Tagged with Strength …

An Unexpected Whirlwind

I never saw this coming yesterday, but appreciate it nevertheless.   Freshly Pressed on the Word Press front page.  Wow!    What began yesterday as a plan to begin my 30 Day Gratitude Challenge resulted in a post to share it on a whim. Certainly, that decision to share resulted in a huge response to say the … Continue reading →

Your Voice Has Potential, Share It Wisely

In the past year, two people I had known for decades and a third, the brother of a dear friend, committed suicide. The immensity of the loss shared by these three families and all those who loved them can never be measured. Immeasurable will also be the questions that remain unanswered as is the pain … Continue reading →

Revisiting

I had the opportunity today to tour what had been my home for a little over a day. Unit 31, the Neuro-ICU at Emory Hospital Midtown. Beginning my tenure this morning as a member of the UPC (Unit Practice Council) of Unit 31 as a Patient and Family Advisor, I knew I was going to revisit and … Continue reading →

What Doesn’t Kill You Might Make You Insane

I called my mother a few hours ago. I knew she could offer me no assistance being that she lives out-of-state, but I needed her to answer one question and I needed some sort of perspective if possible. Right after she picked up the phone I blurted out… “Is it worse to have a smoldering pumpkin fire … Continue reading →

Wrecking Balls

The journey we’ve been on has been interesting to say the least. There is however, an aspect of our journey that’s been difficult to articulate and more importantly, difficult to carry. Deeply personal, these interactions have framed my perspective as a patient and influenced my point of view as an advocate. The absolute worst part of our … Continue reading →

730

730 days ago tomorrow, everything changed. I signed on the dotted line. Page after page of dotted lines I signed. Thinking all the while that I must have already lost my damn mind. It had to be good and gone if I was willing to give someone the opportunity and privilege to remove a piece … Continue reading →

Moments That Give Pause

This post was challenging to write and I’ve hesitated. Hesitated because I don’t believe this is how the majority think or how they work or interact. In-fact, I believe it’s a small minority who, whether burned out or over worked; they’ve lost a connection to the work and people they’ve pledged to help. I write … Continue reading →

The Unexpected Gift

Depending on the day, our life goes by many a different name. There’s ‘The Journey’, The Adventure’, ‘The Whirlwind’, ‘The Crazy Train, ‘Shit Luck Train Wreck’, ‘Disaster’ and the list goes on as I’m sure you get my point. Regardless of what Paul and I happen to be feeling, thinking about and dealing with, I’ve consistently … Continue reading →

What’s Worse?

Since our beloved piece of shit was discovered before it actually had a chance to show its nasty side with seizures and profound headaches, I suppose you could say that we hit the jackpot. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow where you discover your fate but the sticker on the pot … Continue reading →

Recipe For Nuts: Soon To Be Loco…

Grab yourself a beer, glass of wine or your favorite cocktail and join me for a few minutes. Our smiling villagers are officially done with school and while Tucker has taken to spending the past few hours completing his math workbook (what can I say the dude likes his math), it’s fair to say that our … Continue reading →

So here’s the thing…

It’s very difficult balancing being an advocate while being a patient at the same time. The lines get blurred and in the end, no matter the situation, I’m still a patient and there’s no escaping that. I had the privilege to speak yesterday at the annual Mini Brain Tumor Symposium held at Winship Cancer Institute … Continue reading →

Being An Only

An acquaintance asked about my brain tumor and how my husband and family were dealing with it. It was an entirely unexpected question and caught me off guard. I said that Paul was simply the right guy for the job and that he has been a stable rock with an optimistic heart. She then asked about … Continue reading →