Optional (and suggested!) Ingredients to Survivorship....Part 2

So, to wrap up my series on the Ingredients of Survivorship, we have:
1) a great medical team
2) a great support system
3) Faith
4) Positive Attitude
5) Healthy Living
6 ) optional - a dash of the Arts

and finally....
7) a dose of Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom...that's something that my support group leader always ends our session with. We go around the table and each of us take a bit of candy from her candy jar and says something we either learned from the group that day, or brought with us from our journeys. To quote a Caregiver who attends weekly with his wife (leukemia survivor with an auto transplant)..."Be kind to your caregivers, we're only pushy because we care."   or  "Count your blessings...there are so many people with heavier crosses to bear."

This situation inspired me to create a quilted wall hanging for our Relay for Life team to raffle off as a fundraiser. See the picture below...the white boxes are for Survivors and Caregivers or Nurses to write their own Words of Wisdom in. It's not yet completed....but will be a nice keepsake or motivational tool for the patient in the midst of treatment.

   

Some of my other favorite words of wisdom come from famous Presidents, authors, artists, leadership experts, the Bible, etc. Such as....

I never really enjoyed history while I was in school...but there is truth to the saying that you have to know your past to know where you're going in the future. These tried and true quotes and sayings had real bearing on me during my treatment and recovery. But I had to be mindful of this: be humble enough to accept and respect the words of those who have been there before you. It may not have been specifically written with cancer journeys in mind, but "Never, never, ever give up!" certainly can apply to your situation.

Thanks for reading my blog. I am open to suggestions on what to write about in the future. Next time, I post, it will be a guest blog from WhatNext.com. Check them out...they are a great resource that matches like diagnoses so you can vent, ask questions, and receive support from others who have walked the same path you are going through right now. 

Blessings to you all,

Lisa

Optional (and suggested!) Ingredients to Survivorship....

Hello again folks. In the final installment of my series on "The 5 Ingredients to Survivorship" I have a few additional options to add. Just like when a cake calls for "optional" ingredients such as nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips, I too have some options to add to my list of ingredients...in fact, these are some things I would highly recommend. To recap, my 5 Ingredients to Survivorship are: a great medical team, a super support system, faith, a positive attitude, and healthy living. If you've forgotten or missed a blog or two, they are available to refer back to on the right side of this post. So...onto the task at hand:

Optional ingredient #1: the Arts
After our journeys with treatment, Cancer survivors are quite concerned with finding their "new normal." In my case it was no different. I left a career as an Elementary Art Teacher when I was diagnosed with AML Leukemia, and due to a severely decreased immune system, there was no way I could go back to my old job with a classroom of 20+ sniffling young students. So, I had to reinvent my career. Fortunately, for me, I was an arts lover to begin with. The arts have been proven to help the healing process when faced with al sorts of things: depression, divorce, health issues, tragedies of war, and so many other uncertainties. For example, just look at the two examples below. One is from a student survivor of the Sandy Hook Elementary killings and the other a child patient explaining his experience at a hosptial.

Ok, these are both examples from children, but did you know that artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) suffered from childhood polio. Later, in 1925, she was in a traffic accident that left her in pain for the remainder of her life. Her famous series of self-portraits enabled her to objectify her physical sufferings, as well as the emotional turmoil resulting from her turbulent marriage to painter Diego Rivera. Other artists - such as Vincent Van Gogh who struggled with mental illness, Henri Matisse after a serious operation found it too painful to hold a paintbrush and turned to scissors in his final years, and Auguste Renoir taped a paintbrush to his wrist after suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. They all found their "new normal" and adapted to their new limitations in order to continue to thrive after their diseases/illnesses.

I have always been a theater/movie lover as well. Being in the audience and watching a musical production or a dramatic movie takes me away to another world. I forget about my issues for a while and I am lost in the storyline. Sometimes we relate to a specific character and can see our problems in a whole new way...perhaps even find a new way to deal with it.

To read a novel, or watch a play can have the same effect....but many authors attempt to resolve their issues by creating these stories we find so captivating and enveloping. They are healing as they write, and we are healing as we read.

And then their is music...I did used to play two instruments. Never composed anything myself, but simply reading sheet music and playing...allowed me an escape as well. What do you think Kelly Clarkson was writing about in her song "Stronger"? A personal experience of her own? Probably...although you and I may think about something very different. All in all...the effect is the same. The song will help us see our experiences in a new light and we begin to heal.

So seek out the arts when you are trying to or even after you have beaten cancer. It'll do your heart and mind good.

Stay tuned for the last installment - and one last optional ingredient - of the 5 Ingredients of Survivorship.

Blessings to you all,
Lisa

Survivorship Ingredient #5

Ever wonder why you got cancer? I remember way back in High School in health class...my teacher told us that everyone is born with cancer cells in their bodies. When someone is diagnosed with cancer, it is because their lifestyle choices activated those cells and produced the disease. Makes sense, right?

As we all know, there are risk factors for certain kinds of cancer....the major one that comes to mind is smoking...which often causes lung cancer. Or excessive alcohol use may lead to liver cancer. Scientific research is ongoing regarding GMO's (genetically modified organisms) in fruits and vegetables, toxins in food colorings, diet soda products where the combination of caffeine and aspartame can be deadly...and the list goes on. Also in the past decade there has been a lot in the news about obesity, lack of exercise, and the health risks associated with those as well.

Early on in my diagnosis with Leukemia, my sister gave me two books that have had a tremendous impact on me. "Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor" and "Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips" both by Kris Carr. You see, Ms. Carr was diagnosed in 2004 with an inoperable, untreatable, incurable type of cancer. She had no other option but to treat herself with good nutrition...and her story has exploded from there, creating a rush on "green" smoothies, healthy eating, and organic growing. She recently turned a very horrific diagnosis into 10 years of "Thrivership." Have I mentioned she's my hero? Check out her site: http://kriscarr.com/ I'm sure you'll be inspired by her, too.

If you haven't guessed by now, my fifth ingredient to Survivorship is HEALTHY LIVING!

I recently had a total knee replacement...which (odd as it may seem) according to my Orthopedic surgeon, was needed because the bones in my knee joint were dead and deteriorated due to....yep, all the medications I had been on after my bone marrow transplant. Wow! That was enough for me to say "Alright, I'm going to start going all-natural, using homeopathic remedies for illnesses, no more chemicals in my hair and skin products, and no more cancer-causing foods, drinks, or anything else that could harm my body and bring me back to all the pain of cancer and that knee replacement surgery. 

I've done a lot of research on this in the past several months and began making changes in what I buy at the grocery store, how we cook our food, product ingredients I now know to avoid, and have begun to exercise more frequently. And you know what? If you make these changes in your lifestyle as well, you will see the benefits, too. Such as 1) feeling better - less headaches, gastro problems, a better immune system; 2) lose weight without those gimmicky diets and supplements; and 3) best of all, reduce your risk of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and so much more. You only get one body, might as well treat it well and make it last as long as you can.

In the words of Spock "Live Long and Prosper."

Blessings,Lisa

For healthy eating and product suggestions check out my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/CancerKaleidoscope

And website's Health & Wellness page: http://www.cancerkaleidoscope.com/health--wellness.html

I update frequently so check back often for the latest in healthy living. 

Ingredient #4 to Cancer Survivorship

If you've been following the posts, we are now onto the next "ingredient" to Cancer Survivorship. You see, I associated my cancer journey and Survivorship to making a cake. If you make a cake from scratch, and leave out just one ingredient, well....let's say, it flops! That is the way I felt about my cancer journey. I've been in remission 4 1/2 years now from Leukemia and after my recovery, I felt that if I was missing just one piece of my "recipe", I don't believe that my situation would have turned out quite as well as it has.

So to refresh your memories, I've covered the first 3 ingredients thus far:
1) a great medical team
2) a great support system
3) faith in God (or whatever higher power you believe in)
and now,
4) a positive attitude.

Now I've always been a glass-half-full kind of gal. Where I got that attitude from I'm not really sure, but I know that I have always been driven by the example set by my parents, friends in high school who had lofty goals, and especially my Aunt...who (without children of her own) took all of her nieces and nephews under her wing to guide them, share special times with them, and loved them unconditionally with the utmost confidence.

So that fateful day when a hematologist/oncologist I had met just once, dropped that bomb on me so frankly and without any bedside manner whatsoever, told me I had Leukemia...I was as stunned as anyone else who had stood before me in the shoes of a patient receiving a similar diagnosis. The one thing I did not do that day, was ask "why me?" Thus began my journey with a positive attitude. Never mind that we were re-directed from the Mayo Clinic to the University of Nebraska Medial Center for treatment. Huh? we said...but isn't Mayo the "best?" Well, not for me it turns out....UNMC is a Leukemia/Lymphoma research facility and it just so happens that we had spent 8 1/2 years there back in the early 1990's as my husband's first military duty station. We still knew friends there...which was a blessing...and my husband could transfer bases...another blessing! All positive vibes...

Fast forward to the first days of my hospital stay (about 8 weeks) with our 3 children left behind in another state being cared for my friends (we were 1500 miles from our nearest relatives). Positivity had kicked in: I HAD to believe they were in good hands, so that I could focus on MY task at hand...to heal. My husband, Chris, was by my side 24/7. I had the best medical team I could ever hope for, and we had found my bone marrow donor. All positive outcomes...again, I was able to focus on getting well. Cards and letters and artwork from my students starting pouring in. My husband posted them on my walls and just to look at all the "get well," "thinking of you," and "we miss you" cards always lifted my spirits and attitude. Without those decorating my walls, my room would have been just a gloomy, grey hospital room with a view of a brick building outside my window.

The second time I was in the hospital, Chris was relieved by my Aunt Leslie for about 10 days. Now she is a big lover of "Life is Good" t-shirts, sweatshirts, PJs, and anything that bears that motto.  The moment she entered my room for the very first time, she slapped a round, blue and green "Life is Good" magnet on my door. That turned out to be very symbolic...from then on, anyone who entered my room knew that they were entering a room where a positive thinking patient, who knew they were going to make it was fighting as hard as she could. I soon adopted "Life is Good" as my own motto. After all, there were so many other people on the floor, in the hospital, in the world, who were much worse off than I was.

Oh yea, I certainly did have my days where the tears would pour down my face, I didn't want to wake up or eat, or would nap most of the day. But as my friend and "Look Good Feel Better" consultant, Peg, reminded me. "It's OK to cry and be down...just allow yourself that 10-15 minute Pity Party, then count your blessings and come back with a smile." That was probably the best advice I received while I was in the hospital...and in life in general.

You see, if you have a "poor me," "I'm going to die," "there's no hope for me" attitude, you mind thinks it and your body feels the signals. A positive attitude is KEY to Survivorship....to meeting your goals, to achieving your dreams, and to anything in life that you want to accomplish.

I'll close now with a poem my best friend and Valedictorian from my High School Class read as part of her Commencement speech. It has stuck with me to this day, and I have it prominently placed where I can read it often.

A few books you  might be interested in if you are in need of developing a strong, positive attitude. By the way, my bookcase wall has a whole shelve devoted to books like this. Enjoy!

"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and it's all small stuff" by Richard Carlson, PhD.

"Words to Lift Your Spirits" by Dale Brown

"Light from Many Lamps" edited by Lillian Eichler Watson

"50 Things that Really Matter" a Gift Book from Hallmark

"The Ultimate Pocket Positives" compiled by Maggie Pinkey

"Leaves of Gold" edited by Clyde Francis Lytle

The #3 ingredient to Survivorship

Well, I'm back again. Had a little set-back with my total knee replacement (an infection) and spent the first 3 days of this week in the hospital. I was SO close to a full recovery and then I had to ask "Why?" Why so close and now I'm back in pain (again) and another 3 weeks of recovery. At this time, I'm really starting to wonder if I'm ever going to be pain free and healthy ever again. Which brings me to the 3rd ingredient I believe is important to Survivorship....FAITH.

I was raised Catholic and regular Sunday mass was a given in my household growing up. Throughout college, I was still faithful, but did not attend mass unless I was at home. My husband and I were married in a Catholic church, raised our children Catholic, and always believed there was eternal life at the end of my life here on earth. So faith, was nothing new to me. As I grew older, my faith depended with experiences I had lived through. 

When I was diagnosed with AML Leukemia in September 2008, it never occurred to me to ask "Why me, God?" as I was always taught that He had a higher plan for our lives and that we may not understand it right away, but in time, we might. My husband and I were also taught that everything happens for a reason. So be it....I had cancer. 

Now others I know who are not as faithful or religious, DO ask "Why me?", immediately start making "deals" with God if he'll just get rid of the cancer or whatever disease or hardship they may be going through, or become so angry that such a devestating diagnosis be handed to them without any reason whatsoever. As my Dad always used to say, "sometimes it takes a 2 x 4 whacked upside your head" to see the light.

From the beginning of my recovery process, many friends and family would send inspirational books, messages, cards and letters to cheer me on...and began to believe I would survive this. They encouraged me with "Life is Good" products...because really, life WAS good....there are many people in this world who are so much worse off then I was. Think of amputees, people starving in third world countries, and homeless folks sleeping in cardboard boxes in our very own country. I knew...with a strong faith, and God on my side, that he would pull me through this. Or "carry me" as the well-known "Footprints" poem points out. 

I prayed every morning and thanked the Lord for getting me through the night. I prayed every night and thanked him for the great support team and medical team that I had, and for getting me through the pain of the day. The phrase "If God brings you to it, He will get you through it" became a favorite saying of mine. I also became close friends with the hospital Chaplain...who visited me regularly for sometimes an hour at a time...and never excused herself because she had other patients to attend to. I read Psalms of Healing, and daily devotions that helped me understand that it is God's WILL to heal us. I prayed for strength. I even prayed for my past loved ones to come to me in my dreams and give me hope (many of them had passed from cancer). And one night they did! I had a vision of a cloud, all puffy and white amidst a beautiful blue sky. As my dream progressed, one by one, my Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunts, Uncles and friends who had passed before me showed up on this gorgeous cloud. Even my long-lost pets were there...each guiding me and speaking words of healing, support, love, and telling me everything would be ok. This may sound silly to those of you who have never believed in such messages, or even in Heaven. But it made an incredible impression on me that night...and I knew that with my faith, belief, and devotion to my God, I would beat cancer and SURVIVE. I truly believed it was not my time to go...that God had more plans for my life, work to be done, and a difference to make. And so it has come true....with the creation of www.cancerkaleidoscope.com and my passion to Relay for Life.

So, whether you have always had faith in a higher power, or have just begun your journey to know your God through an unfortunate diagnosis handed to you, I don't believe either one is stronger than another. The point is this, without faith...what CAN you believe in? What can you HOPE for? Without faith...you have nothing.

Just because you can't see it doesn't mean
it isn't there. You can't see the future,
yet you know it will come; you can't see the air,
yet you continue to breathe. ~ - Claire London

Best Laid Plans.....

Well...my goal each week - 10 days is to post on this blog. However, sometimes the best laid plans fall to the wayside due to unexpected circumstances. 

On February 14, 2013 (yes, Valentine's Day), I was in surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center undergoing a total knee replacement. I was very anxious and nervous. It was actually my first time ever in surgery....no, I still have my tonsils, appendix, adnoids, and have never had a C-section with any of my 3 children. So, although I was dealing with severe knee pain and my orthopedic doctor had recommended this procedure, ultimately, it was "optional" in my mind.

It was also very different from my experience with cancer (AML Leukemia) even. That was a life-threating situation...I had no choice at the time to follow my doctors "orders" and undergo chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and all the meds that go with it in order to survive. And yes....I was determined that it was NOT my time to go either.

So, back to the point. Best laid plans.....my orthopedic surgeon had told me that there was an approximate 6 week recovery period. No driving or swimming (I terribly miss my water aerobics classes) for 6 weeks. In-home physical therapy 3 times a week for 2-3 weeks and I opted for 4 weeks. Why? the pounding on my knee to assure the new prosthetic knee was properly and securely in place resulted in a severe case of sciatica. OMG....during week 3 I could barely stand straight up! I was hunched over in pain. I sought additional PT to get me through that misalignment and also a chiropractor who swore he wouldn't touch my new knee (and he didn't) to relieve what was excrutiating pain. I am now in week 5 of recovery and thankfully feeling much better. I am even walking around the house without a cane. Yeah!

So needless to say, the recovery period on top of the sciatica had me virtually laid out flat for a few weeks to say the least. My daughter's request for help with her fashion show (to construct shoes for her models) went undone. Facebook posts went out the window. Nevermind, tending weekly to my website (wwww.cancerkaleidoscope.com).And oh...you should have seen how many hundreds of emails I had when I finally got around to checking my inbox!  Unfortunately, I even missed an order for a suncatcher that was put through my website. 

The bright side: I had incredible caregivers! My husband and aunt where there to help me with chores, give me rides, make choices for me that I simply was afraid to do, and at the 4 week mark, even took me to the movies to see a flick I had been waiting for since it's announcement many months ago. My youngest son did much of the cooking. My middle son, did most of the transporting his younger brother to and from friends houses, taekwondo classes and confirmation class. My oldest daughter (the fashion designer) called and texted constantly to see how I was doing. Calls, texts, and cards came in from friends and family...and even a care package from my sister with a lovely, handmade get well card from my 10 year old neice. I was in such pain...but prayed for strength each day and thanked our Lord every day for being alive and blessed with a wonderful support system. 

So, my apologies to my followers for neglecting to blog. You see...I am a total gal with a glass half full. I imagined being back to my simple little desk job in 3 weeks. That I would at least be able to sit at my computer a little each day. But sometimes even a strong sense of positivity and the best laid plans fall by the wayside. Lesson learned: listen to your body, rest, be patient, and take the time you need to heal. Soon enough you'll be back on your feet and raring to go once again. 

So....I'm back...and next time I blog, it will be the #3 ingredient in my recipe for Survivorship! Stay tuned....

Blessings,
Lisa

If you or someone you know is needing care, check out this website:
https://mycancercircle.lotsahelpinghands.com/caregiving/home/

It allows for coordination of schedules, meals, rides, etc. so that there is no stone unturned and the patient gets the help he/she needs. 

I wish I had known about this during my cancer recovery, when virtually EVERY neighbor brought lasagna to us for dinner!

Survivorship Indgredient #2

So sorry to take so long with the post you've been waiting for. My journey with cancer is not over yet...as I continue to struggle with illnesses that last 6 weeks or longer and upcoming knee replacement surgery.  The bones in my knee have "died" due to lack of circulation to the joint as a result of the medications I have been on through chemo, bone marrow transplant and beyond. Without further ado...

Ingredient #2 of Survivorship = Great support system

My daughter, Cassie, my Sister & Donor, Amy, and myself after the transplant

What is a support system? I believe it is made up of friends and family who stand by you during your journey, whatever that journey may be. Let's start with family....

Family stands by you through thick and thin. When I was going through treatments for Leukemia, my husband was there in my hospital room, 95% of the time. There were times when I was sleepy and said "just go home, no need to be here when I'm not awake." But he stayed anyway. He had the extremely difficult job of telling our three children that Mom had Leukemia....yes, cancer.  I really don't know what transpired during that conversation....all I know is that they didn't talk to me about it very much. Out of fear maybe? They had never seen me in the hospital before let alone with a bunch of wires in my arm, attached to a chemo pole. Only one of my children was old enough to drive at the time, and she visited me on her own when she could. Otherwise, Dad would bring them to see me all together. They'd visit for a short while and then run off to the cafeteria, tour the hospital taking pictures, etc. We'd chat on the phone every few days and text, too. As kids do (between the ages 10-17) they world revolves around them, and I was good with those distractions. They visited because I NEEDED to see them and be with them. Even if they were quietly watching  TV in the room, or texting their friends on their cell phones.

My father came to visit with my step-mother for the FIRST time ever since we became a military family. Years of emotional separation were healed on that visit. My brother and sister came, too, and my Aunt took over as caregiver for 10 days while my husband went home to round up our kids from friends of the family. My best friend was there for me via phone. My Mom even traveled 1,500 miles to "help" me when she was going through treatment herself. She literally was vomiting outside JCPenney's while we were out shopping for curtains for my new house. She didn't care....it was all about me and taking care of her daughter, like Mom's never fail to do...even when their children are 40+ years old.

Being a career Air Force family, we lived many miles from family. That is where my friends stepped in right at the day of diagnosis. My children's best friends parents graciously offered to take in the kids while I was sent two states away for treatment. For how long? no one really knew. They did it anyway. And they also arranged for the kids to get together to see each other as they all went to different schools. Of course, there are no words to describe the gratitude I feel toward these friends even to this day. They held our family together when we as parents needed it most.

Me in my 7th floor room at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

I used to teach Art in a variety of settings before my diagnosis. I was also Cubmaster for our Cub Scout Troop. The nurses claimed that I had the "best decorated room" on the 7th floor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. It was true....the teachers and parents that  I had worked with all sent tons of get well wishes, paintings, drawings, photographs, etc. and I adorned my room with them all. Those drawings made me smile each and every day for the 100 days I was in the OSHU. My daughter's boss at a local coffee shop initiated a fundraiser as well as my youngest child's school, to help offset costs. Cards and letters from supporters and well-wishers were always posted on the walls to keep me smiling.

In addition, I signed up for www.caringbridge.org, to keep everyone in touch. Friends of friends I have never met sent me messages and prayers. My family's friends put me on their prayer chains and still ask how I'm doing even to this day.

So, to recap the first two ingredients of Survivorship:

#1 - a great medical team and 

#2 - a great support system.

Stay tuned for the #3 ingredient....

Blessings to you all,

Lisa Lathrop

Owner/Artist

www.cancerkaleidoscope.com

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