"San Francisco, here I come!!"

Please, head right on over to Whymommy's fabulous blog, Toddler Planet, and congratulate Susan today!

This afternoon, a bone scan that doctors performed, in order to rule out the possibility of metastasis, came back NEGATIVE.

Susan, this video snippet is just for you-- because I know you're going to ROCK at BlogHer, San Francisco. Wish I could be there to meet you in person, hear you address the conference, and help you celebrate!

Please, everyone, tell someone you love about Inflammatory Breast Cancer and Paget's Disease of the Nipple, and remember to "Frisk the Fifteenth!"

You do NOT have to have a lump to have breast cancer. Being informed, and knowing what symptoms to look for, could save your life.

Survivor.

The sign that my girlies and I carried as we participated

in the Terry Fox Run last fall...

It just seems even MORE appropriate today!!

Good morning, Susan... on your very first morning, Cancer-Free.

A song just for you, up there on the right!!

"I Can See Clearly Now"
with The Holly Cole Trio

Thinking of you on this beautiful, sunshine-y day...

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, January 22, 2008, is a very, very special day. A day I have been waiting for... longing for... PRAYING for.

Tomorrow, my friend Susan (a.k.a. "Whymommy") is having surgery. A double-mastectomy.

Tomorrow, she will become "Cancer-Free".

It has been a long, hard road for Susan. It has been a Fight for Life.

And fight, she certainly has. She endured the long, hellishly intense course of chemotherapy that shrank her tumour to an "operable" size, with all the courage and stamina of a prize-winning champion. And through it all, she was generous enough to share her experience with us. She set herself a personal goal: to spread the word about Inflammatory Breast Cancer to as many people as she possibly could, with the hope that no other woman; no other FAMILY; would have to go through what she and her family have.

I cannot even begin to put into words the lessons that Susan has taught me over the past year-- not just about cancer-awareness, but about Living. Loving. Trust. And most of all, Grace.

This incredible woman, to me, is Grace, personified.

Today, on her blog, Susan has written:

Thank you for all your prayers, well wishes, positive thoughts, healing energies, and everything else. I am going into surgery confident, strong, and with the knowledge that I am not alone. You have come through for me. You have encouraged me and given me strength when I did not feel strong. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being my friends. I have one thing left to write and post before my surgery - a short account of the story of how this all came to be. I’ll leave it up while I’m in the hospital, and WonderDaddy or Stimey will post updates on my condition as comments to tomorrow’s post.

Thank you all. For everything.

Please pray for me one more day — for strength. For healing. But most of all for clean margins — that the surgeon can remove all the cancer from my body successfully. It’s the only thing I need.

Susan, my girlies and I will be praying for you today, tomorrow, and every day. You are in our thoughts, and in our hearts. You can do this-- just as you have endured the journey to this point. We continue to be with you in spirit, every, single step of the way.

Here's to you, Sweetie... You did it!!!

We are so very proud of you.

xoxoxoxo Candygirlflies and Girlies 3

Today at the Terry Fox Run...

Well, TODAY was the big day, folks!! Our public school's annual Terry Fox Run. My three girlies and I ran in honour of Whymommy this year, as you can see from the signs we made for our stroller...

Number Two (age 6), Number One (age 11, kneeling down) and

Number Three (age 3). We all wore our hot pink t-shirts!

Child Number Three decided to make her very own sign. She said that the yellow parts are "Whymommy's happy face!"

Our school backs onto a large park. When the starting whistle blew, the entire school population shot towards the trails, which wind around a pond...


Child Number Three decided to walk the whole way...

The weather couldn't have been nicer, and with all the leaves beginning to change colour, the scenery was just beautiful. I carried copies of Whymommy's blog post in my purse,

and handed them out to any parents or teachers who asked questions.We're not yet sure how much money we raised for the Terry Fox Foundation this afternoon, but it was certainly an enjoyable, successful run!!

Thank you again, Whymommy...

***********

Well, she's done it again... That Whymommy. Just when I think she can't overwhelm me any MORE, she goes and does something ELSE:

Apparently, I make this extraordinary woman smile. I simply cannot think of a higher compliment. Thank-you AGAIN, Whymommy...

And, in case you all are wondering, Whymommy is doing GREAT THINGS these days...

Hopefully, many of you went out and bought October's Parents Magazine, as they did a feature on Whymommy and provided information about Inflammatory Breast Cancer (yes, amidst treatments and recovery, and on top of spending quality time with her beautiful family, she found the time to GIVE AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW... Trust me, people, it's worth the read).

Her cancer is also responding to treatment, which is the most incredible news!! In her words:

I didn’t know I’d live to see the Fall.

When I was diagnosed on June 16 (a date that will be forever etched in my mind, as the day my world came crashing down) it was somewhat of a death sentence. Although the outlook is not as bleak as it once was, survival rates for women with my cancer — inflammatory breast cancer — are only 25-50% at 5 years; survivors at 10 years are still recounted by name (”Well, there’s Susan D, and Sally X, and they did it!” said in a falsely chipper voice). 90% of IBC survivors will suffer a recurrence. Treatment is an ardous melange of chemotherapy, masectomy, more chemotherapy, perhaps a prophalactic masectomy on the other side, and radiation. Often, the treatment goes in cycles, with survivors fighting the cancer and surviving chemotherapy for the rest of their lives.

Sometimes, there is no rest of their lives. Because of delays in diagnosis and treatment, it is not uncommon for IBC survivors to not make it 3 months past diagnosis.

I have survived 3 months. I am doing … well, I suppose, in that today I am not worse off than I was when I had my first chemo treatment. I’m no better yet, but the spread of the cancer since diagnosis has been stopped (whoo-hoo!), and the inflammation is on the retreat.

I am tired. My arm and upper chest hurt, from nerve damage or sheer muscle fatigue of hauling around this heavy cancerous tumor that once was my right breast. My hair is gone. My arms are bruised from the weekly needle sticks and IVs that are essential for the treatment and monitoring of the treatment. (I don’t have a medi-port put in, for valid reasons having to do with the spread of IBC through cut skin. It would make treatment easier, but perhaps less successful. The survival rates for this disease did not rise from zero until they stopped cutting first and started treating with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which means chemo first, then sugery. So I have chosen not to have a port put in, to improve my chances.) My fingernails are discolored and weakening. My gums are dry and tender. My eyebrows are falling out.

But I — me — the I inside — am doing well these days. I’m up and around and going to playdates. I’m holding my baby and hugging my child. I’ve cared for my kids myself the past several days, with WonderDaddy’s help but not all the time. I even cooked last night.

I’m getting better.

To top everything off, Whymommy has just announced that she will be taking part in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Hunt Valley, Maryland next month! I would give my eye teeth to be there with her (and given my psychotic aversion to dentistry, this is really saying something, people).

Although I confess to wistfully looking into babysitting, arranging passports and airline flights... I know in my head that it will take something akin to magic to actually get me to Maryland for a weekend next month.

So, my girlies and I are taking matters into our own hands. Tomorrow is our public school's annual Terry Fox Run, which raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society. We have decided that we are going to do the run, all four of us, in honour of Whymommy. We're getting a big pink sign ready to pin to the front of our stroller, and I will be fully prepared to answer any and all questions I get from parents, teachers and students alike, about our own little "Team Whymommy". Because spreading information about Inflammatory Breast Cancer, its signals and symptoms, is an enormous part of the life-saving process.

We're running for YOU, Whymommy... Because you're not just fighting for your own life, you're fighting for ALL of us.

Thank you... We love you--

xo CGF and Girlies 3

I am so thankful to you, Whymommy...

Every day, I try very hard to remember to be thankful for all the many blessings I have in my life: my family, my friends, my health, and my home, to name only a very few.

Today, I received a very special gift from a very special person:

Thank-you, Whymommy, for passing along this shwanky new "Nice Matters" award! This gift means so very much to me, because it came from YOU.

If you are new here and haven't already had the privilege of "meeting" her, Whymommy is a fellow-blogger, wife and mother of two little boys. She is also fighting a courageous battle against Inflammatory Breast Cancer. She has taken up the fight on many fronts: not only is she going through aggressive chemotherapy, which will be followed by surgery, she is educating the rest of us through her words on so many, many levels.

She has been writing detailed accounts of her symptoms and treatment, in order that we all might be better informed about breast cancer. Her goal is to share, and to inform, in the hope that ultimately, no other woman or family will ever have to go through what she and her family are enduring right now.

On top of all of this, she writes beautifully and poignantly about her thoughts and feelings. Her words resonate in my head, and regularly make me pause and think. She makes me even more grateful for all the blessings that I enjoy. She makes me want to somehow "do better"; live a more aware existence, and take joy in what is present and happening around me, rather than dwelling on the past, or worrying about the future.

Whymommy has been a wonderful friend and teacher to me over the past few months, and I know for a fact that she has touched the lives of many, many more people through her blog, and in person. She is such an inspiration to all of us.

I can think of no better way to say "thank-you" to Whymommy than to once again post the incredible piece she wrote on her own blog, several months ago. And I ask that each and every one of you, dear readers, copy it and post it on your blogs, too. E-mail it to everyone you know. Because sharing information is such a tremendously important part of beating this terrible, life-threatening disease.

Thank you.

We hear a lot about breast cancer these days. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, and there are millions living with it in the U.S. today alone. But did you know that there is more than one type of breast cancer?

I didn’t. I thought that breast cancer was all the same. I figured that if I did my monthly breast self-exams, and found no lump, I’d be fine.

Oops. It turns out that you don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer. Six weeks ago, I went to my OB/GYN because my breast felt funny. It was red, hot, inflamed, and the skin looked…funny. But there was no lump, so I wasn’t worried. I should have been. After a round of antibiotics didn’t clear up the inflammation, my doctor sent me to a breast specialist and did a skin punch biopsy. That test showed that I have inflammatory breast cancer, a very aggressive cancer that can be deadly.

Inflammatory breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as mastitis because many doctors have never seen it before and consider it rare. “Rare” or not, there are over 100,000 women in the U.S. with this cancer right now; only half will survive five years. Please call your OB/GYN if you experience several of the following symptoms in your breast, or any unusual changes: redness, rapid increase in size of one breast, persistent itching of breast or nipple, thickening of breast tissue, stabbing pain, soreness, swelling under the arm, dimpling or ridging (for example, when you take your bra off, the bra marks stay – for a while), flattening or retracting of the nipple, or a texture that looks or feels like an orange (called peau d’orange). Ask if your GYN is familiar with inflammatory breast cancer, and tell her that you’re concerned and want to come in to rule it out.

There is more than one kind of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is the most aggressive form of breast cancer out there, and early detection is critical. It’s not usually detected by mammogram. It does not usually present with a lump. It may be overlooked with all of the changes that our breasts undergo during the years when we’re pregnant and/or nursing our little ones. It’s important not to miss this one.

Inflammatory breast cancer is detected by women and their doctors who notice a change in one of their breasts. If you notice a change, call your doctor today. Tell her about it. Tell her that you have a friend with this disease, and it’s trying to kill her. Now you know what I wish I had known before six weeks ago.

You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer.

Whymommy can be found at her blog, Toddler Planet. If you would like to join us in support of this wonderful woman, contact Canape at the Team Whymommy page.

Together, we can all help Whymommy Kick Cancer's Ass!!

Wonderful news!!

Remember "The Quilt" project?

When I was home in Stratford at the beginning of last summer, I discovered this incredible fundraiser to benefit breast cancer patients and their families. Actually, to put it more correctly, I should be saying breast cancer SURVIVORS and their families. I have learned from the amazing Whymommy, who is educating us all by sharing her experience of kicking inflammatory breast cancer's ass, ALL women with breast cancer automatically become "Breast Cancer Survivors", right from the moment they are diagnosed.

"The Quilt" project is going strong again this year, people, and I am THRILLED to share this article with you, from this weekend's local newspaper, "The Stratford Beacon Herald":

First Halifax Auction Raised $11,800 for The Quilt

by Beacon Herald Staff

The first annual reception and auction in Halifax recently raised $11,800 for The Quilt: A Breast Cancer Support Project.

"We accomplished everything we wanted to do-- introduce The Quilt and Wellspring to Halifax and provide a fun-filled evening for a good cause," said Carol Miller, spokesperson and founder of the Stratford-based charity.

Ms. Miller credited Shirley Parker and her team that sold all 140 tickets and Jim Jordan of La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries for making the event a huge success.

Apart from Halifax, the charity this year added Manitoulin Island, Kamloops (Oct 11), Toronto (Oct. 23) and Calgary (Nov. 6) to its list of auctions. A Stratford auction is scheduled for Nov. 17.

The number of quilting marathons supporting the project has risen from six in 2006 to more than 60 locations in Canada and the U.S. and to date nearly $1.4 million has been raised through the auctions.

The money goes towards supporting cancer survivors and their families.

The Halifax location is also significant. The Quilt is a key funder of Wellspring's plans to open a Halifax location for the 28,000 Nova Scotians living with cancer.

Mary Walsh of CBC's "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" was emcee for the Halifax event. When presented with a quilt for her services, she turned right around and sold it-- much to the delight of the crowd.

The Stratford and Toronto auctions will be hosted by the team of Carlo Rota, a principal character in the FOX network TV program "24", and Sheila McCarthy, Rota's co-star in the CBC sit-com "Little Mosque on the Prairie".

Zaib Shaihk, another star of the show, will host the Calgary auction.

Dear Readers, I urge you to visit "The Quilt" website, and get to an exhibition, or participate in an auction if you possibly can! The quilts and wall-hangings contributed this year are some of the most spectacular pieces of needlework I have ever seen. And the love that must have gone into creating each and every one is more than evident... it is absolutely overwhelming.

This is one of the BEST charities out there: not only does it raise breast cancer awareness, the money goes straight to work, supporting women and their families at a time in their lives when they need it the most.

Because NO ONE should have to face cancer alone!

Let There Be Comfort... and Hope

As many of you may have gathered, I was born and raised in the magical, idyllic little town of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. I visited my parents in my childhood home today, as they were determined (as they are every year), to share my birthday, and present me with an enormous chocolate cake. To my mind, there could be no greater gift than to be in a place that I love, with both the people who gave me life, and the people who CONTINUE to give me life (my three girlies, and my husband)... As an added bonus, my brother was also in attendance, who, without a doubt, is the girlies' favourite human being on the face of the earth... To put it mildly, it was a wonderful day for everyone involved.

One of the highlights of my day began innocently enough. My father and I sneaked out of the house for what was supposed to be a very quick trip to the bank. However, as he and I patronize different establishments, we agreed to meet on a specific corner downtown, once we had finished our transactions. As I was standing on the corner waiting for him, my eye was caught by a storefront that I had never ventured into before. The sign read, "The Quilt".

Now, I had heard sketchy details about "The Quilt" phenomenon in Stratford, and several of my mother's friends have contributed to the project, but I had never actually been inside the exhibit before. My recently-struck-up friendships with the incredible Whymommy and Kim immediately leaped to mind, and I walked over and pushed open the front door...

And what an incredible spectacle met my eyes.

Dozen upon dozen of the most exquisite quilts and wall-hangings graced the interior of the gallery. The massive collection was dizzying, and the array of colours and textures rendered me speechless.

I paid my seven dollars admission, and the young woman behind the counter explained The Quilt project to me.

In 1997, Carol Miller, a citizen of Stratford, was diagnosed with breast cancer. In order to help herself deal with her diagnosis and treatment, she turned to quilting for solace. As it says in the souvenir guide that accompanies the exhibition, "...she knew of the companionship of the quilting bee: the laughter, the sharing and the support that women gave each other as they pieced together a story from treasured remnants. She knew that when hands were busy, the mind was freed. She knew this was exactly the sort of thing that women with breast cancer need to survive."

Once she had beaten her own cancer, Ms. Miller's mind turned to using quilting as a way of helping other women come through their own personal battles with the disease.

Initially, The Quilt: A Breast Cancer Support Project was intended to be a one-time event. Ms. Miller had hoped to receive 35 donated quilts to auction off at a function that was held in Stratford in 1999. However, the project had rapidly become such an enormous success, donated quilts kept arriving from all over North America, even long after the deadline had passed. And so, the auction became an annual event. Over the past nine years, the yearly auctions have sold over 2,620 quilts and raised more than $1.37 million dollars.

The money that The Quilt raises is divided between several different organizations, but all of the organizations chosen to receive money focus on providing support for breast cancer patients and their families. As Ms. Miller says, "Treatment without support isn't healing, it's just treatment". Among those organizations are Wellspring: A Lifeline to Cancer Support (which has chapters in Ontario and Alberta), Caring Voices: A Breast Cancer Survivorship Program (an online support program for survivors), Princess Margaret Hospital, and of course, The Canadian Cancer Society.

This year's collection of quilts are absolutely spellbindingly beautiful. If you are a needlework affectionado like myself, or if you would like to participate in a unique fundraising event for one of the most worthwhile causes there is, I urge you to visit The Quilt's website, and become involved. Exhibitions of portions of the enormous quilt collection are happening all across Canada this fall, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. And even if you cannot get to an exhibit, you are welcome to make a financial contribution, in order to provide some very special women and their families with the care that they need at a critical time in their lives.

Today, I learned that quilts can be Great Comforters on many, many levels. May they continue to bring comfort to many more women in the future.

"Let no one face breast cancer alone!"

I want THIS t-shirt for my Blog Sisters...

Blogging has been an extraordinary experience for me.

I have been writing for many, many years, but in all of those years, I have never felt the kind of personal satisfaction that I have received from publishing this blog. I have been astounded by the number of people who are willing and eager to read the sordid accounts of What Goes On In My Head. I have connected with old friends, and have made many, many new ones.

Over the past several weeks, I have been witnessing, and in my own small way, have been privileged to participate in a full-blown example of the Incredibly Positive Power that blogging can have.

I came upon the two sites, Toddler Planet and The Merits of the Case, in a round-about way... just by checking out links on other people's blogs, really. When I discovered that these two outstanding women were both in the very early stages of battling breast cancer, my heart went out to them. I sent them each messages, but found that I couldn't stop thinking about them as days went by.

Clearly, I was not alone.

I have been astounded to witness the outpouring of love and support that my fellow bloggers are showing for both Whymommy and Kim. These courageous and gracious women are writing about their cancer experiences, sharing intimate details of their lives, and raising our awareness of the disease to a whole new level. We as a group cannot do enough to encourage and thank them.

To my new "sisters", Whymommy and Kim:

You are amazing. You can do this. We are all right here, behind you, every single step of the way. It is incredible to think that thanks to computer technology and its far-reaching effects, somewhere in this world, someone will be thinking of you and sending you positive energy EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF EVERY SINGLE DAY! To say that I am proud to be on your "teams" is a wild understatement. I am privileged to help you in any small way I can.

And when you beat your cancer and this is all behind you, I WANT PICTURES OF BOTH OF YOU... wearing these FANTASTIC t-shirts. And oh, how we'll ALL celebrate...

But right now, we celebrate your Courage, and your Strength.

And we celebrate the Power of the Blog, for bringing us all together in the first place.