On the Road Again

I am headed to Alabama again for scans today, so I’ll have more updated information soon. However, what a great send off I had this morning! A preview of the latest issue of the Houston Press, with an article called “KACC Mentality”. It’s all about my radio station and the students and what we are trying to do here. The reporter, John Lomax, rocks! Pick up the March 30 issue of the Houston Press if you can.....and say a prayer for good scan results too.......

Facing the Fear

I am constantly amazed at the number of emails I get from people that visit this website, and at the level of depth that they communicate. People from all over the world have shared their experiences with me, along with their best wishes and hopes for other cancer patients.

I am in the process of creating a collection of these “heart messages” (so named because they do come from the heart and mean so much), which I plan to share with you at a later date.

My current challenge is to continue on this bizarre road, with all its ups and downs in the cancer treatment arena. I am doing chemotherapy at M.D. Anderson and radiofrequency ablation at the American Cancer Ablation Center in Gulf Shores. I will also continue to touch as many cancer patients and their families as I can, and to share my experiences with them. Nothing comforts more than being with someone who’s been where you are right now. If there is one bit of advice I could give, it is this---Remember that you are in charge of your treatment. You know your own body better than anyone else, and you need to be comfortable with whatever protocol you are entering. Do not hesitate to jump into treatment if it seems right for you. I have seen more than a few people wait and wait and wait to “get comfortable with the idea”, only to find that they waited too long.

I love the quote “I choose to face the fear, stare it down, and emerge victorious.” I pray for victory for all of us, in whatever trail we are going through.

Giving it Up

Even if you don't follow the religious holidays, you have to recognize that the concept of giving up something for Lent is both humbling and a challenge. It is difficult to admit that there is an earthly thing as plebian as, say, eating chocolate or dropping laundry on the floor that becomes unexplainedly hard for us to give up. You would think we, as the most evolved species on the planet, could successfully give up anything we set our minds to! Not so. Yet, part of the beauty of the Lenten season is to come to terms with our own mortality and "human-ness", and to try again. So before you give up something mundane, just because you don't believe you have the staying power to do something more difficult, think again. I am really putting some thought to what I can do to show my faith in a new beginning....and I'd love to hear what your plans are!