It was great fun to watch her be involved as well!
Last night Adam was cooking Jambalaya and since you can't make good jambalaya in small quantities we invited our good friends and neighbors over to join us for dinner! What a fun time spent together!
Today, was our first time back in our church in almost a year. And what a welcome we received. It is easy to forget or take for granted in "normal" life the communities that are around us but one of the many things that I have taken from this year is not to forget or take for granted those communities. Our church community sent cards, made dinners, emailed, followed my progress on our Caring Bridge Blog, and prayed...a lot. A huge thank you to them for it all, especially the smiles this morning and the hugs and the "it is so nice to see you here". It was a very special reception.
After church we decided to take a walk to a nearby restaurant and then head to the carousel for a ride on the horses! A bit of a blustery fall day (I actually stopped to buy a second sweatshirt from a local shop so I wouldn't freeze on the way home). There is not much like riding a carousel with a 3 year old carousel connoisseur on the horse next to you with your husband standing between to remember how wonderful life is!
This afternoon we were visited by a photographer from the Patriot Ledger to take "natural looking" family shots for the story that is being written about me and the Team Elizabeth Run/Walk coming up on October 24th (You still have plenty of time to register at racemenu.com/TEAMELIZABETH). It was a little weird to pretend to be doing normal things while a camera is flashing in your face but truly the look on Grace's face was priceless. She just didn't get why this strange man was in our house with a big camera and why on earth he would want to take pictures of us reading a book!
Tonight for dinner we met good friends of ours, also in the midst of the nightmare that is cancer. Sometimes it is easiest to spend time with people who "get it" and other times it can be much harder. Our paths with cancer have taken very different courses and the emotions and feelings that go with that are often hard to reconcile. This morning in church our minister talked about being able to be in situations where there is bad and good together and that no matter how difficult it is, it is important to recognize both as valuable and a part of life. (He said it much better than I just wrote that, but I suppose you get the idea). However, regardless of the differences in our cancer nightmares we are friends and I hope friends for a long time. It was wonderful to see them tonight and to be together.
Please remember today or tomorrow to say a prayer for someone, anyone who is struggling. As I have often said you do not need to pray to God (if that is not what you believe) but find your space and comfort and think about and send positive thoughts in the direction of another.
Yesterday Grace and I drove into the Boston Common to see my sister and the Team in Training Team that she helps to coach during one of their practices. The is the TNT Boston Winter team that I am fortunate enough to be the "Honored Hero" for. The runners are training for various races and thus doing various length runs but Grace was ready to clap and jump up and down each time a runner came by or stopped for a quick drink of water. It was great fun to watch her be involved as well!
Last night Adam was cooking Jambalaya and since you can't make good jambalaya in small quantities we invited our good friends and neighbors over to join us for dinner! What a fun time spent together!
Today, was our first time back in our church in almost a year. And what a welcome we received. It is easy to forget or take for granted in "normal" life the communities that are around us but one of the many things that I have taken from this year is not to forget or take for granted those communities. Our church community sent cards, made dinners, emailed, followed my progress on our Caring Bridge Blog, and prayed...a lot. A huge thank you to them for it all, especially the smiles this morning and the hugs and the "it is so nice to see you here". It was a very special reception.
After church we decided to take a walk to a nearby restaurant and then head to the carousel for a ride on the horses! A bit of a blustery fall day (I actually stopped to buy a second sweatshirt from a local shop so I wouldn't freeze on the way home). There is not much like riding a carousel with a 3 year old carousel connoisseur on the horse next to you with your husband standing between to remember how wonderful life is!
This afternoon we were visited by a photographer from the Patriot Ledger to take "natural looking" family shots for the story that is being written about me and the Team Elizabeth Run/Walk coming up on October 24th (You still have plenty of time to register at racemenu.com/TEAMELIZABETH). It was a little weird to pretend to be doing normal things while a camera is flashing in your face but truly the look on Grace's face was priceless. She just didn't get why this strange man was in our house with a big camera and why on earth he would want to take pictures of us reading a book!
Tonight for dinner we met good friends of ours, also in the midst of the nightmare that is cancer. Sometimes it is easiest to spend time with people who "get it" and other times it can be much harder. Our paths with cancer have taken very different courses and the emotions and feelings that go with that are often hard to reconcile. This morning in church our minister talked about being able to be in situations where there is bad and good together and that no matter how difficult it is, it is important to recognize both as valuable and a part of life. (He said it much better than I just wrote that, but I suppose you get the idea). However, regardless of the differences in our cancer nightmares we are friends and I hope friends for a long time. It was wonderful to see them tonight and to be together.
Please remember today or tomorrow to say a prayer for someone, anyone who is struggling. As I have often said you do not need to pray to God (if that is not what you believe) but find your space and comfort and think about and send positive thoughts in the direction of another.
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