On September 3, 2011 I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. I had emergency surgery and the tumor was removed but it has spread to my liver. I wear an ostomy bag now.
In October 2011, I will begin chemo to beat back the tumor in my liver. I am getting stronger each day and trying to stay positive. I am unable to work. I have applied for Medicaid but that will only cover a fraction of my bills.
I am calling out now, not only for your continued good wishes and thoughts but for financial help. If you can help in any way, please help me fight and win my battle. No donation is too big or too small. With the love and support of those around me, I know, together, we can win this.
Please keep the love flowing in your thoughts for me. I can feel it helping to carry me on this journey. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Peace
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I'm also very pleased to announce that friend and artist DTM has offered all proceeds from his posters and book sales to benefit GO THE CATHERINE.
I'm a huge fan of his work and grateful for this generous offer. Take a look and maybe buy some great art for your walls. It is for a good cause.
Thanks for listening and viewing!

Cambodia posters available at:
http://thirdeyevisuals.com/posters.htm

CHURNING THE SEA OF MILK books available at:
www.lulu.com
or
www.amazon.com

Friday, March 16, 2012

Fear Is Creating A Living Will, A Health Care Proxy, A DNR, A Bucket List And A Who Gets My Stuff When I Die At Age 42... Part Two

Fear is a doctor telling you "This is life threatening. If these stitches don't stop this bleeding, you are going to have to go right to emergency surgery that may or may not work. We won't know until we're in there. I'm sorry."
Fear is an uncontrollable fire hose of blood spurting a steady steam 6 inches up into the air. Blood that is coming from your body. Copious, unbelievable amounts of blood. More blood than the restaurant scene in Kill Bill when Uma takes out 200 fighters single-handed.
Fear is setting an alarm to go off every 3 hours at night, all night, for 3 weeks to check that there is no bleeding. Remember my stoma has no nerve endings : it is part of my intestine outside of my body. I cannot always decipher what is happening with it. At least the times coincided with my pain and anxiety medication schedule.
I want MY medication, Nurse Ratchet! MY medication!
Fear is the flash backs to these images when it is oh-so-very-damn-dark in the morning. These images need to be in the rear view now, not still happening over and over in my head.
Sometimes fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. But the actual feeling of fear is very much real and very much happening, PTSD, anyone? It sucks.
So, my last entry covered ER visit #1. Let us move forward the next day or so to ER visit #2, ok? Please understand the whole week it was happening passed in a blur. I have NO memory of being admitted for 3 days. None. Zed. Zilch. Code Zero.
This is also very, very, very hard for me to write about. And that accounts for part of the reason why it has taken so long to get this update out.
Plus, for the past 9 days or so, I have felt like shit, needing 24 hour care for the first time since that week or 2 post-op back in September. Good news is I made it through Round #9 of chemo.
I am going to 'Be Continued..." this entry as I want to get some infor out to everyone who has me in there thoughts. I know this is a bit of a doom and gloom post but I AM OK, just been a bit challenging lately.
Please continue your good, healing wishes to me, I need them. They are helping me to find new strength, hope and courage I wasn't sure I had.
All my love right back at all of you : my light-houses, my friends. Thank you.