It's everywhere

There are SMALL advantages to having breast cancer; they don't make it "worth it" and they're not gifts (I've paid heavily, thank you very much!) but I take what I can get. One is that when I get telephone solicitors seeking donations, my truthful story that "I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and all of our charitable funds are going towards that cause," really gets them off my back.

Today, just a minute ago, the call was a bit different. I politely told the lady from the Seattle Aquarium my line, and she said, "I'm so sorry. My mom died of breast cancer 38 years ago, and I know how that is." The woman then asked me questions, commiserated with me, and told me that she was 25 when her mom passed away. It was obvious that she still misses her mother, and that she needed to talk about it for a minute. She mentioned how barbaric the treatments were; I agreed with her. I know that the treatments were worse then, and the prognosis was worse...but I couldn't help but think of being slashed (mastectomies, node dissection, hysterectomy/oopharectomy, port), burned (radiation...oh that was rough!), and poisoned (chemo; I will never forget my allergic reaction, in addition to the "normal" chemo side effects. Slashed, burned, and poisoned...I am convinced there must be a better way!

These conversations only strengthen my resolve to find a cure. Fast. Of course, looking at some stats, it will be a miracle if I live to see Tessa at 25; I want much much much much much more than that.

Fighting with every minute!

Kristina

Tessa and Santa

Tessa loves to visit Santa! Here's a memory shot of Tessa with Santa when she was a baby, alongside Nina and Lexi (I love that shot!); and here are this year's Santa pics: Santa and Tessa, and then Tessa with Lexi & Nina again. This year all three girls had fun...but it really brought back the memories to see them together with Santa again. Tessa was doing only the cheesiest of smiles, and then this tongue picture....so much for showing off her pretty face! The tongue picture does capture some of who she is right now, though...silly and playful.

I am healing well. As a matter of fact, I did a dinner party for 10 yesterday (my dad's birthday) and recovered just fine. Hurrah! And now I'm off to run 100 errands...!

Love,
Kristina

Then & Now

I thought it was time for a then and now post. There I am, the day before my mastectomy with Carolyn & Susan; then the bald pictures....which coincide with the fat pictures; then, a body shot after losing a lot of weight; and then the most recent body shot (lost even more weight) at Halloween. (These may be mixed up in order, so you'll have to use your imaginations!) Things have changed, and this Thanksgiving I have a lot to be grateful for. (I should get a "hair shot" where I'm not wearing a long sparkly wig...!)

Love,
Kristina

Home again and doing well

I got home from the hospital on Tuesday night, earlier than anticipated, but I've been pretty out of it until today so haven't been on to update. I'm still loopy from Vicodan and need my afternoon nap, but I did have enough energy for a short post.

My new breast is tiny and bruised, but she shows potential. And the implant exchange on the other side went well, with almost NO pain post-surgery, and looks and feels almost exactly like a real breast (instead of the rock that it felt like with the expander in place).

Today I got the drains removed - hurrah. Those things are necessary, of course, but felt evil. This time, getting them pulled hurt...but it's done and that's a good thing.

I have felt surrounded by friends and family. My mom is staying with us until tomorrow to help care for us and I'm truly grateful.

I'm on Vicodan for pain and today I've been up for the first time, and actually left the house to go to the coffee shop (LOVE C&P!) and then to the plastic surgeon's office to have the drain removed...so I'm a bit wiped out now, and ready for a nap. But I love that with each passing hour I feel a bit better, and that I will continue to get better and better with no major setbacks looming on the horizon. HURRAH!

I'm loopy from the meds but let's see if I can get this thought down:

When I was first diagnosed, and had my mastectomy, I told Tessa "It's okay. One day the doctors will build me a new breast," and that thought carried me through some dark and dismal days. "One day" seemed like it would never come, but I held the thought. Well, that day finally did come, and I'm so glad of it. Seventeen months without a breast felt like ENOUGH, and I feel, as this new body part grows to resemble what it is replacing, that maybe I can put some of this behind me and move on to my real life...the one post-treatment. Sure, I'll be taking Femara, getting scans regularly, going for Herceptin infusions, talking to my oncologist etc....but the really really hard stuff is behind me and that is worth celebrating. "One day" has finally arrived!

Love,
Kristina

Surgery Update- Success!

Hi All

This is a short note from Ryan (aka the hubby) that Kristina's reconstruction surgery went very well today. Both Dr Miles and Kristina are very happy with the result. Kristina, and her TWO breasts, will be recovering at Swedish (main hosptial corner of Broadway and Madison) for the next few days and is currently in Room 812 SW. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and well wishes. Thank you Grammy and Grampa for taking Tessa and Shep on a jaunt in the Motor coach and thank you Marisa for coming to hang out at the hosptial with the spouse for a few hours while he awaited the results. The next post will probably come from Kristina in the next few days

Stomach flu update

Tessa napped for two hours (unheard of!) and she's up and feeling MUCH better. Hurrah! We've cancelled all social plans but we're going to run a couple of errands to prepare for the busy week(s) ahead....

Please, just no more barf, that's all I ask.....!

Tessa has the stomach flu

In 24 hours I am supposed to leave for the hospital to have surgery, and my baby has the stomach flu. WAHHHHHH! She woke up and said, "My tummy hurts" which she never, ever does (some kids talk about sore this and sore that, but Tessa doesn't ever mention things like that, so when she does I really stand up and take notice) and she's thrown up a couple of times this morning, despite the fact that she didn't eat a bite of breakfast. We are laying low and I'm doing my best to take care of her; we've read stories, and we've had a bubble bath together, and lots of snuggling in the rocking chair has occurred. However, right now she's under the covers, blanket and bear and two mermaid dolls in hand, looking pale and saying "Mommy I just want to rest."

Wahhhh. My poor, sweet girl does not need this now any more than I do! She's a bit anxious about my surgery, too, I think, and about being apart from me for a long time (5 nights in the hospital for me, and then I won't be able to care for her for a while after that), and I had set aside this day as a "fun" day to play together and just enjoy each other. We were going to meet the Hisatomi's to play together, and then meet the Landahl family at the children's museum in Bellevue to play and have dinner at Red Robin, and needless to say, that's off the calendar.

I can't wait until the Christmas holidays. By then, this will be a memory, and I'll be living my regularly scheduled life!!!

Less than 48 hours 'til a boob job

I have known since the day I was diagnosed that I would do reconstruction. I have not wavered, not one little bit, in that decision, and I am not wavering now.

However...I was diagnosed nearly a year and a half ago, and on Friday I'm going to do reconstruction on the treated side. That's a year and a half of cancer treatment, and I'm so, so, so tired of it all. I took a break from anything major from June (when I was mostly healed from my lat flap) until now, only doing Herceptin & Femara for treatment (and the usual bloodwork, onc visits, etc.). On Friday, I will be back in the hospital, and I will feel horrible, and I can't believe that I'm about to enter that land again!

It's worth it. I know that. But it's very hard to say, "I know I feel good now but I'll feel pretty lousy soon," and to do it voluntarily.

I want two breasts. I DESERVE two breasts. We all do! I guess I just want a pep talk of some sort...anyone???

Volunteer Job!

I have been anxiously awaiting a call from the local Komen office to discuss my participation in the Race for the Cure Committee this year, and it just came in. I'll be working on website content (using my writing and marketing knowledge) as my primary task, and I'll also be on their list of who to call when they need help. I'm ready to get my hands dirty....I am fighting breast cancer on as many fronts as possible!

The Race for the Cure and the Breast Cancer 3-Day are each incredibly worthy events. The Race's funds go primarily to the local (Puget Sound) affilliate, and those funds are used to support underserved and underinsured women with awareness, mammograms, and treatments. I almost took it for granted during my treatment, but I would have had a whole different set of problems if I couldn't afford tests and treatments. Every woman deserves a mammogram, regardless of income, and The Race tries to see that every woman has that kind of access, and that no woman is denied treatment due to lack of funds. I am giving my time to this important cause, with the belief that every woman needs the kind of care that I received during my diagnosis and treatment, and that money should not be an obstacle in receiving such care.

The 3-Day's funds go primarily to research to find the cure. The Komen Foundation gets most of their research money through the 3-Day, and that is why I am on a team again for 2007 to raise even more money for the 3-Day than we did last year. My only hope of sleeping well at night when Tessa is a woman is the hope that we will cure breast cancer in the next twenty years, and research is the only way to do that. I am passionate about fundraising for the 3-Day, and that is why I will be soliciting money from all of my friends and family when it's time for that event next year.

Two events for the same organization, with different goals, and I'm proud to be a part of each of them. I am ready to get my hands dirty (as they say) and dive into the hard work that is ahead. It is something I will do with passion and drive, becaues I believe so strongly in the cause. I will continue to support organizations who give to breast cancer causes, and I will model for the Northwest Hope & Healing fashion show, and I will have a hard time saying "no" to anything else that comes up. I'm ready to fight....and I'm so relieved to fight for everyone through the Komen Foundation, and not just to fight for my own life.

Update on the colonoscopy: benign!

I got the call yesterday that my pathology report was clean; the polyp had no cancer. I'm more relieved than I can tell you.

Pumpkin Patch from earlier this month

I'm in picture mode...
Here are some pictures of Tessa and friends (Derek, Paloma, Nina, Lexie) at the pumpkin patch in Woodinville, the South 47 Farm. A wonderful, sunny day!

Trick or Treat in the Junction

We went trick-or-treating in the Junction on Saturday with our friends Jessie (ballerina), Liam (bat boy), Zoe (Stephanie from Lazytown), and Tessa (dragon). I loved the dragon costume; we'd insisted to Tessa that she must wear something warm (NOT a mermaid costume) for trick-or-treating, and she fell in love with the dragon from Grammy. Thanks, Grammy!

Halloween Party!

Here are Tessa, Ryan, and I (aka Ariel, King Rydent, and Ariel's mom....the Mermaid Family!) at the Hisatomi's party last weekend. It was fabulous! The other shot is of Jessie-Ariel, Tessa-Ariel, and Nina-Fairy-Princess.

Surgery date rescheduled

I don't have time to go into the details right now, but due to a scheduling error on the part of my plastic surgeon's office, my surgery has been moved to November 10 at 2pm.

Sigh. I just want to get this thing over with! I am REALLY looking forward to having two breasts, and despite my frustration at the scheduling/postponement, I am deeply excited about seeing the final results.

Colonoscopy update

I had my colonoscopy today, and they found one small polyp and some internal hemmorhoids (sp?). I will hear in 10-14 days what the pathology of the polyp was, but they're not particularly concerned. And now that I've announced the state of my colon on the internet (really, do I have ANY boundaries left?!) I will go so far as to say that I'm actually relieved that there were 'roids, because that might explain some of the blood in the stool that sent me to the colonoscopy in the first place. As long as it's not cancer, I can face it...

Chemo really, really messes with the system. Here I am, ten months after chemo, and my body is still showing wear and tear from it.

I have to state, for the record, that the "drink" (Fleet phospho-soda, I believe) that you have before the colonoscopy procedure is truly the nastiest, most foul, awful, disgusting stuff that has ever passed my lips. I had to have it before my hysterectomy, and I had it twice again to prepare for the colonscopy. It's designed to completely clean out your system, and it is very effective at doing so (here, I will spare you the gross details). The mere thought of it sends me into literal shudders, and makes me gag and choke. Really, can't they come up with something even a bit better?! A couple of hours after taking it, I was throwing up, feeling horrifically nauseated, shaking with chills, and miserable. YUCK. (It is insult to injury here that I have a nasty, nasty cold, with a raspy voice, cough, etc. on top of all this.)

The procedure itself was no big deal, however. The drugs made me happy but lucid enough to watch some of the procedure on the screen - I think I dozed on and off. The "no boundaries left" thing is helpful in situations like this...I've been poked and prodded and cut and such by so many medical procedures that one more doesn't really mean anything to me; I'm able to disassociate from my body somehow to get through it. This is a helpful skill, it's just unfortunate that I've had so many opportunities to practice using it.

I'll update when I have more info about the pathology results.

Oh, and because some have asked....I haven't yet had the additional genetic testing. It's a new procedure...so new that the lab that conducts the testing doesn't have the insurance codes, and the insurance company doesn't have the insurance codes. I'm still working on figuring out if insurance will pay for it, and we'll go from there.

Thursday is my next big medical day, with four appointments: follow up with oncologist, Herceptin, meeting with plastic surgeon, and physical therapy (I'm going to do the treadmill test again...should be interesting!). The plastic surgeon will tell me if I"m ready for surgery on Nov. 7, and I pray that I will be able to go ahead with it. The sooner it's done, the better. I REALLY want to be done with reconstruction by my two year diagnosis anniversary. Isn't two years enough?!

So, I continue on in Medical Land. It's not Cancer Land exactly, but a bordering country.

Kristina

I ran 9 miles!

I can't believe I did it, but yesterday Michele, Susan, Adrienne & I all completed the Halloween 1/2 Marathon in Olympia. We had planned to run half, and walk the other half, and we'd worked out a plan for doing so. Well, we were all overly excited....so we started running more, and walking less....and whaddyaknow, by the end we'd run 9 miles and only walked 4.1! This blows my mind - I really, truly did not know that I had it in me to run so far, and I'm really excited by it.

And, I must add, I have the most amazing friends to run with. The camraderie is fablous, and we're very fortunate to be paced well with one another. We did all but the last minute together (and I'm not ashamed to say that I was LAST!).

Today I've got a nasty, nasty cold, and I've almost lost my voice. I was getting this cold yesterday (I nearly bailed on running the event) but held on....and now the cold is here for real. Coughing, sneezing, congestion, sore throat, laryngitis....it's a real pleasure. (Not.)

And, to make things just a little more fun, I'm preparing for a colonoscopy tomorrow. (Read: I have to drink nasty stuff to clean out my system, and I'm on a 24 hour liquid diet.) I pray that they don't find anything...I'm hoping that my problems are a residual from chemo, and not colon cancer. Tomorrow we'll find out more.

At least as I sit here miserable I can think back to yesterday's glory with the run!

As of now, we (the aforementioned team) are looking at running the Portland Marathon in 2007. If I can run 9 miles with so little training, imagine what I could do with lots of training....! Hopefully, I can run 26 miles in 5 hours or less. (That would NOT set any records. That would be a slow time. But slow is fine with me....and since some people take 6 hours, 5 hours seems like a reasonable goal!)

State of the body

I keep meaning to update here daily...and life gets in the way. This is usually a good thing: I'm doing "normal" things like cleaning the house, taking Tessa to playdates, going running, etc. It's about time. ;-)

I thought, though, that I'd include a body update. Some is good, some is less than perfect, but as long as I'm NED I can accept what I'm given.

Here goes:

Breast cancer: I remain No Evidence of Disease (NED). I get blood work every 3 weeks, and every time it's coming back "perfect." My doctor does not do routine scans (this is a debate in the oncology world, but after reading the studies I agree with her conclusions) but there are no signs or symptoms of breast cancer. Excellent!

Bones: As I mentioned previously, I lost 11% of the bone density in my spine last year. This is not entirely unexpected due to the sudden onset of menopause and the addition of Femara (aromatase inhibitor - removes estrogen from the body) but it's frightening because the numbers are so high. I am trying to counter these effects with diet, exercise, and supplements. I'm running regularly, eating leafy greens and drinking lattes for the milk, and taking 1500mg of calcium + D every day.

Joint pain. This is another cause of concern for me. My first 5 months or so of Femara had no noticable effects, but for the past couple of months I feel like an old, old, old woman. When I've been still for a while (sitting down for dinner, kneeling on the floor to play with Tessa, or, worst of all, waking up in the morning after a night's sleep) my bones HURT. It takes my breath away it's so painful, and I find myself hobbling and gasping because of it. The good news is that this only lasts a short time, and I can "walk it off" but it's a really, truly unpleasant side effect. I refuse to consider going off Femara because it's supposed to be so good for me, but I'm counting down the four years and three months left until I'm done with it.


Lymphedema: My left arm/hand have problems with swelling. My rehab doctor gave me a real lecture last time I saw him, reminding me that people get REAL problems (like staph infections and death) from lymphedema, and I need to take better care of it. That's why you'll see me wearing the ugly sleeve and glove more often these days. It's a lifelong condition, too, which is rather unfortunate. It doesn't hurt all the time but sometimes I feel my arm just throbbing, and when I'm getting a flare-up it aches.

Hot Flashes: Menopause is not particularly fun. I ocassionally have monumental hot flashes that cover my entire body with sweat and make it hard for me to concentrate on anything but how horribly, uncomfortably hot I have become...although fortunately, these hot flashes have lessened and mostly been replaced with more irritating but not overwhelming hot flashes (still hot and uncomfortable, but not so sweaty). Every night I still get them, too, sometimes with night sweats, and this is not great because it disrupts my sleep. There isn't much to do about them: I can't take any form of estrogen/hormone replacement, so I truckon on, hoping that one day they go away.

GI Tract: I'll spare you the gross details, but I'm not healed from chemo, and I have some ugly side effects that are probably just residual from chemo, but I have to have a colonoscopy to check it out. I also have to take Metamucil (sp?) and some prescriptions to see if we can correct the problems, despite my high fiber diet with lots of water, fruits, and veggies.

Mobility: My lat flap (untreated) side looks good, and I can move my arm as much as I desire. My treated side is still tight, however, and I continue to do physical therapy with it to regain full range of motion.

Skin: My skin is still not completely healed from radiation. I will find out on the 26th whether it's ready to go for the next surgery; I'm optimistic about this but there is a chance that it's still too soon.

Reconstruction: The tissue expander on the prophylactic side looks like it's the full size to me, and it looks okay, though it's rotated due to my high levels of activity (which gives it a strange lopsided look). Nov. 7 I'll do the same procedure on my treated side, and I'm looking forward to having two breasts, but dreading the surgery because it was so, so hard (painful) last time. The tissue expander makes my breast ROCK hard - like having a turtle on my chest - but when I get the expanders exchanged for implants (most likely silicone) they should return to a more normal feeling. That's good, because when I hug people I feel like I'm damaging them and me...and I hate that when I snuggle Tessa "it" gets in the way.

Portacath: I have started my second year of Herceptin treatment, and I will keep my portacath for as long as possible to get through that year. The portacath is "loose" and sticks out of my skin (in part due to the reconstruction, in part due to my weight loss), but it's still worthwhile because my veins have a tendancy to close up when a needle walks in the room. I have to remember this when Tessa accidentally bumps it and it makes me yelp in pain...it is worth it, it is worth it!

Hair: While it's not the haircut I desire, I'm pleased that nobody would look at me and think "cancer patient."

Running: A week ago, I ran my first 10k. It took me an hour (9:44 min/mile) which is no land-speed record, but I'm still proud of myself for doing it and not collapsing at the end. I'm scheduled to run/walk a 1/2 marathon at the end of this week, too. Hurrah!

Weight: I no longer count points for WW, but I am still adhering to the WW philosophies as a "lifetime member." My weight fluctuates up and down a couple of pounds, as is normal, and I use the scale as a guide to remind me when it's time to ease back a little. I'm not afraid of a pound or two, but it's important to me that the pounds don't start adding back up, so I'm diligent about staying on top of even a pound or two gain, so that I never have to fight a "big" weight loss battle again. I love my new physique: it's not perfect by any means, but I'm proud of the changes I've made, and the impact they should have on my health.

That's all for now - I'm off to pick up Tessa from Jenny's. Hopefully this post will answer some of the questions I've been getting about how I am: I'm doing very well, despite the unfortunate reminders that cancer treatment has left me with. There are days that I feel like a very old woman...but I can live with that as long as I get to live.

Kristina

PS Okay, one other update: yesteray I got the stomach flu, and today I've been having back spasms. YUCK!

Make a promise!

Will you make your promise to get annual mammograms? I just made my promise, and my little click donated $1 to breast cancer research (The Komen Foundation). The first 50,000 promises each generate a $1 donation from Siemens.

http://www.changethestatistic.com/framework.asp

To the stranger at the cancer resource center today

Dear lady,

I saw you perusing the bookshelves in the breast cancer section; you picked up titles, sighed, put them back. You wore your bald head like a warrior, clearly visible despite the baseball cap covering the top. You looked up at me, giving me space to find my own reading material, and when our eyes met, I saw a lot of pain. You said, "Surely there is something here to help me through a bad day!" and I took a chance, and decided that *I* was the answer, not the books.

"Look in my eyes, " I said, "and you will see yourself in a year. Look at me! Look at my hair - sensible mom hair that I enjoy complaining about - and know that this time next year, you, too will have hair. Look in my eyes: do you see the life there? Do you see how I'm running all over the place, busy with the everyday, despite the fact that I'm here? Do you see my new, strong body? This week, this body took me running 4 times already, and this weekend it will carry me through my first 10k in years. Look in my eyes! You will be like this next year. You will get your life back. You will become busy with the mundane of life, as well as the joys of life. You will still come back to this building, you will still be a woman with a history of breast cancer, but it will not take over your every minute. Look at me, and see yourself. You can do this!"

Last year, I was the bald lady, living from one treatment to the next, and so, so, so scared. This year, I am so much stronger, healthier, and more optimistic. I have bad days, but they are only days...and the rest of the time I spend doing all the things that I wish to do in my life (plus a million chores and errands). My hair has returned; my energy has returned; even my breasts are returning (one surgery at a time!).

You looked at me and cried, gasping "Thank you" and I hugged you - a total stranger - and hoped that some of my strength could pass to you. I hope I didn't cross too many boundaries, but I wanted so much to give you hope, and to let you feel the strength that is mine that will soon be yours again.

Sweet lady, whoever you are, you are in my thoughts and prayers today. I hope that I see you next year, waiting for your annual appointment, a twinkle in your eye and impatience in your feet to get going, to leave the doctor, to go about the business of truly living, and not just of staying alive.

There is a long way between the pain of diagnosis and the heat of treatment to where I am now. There IS another side, and I hope to see you come join me on it soon. Hang in there, sister. You can do this!

Love,
Kristina (the stranger in the breast cancer section of the cancer resource center today)

A long, long overdue thank you

I sent this email to my sponsors today, but I do not have email addresses for everyone, as some visitors to my blog sponsored me and the 3-Day does not share out those addresses. Please accept my humble thanks.
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I have been intending to sit down and write each of you a heartfelt letter of thanks for your donations to the Breast Cancer 3-Day, and for your support of me. I still intend to do just that, but since life has been getting in the way of my doing so, I'm at least starting with an email to you as a means of saying THANK YOU.

The Breast Cancer 3-Day was an amazing experience for me. The weather was perfect, my walking companions were amazing, and my body was cooperative in finishing every step of the sixy miles....but it is you, my sponsors, who really had the greater accomplishment. I raised a total of $6,165.00, and my team raised a total of $30,907.25. I am absolutely in awe that a team of amateur fundraisers could come up with over thirty thousand dollars...and it is all because of you. The Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day raised a total of (are you ready for this?) $6.8 MILLION DOLLARS! That is a lot of mammograms, a lot of shower cards, and (best of all) a LOT of research. Your money really makes a difference. It makes a difference to me, personally, that you are willing to fight against the disease that threatens my life; it makes a difference because your dollars are going to be part of ending breast cancer forever.

The walk itself was nothing short of incredible. I wrote about it on my blog at http://rykri.blogspot.com/2006/08/breast-cancer-3-day-first-installment.html if you would like to look. I met survivors, co-survivors, and people who simply cared enough to walk. (One of these was a man who walked the entire 60 miles in knee-high Doc Marten boots and a utilikilt. I asked him what brought him to the event, and he said, "It's time to cure breast cancer." I asked him how he had been affected by the disease, and he said, "I'm lucky, I don't know anyone with breast cancer." WOW - I consider him a real hero!) My team made me laugh, and made me cry, but every minute was filled with pure joy.

On the walk, I often saw signs saying "Every step counts" and "Every step leads us closer to a cure," but I know that isn't true at all. Every step made me feel good, and healthy, but it is every dollar raised that leads us closer to a cure. Your sponsorship enabled me to do the walk, and your sponsorship is part of finding the cure. I daydream sometimes about how that money raised is being used; I think that maybe the $30,907.25 that my team raised is paying one researcher's salary (they're notoriously underpaid!) and that maybe it's THE researcher, the one that will have a breakthrough that will bring us to a cure.

I am grateful, from the bottom of my heart, for your sponsorship. Thank you so much for choosing to support a cause that is so near and dear to my heart. I believe that we will find a cure, or at least a less heinous treatment plan, by the time my daughter Tessa is a woman old enough to be worried about getting breast cancer. I pray that we will have more breakthroughs before I receive yet another phone call from yet another person with tears in their voice, shaking with emotion, saying,"I have it too." It gives me great comfort to know that the work I am doing, that YOU are doing, is making a difference, and that every day we are one day closer to having answers.

I am not done, though the 3-Day 2006 is over. I hope that you will consider sponsoring me next year when I do the event again - yes, again! - as I continue to fight this disease on both a personal and a public level. Next year I hope that you will sponsor me again, and that you will feel some of the "high" that I feel in knowing that you are a part of the cure. We are not sitting on the sidelines crying: we are fighting to the finish!

Thank you for being at my side, and for carrying me in your thoughts, as I walked. Bless you!