January is almost over and thank goodness. There is a saying that if you can survive January in the north then your seasonal depression battle is almost over. We were so spoiled by the mild November and December weather.that January has seemed brutal. We are however very blessed that the major blizzard went around us. I am praying for those who are buried in the massive snowfall. The sun is out here today and it has lessened my sullen mood. I am actually going to go out today and enjoy the sun.
Yesterday was one of those days that you get up and suddenly you wish you had slept through it. I wanted to cry last night but I kept telling myself to suck it up and reminded myself that we cannot change the past. Today is a better day and I am going to enjoy it.
I have had three meetings this month cancelled due to the bad weather and yesterday finally had some friends over. It was nice to fill the house with some laughter. However my friends noted that I had a bag of lettuce in the refrigerator that had been recalled due to a listeria outbreak. I did not know and I would have continued to eat it. I felt ill immediately and told my husband who has also been eating it. We are now worried along with some other friends who had bought and ate the lettuce also. On-line they had instructions as what to watch for. I saw that the incubation period could be a week or 21 days before symptoms occurred and up to 70 days. I think my mind was playing tricks on me as I felt ill last night. I called my dad to alert him of the recall and he was trying to reassure me not to worry. Okay Dad, I am going to listen to you and keep enjoying my healthy days. My friend tried to make me laugh, as she said we were playing Russian roulette with a bag of lettuce. That is not my idea of fun, but I realize my friend was trying to make me laugh as I had a look of panic on my face.
I have to accept that there is nothing we can do except pray and keep on living each day to the fullest. If we start having any symptoms we will be at doctors office pronto.
On a lighter note my husband and I went to an award dinner last night for LLS. They had a celebration for some of the top fund raisers for 2015. My husband and I were honored for our continual support of LLS. We surpassed our goal and was in the Bright Lights club. It was a nice dinner and of course it is always nice to be among other people who are struggling with the whole cancer journey. The highlight of the evening were of course children. One boy was honored as a Leukemia survivor and he was celebrating a one year anniversary. The other story of the evening was a little girl who had raised nineteen hundred dollars by herself for LLS. She had sold candy and was proud to say that she did it in honor of her Nana that has myeloma. She is an inspiration for all of us.
As we departed last evening from the awards dinner, we were saddened to hear that they will not be having the Leukemia and Lymphoma conference in the spring. It was hosted by LLS for patients and their families. We were told that the person who hosted this event lost the position due to cuts and consolidation of positions. My husband and I were very sad to hear this. We had attended the conference many times and it had helped us connect with other patients, learn about new medications, and all the research happening with blood cancers. It also helped us heal and have our fears validated by people who understood us. . We feel lost now and I am sure many others feel the same.
My last rant today is that darn cancer has worked its' way into my life again. I was saddened yesterday to find out that my childhood friend has breast cancer. She and I have been writing to each other for the last 44 years. Ironically she lives in northern Texas. We were separated when her father was transferred to another state for work. We never let that stop us from continuing a friendship based on letters and now an Internet connection. I still have a box filled with letters from her. We have seen each other a couple of times over the years, but our last encounter in person was about 29 years ago. My prayers are being sent to her and her family. God bless all cancer patients !
Seize the day and live it to the fullest and I hope wherever you are there is plenty of sunshine.
Life is beautiful !!
Elizabeth:)
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