COPING WITH CANCER MAGAZINE

It is a new day, a new dawn, a new year....

 and time to get moving!!

 

 

Some of you may have noticed, I have been quiet for a while.  I have allowed life to get me moving in some areas and slowing me down in others.  I think it happens to all of us.  You get so busy with life, with its ups and downs, good and bads and you forget things, or you get a bit discouraged, or you are just trying to hang on like everyone else at times.  Regardless of the case, we need to give ourselves a break, a breather, a pat on the back and if need be, pick ourselves up from the boot straps and move forward.  So before I tell you what this blog is really about let me tell you about me for the last few months. 

 

First of all, let me tell you that I have TREMENDOUS faith in my book!  I wrote it with the sincere, hopeful, eyes of a child who wanted to help others in a horrible situation with a little bit of laughter, kindness and reality.  I wanted to say hey this sucks for all of us, this is the hardest thing we have probably ever gone through, but we can do it, we can make it, and we can actually laugh about it a little.

 

With that said, the book has lead me on some amazing journeys!  It has truly been incrediable.  It is a two time award winner!  Independent Publishers - Highlighted Title and Living Now Award 2011 which the ladder I had the honor of taking my eighty year old mother to New York City to accept, which just ended up being the times of our lives!

 

I have had such honors as speaking for support groups all over Southern California and have been flown to Florida to speak at the National Conference for FORCE - Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered - addressing hereditary cancers.  I have spoken for Susan G. Komen, American Cancer Society and many others.  It has truly been amazing!

 

I have spoken on Nationally Syndicated Radio Shows and have had the book reviewed on them as well.  Again just truly amazing and mind boggling at times!

 

I don't tell you all this to toot my horn, journeys are not always easy.  I have made decisions to work hard and around the clock to get out the word about my book, I have lost friends (some misplaced) because of misunderstandings or not the willingness to stand behind me and see what I can do, and my fault for putting this first.  I tell you this because it has been amazing!  But for a moment I thought I have not helped all I have wanted to yet and for a minute I gave up.  I stepped back and even with all this mentioned I felt I was not doing enough and stopped.

 

In this moment, I did some amazing things!  I ran eight half marathons, I hiked and camped on Santa Cruz Island, I hiked the Grand Canyon from rim to rim, I got to hang out with two of my dear friends on a visit to California and I zipped lined for the first time and was terrified. I truly lived life, but all the while the book was in my mind and heart.  For two reasons. One I so want to help others, and two because I have some just awesome people who do believe in me, who have stood by me, even when I gave up and let me have my moment without saying a word and those people I want to make proud!  I want to sell this book to pay off some loans that I took out in my journey to help others and I want to help...bottom line help! 

 

So now I am to why I am writing this blog, the reason, the time to get moving!  In my moment of giving up it is funny how things come to light, how all of a sudden you are hit in the face with ..what are you thinking?  When I was going through my journey of cancer, I had decided to put a hold on reading, another reason I wrote this book, because all the books I could find, kept me sad or worried and did not help me laugh or move on, but I did keep reading Coping with Cancer Magazine.  It was real, it had real people and gently gave you ideas, help and support! 

 

Well here, here is my moment! 

 

I full fourteen years later Coping with Cancer has decided to feature me in their magazine!  Can you believe it!  Life has come full circle and my little book that I have quietly prayed would help others has been featured in a magazine that helped me!!

 

 

 

 

So..I am back in the game!  I am here to drive you nuts until I get everyone one of these last books out there and into that hands of someone who needs it!  I got the push I needed.  Makes you wonder about who did the pushing doesn't?  I mean I think it was a sign and that this is going to be a very good year!

 

So, if you are reading this!  Spread the word! Help someone else!  Buy a book for a loved one,  friend, family, neighbor, someone at chruch or work, make them laugh when they need to laugh most. Or go to my website and just buy a book to be donated.  I have donated several books to different hospitals all over the US, Canada and the UK and hope do donate even more, but at this point I can only do it with your help!

 

And I wanted to show you in the mist of all the everyday gals...me.  Just in case you have not seen me before.  A face with a name so to speak.  Here I am in the picture from Coping with Cancer Magazine as it talks about how Dragon Boating was a life saver for me...don't know that?  You will have to read the book to find out!

 

 

 

 

In closing I need to pick one of the Everyday Gals to depict who I feel like today or how am I feeling!  And I will pick the most important one to me, the one I talk about in all my speeches, the one I forgot for just a moment...the cheerleader!  Because no matter what we are going through, were we have been or what life is teaching us we ALWAYS, ALWAYS need to never forget to .....

 

CHEER OURSELVES ON!!







Mirror Makeovers and Savvy Insights - Inspirational Cancer Video

Take a look at this video!! 

It was made by Cancer Survivors for Cancer Survivors!

See how the book works....

and then tell us who you are today!!!

Stay tuned for upcoming stories of the gals in this video and what they are doing today!!

Welcome to a New Day...

Here it is, a brand new day.  Funny how we forget we can start over...everyday...new!  Oh sure there are things that follow us around but most of the time we can just move forward, start over, and begin new.  I had an old boyfriend, years ago, that use to tell me that every night he went to bed he would "hang" all his worries on the coat rack in his room.  When he did this, he would sleep well with no worries and to his amazement, there were some things left over in the morning that he just had to deal with, but for the most part the small worries were gone.  It's not a bad idea.  I don't always do it, but I try to remember it from time to time to make my worries less, and it does seem to work.  So, I suggest to give it a try!

And that is one reason I wanted to start this blog.  To some how make our worries less.  To deal with our emotions head on, face them, scream, yell or jump for joy (these can last longer of course) and then move forward.  That is one reason I wrote the book, to deal with what we really don't want to deal with and then move forward.  Life gives us days....good ones and bad ones, happy ones and sad ones, long ones and short ones and we always seem to manage to get through.  Sometimes I think the bad part is that we never stop to see them and our surrounding, and I mean really "see" them.  We are so busy doing something we don't like or working somewhere we don't like or dealing with how busy we are, that we forget in the midst of everything, there is beauty.  For example, and for those of you who have gone through chemo, I am sure you will understand.  One of the hardest things about "chemo" day was just even getting in the car to go to the hospital, sometimes this took everything I had.  And as lucky as I am that I have a wonderful Mother that did not miss one visit, we would pile in the car for the first few trips and not say a word.  I would be screaming inside and trying to act like it was okay and of course, she would just be at a lose for words.  Til one day, I was waiting to get in the car, and in her garden were the most beautiful daffodils.  I stood looking at them in amazement of how they just looked so happy and seemed to be singing with their bright mouths open and for some un-known reason, the song from OKLAHOMA popped in my head.  You know the one "Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day, I have a wonderful feeling every things going my way".  And I shared this with my Mom.  Well from then on, we decided that no matter how we were feeling on the way to chemo, we would sing this song.  So, my wonderful mom and my bald little self would pile in the car, get all strapped in and sing all the way to chemo as loud as we could, like two goofs.  But...it helped and it made us laugh and it got us there in a better frame of mind.  And this works for other things in life and I will share more about that in this blog later, but for now deal with what you need to deal with and try and notice something good, even if it is just a small yellow flower and if what you are dealing with is not your favorite thing, then concentrate on this small "good" item. 

And then pick a gal that helps. 

Really you will be amazed at how this helps!  For anything in life, a job interview, a big decision, a diet.  Pick a gal that describes how you feel, honor that emotion, deal with it and then conquer the day!!!  You can do it!!!  And then share with us how you are feeling!  What gal you picked.  It is safe here and we are all sharing our emotions, so join in!  I will show you how.  Scroll down the side and read about all the gals and then pick one.  For example today, I feel like the Cheerleader!!  I am excited about this blog, excited about getting all of you involved and excited about my day so...I am the Cheerleader!!! 

Who are you today???