Monday January, 4, 2016
It sure is Monday. I had to take my youngest son to the doctor this afternoon for a rash he has under his neck. I suspected it to be ringworm...and of course my suspicions were right. He got it from his guinea pig. So, he is on two weeks of anti-fungal cream. Needless to say, we did not get to start school...so are official return to school day is tomorrow. Damion's official start of college day is January 7th. God...where has the time gone?
I stopped at mom's work to get an envelope so I could mail in my form to Lungevity so that I can be an advocate. While I was there, a cat jumped in the car. I did the only logical thing a person could do...I took the cat home. And now, we have Garfield. We have 2 cats, 2 guinea pigs, and a dog. My house is going to become a zoo at this rate.
I am going to start walking tomorrow morning. The gloves are on. The doctor might have given me three years at most, but my God is helping me fight back. I am now 3 days cigarette free, I am starting my journey towards advocacy, and I am going to exercise daily. I may not have any control on my health but I am not going to sit back and do nothing. My beautiful life is not over just yet. I have so much more to write.
I am determined to live. Hopefully my determination to live will be contagious to others living with a terminal illness. My determination and strength are the only two things getting me through living in cancer-land.
I still have a life, still enjoy things, still can laugh and be myself. I focus on living for my family and what I can do to help other people like me. I have my moments of sadness and depression just like anyone else, but to me, it's just wasted energy, counter-productive, and serves no purpose. I chose to control my cancer and my other health issues....and not allow them to control me.
The Stay-at-Home-Mother
As you all know, I do not work. This is the first time since I have had my children that I can call myself a stay-at-home-mother. I love being staying at home with my kids, but I hate it when people I don't know ask me what I do for a living and then seem disgusted by the fact that I do not work.
It's no longer only the smarmy guy at the bar who asks, "So, what do you do?" It feels like parents, grandparents, neighbors, and friends all seem to care what people do. More often than not the do refers to, "do for income."
I've never been a fan of this line. For starters, I've never felt like my job really defined me. Yes, it did a big part of me, yet, not all of me. Now I like that question even less.
I never seem to come up with the right answer. The "I don't work" line is a firm no-go. That leads to the "I'm a stay-at-home-mom," answer. I get the head-tilt and furrowed brow back look. Oh, if I did not have manners (thanks mama and grandma) I would unload on them.
Just because at the moment I am not able to work does not make me less of a person. My job is just as hard if not harder than yours. I have two kids to teach every day, maintain a clean home, kiss boo-boos, cook dinner, make sure my husband gets enough sleep in the daytime to get ready for work, feed and chase animals all day, and since my youngest has nightmares every night, stay up reassuring him that everything is going to be okay. All while having lung cancer. My job is never-ending. I may not get paid for it, but it is the best job I have ever had. Please do not judge someone by their ability to work or not. A job is not the definition of being human...just something to think about.
Lose the Stigma
The stigma that lung cancer is a self-inflicted disease caused by smoking is very much alive and thriving in the general public. Many people and organizations are going above and beyond the call of duty to change this.
What bothers me are two things that I see survivors doing. 1. They introduce themselves as non-smokers with lung cancer and; 2: They are saying they too, are equally as frustrated with the stigma.
Is it because someone hears that you have lung cancer, therefore she must think that you deserve it? What about every time you state, "I'm a non-smoker with Lung Cancer," you make a former smoker with lung cancer think, "I guess they didn't deserve it, but do they think I do?"
I hate the topic of smoking status. I avoid it like...well...cancer if I could! It could be because I can't say, "I'm a never smoker." Or, is it because I see the look on a former smoker/survivors face when someone says, "I have lung cancer and I'm a never smoker."
I accept that all humans have their own opinions on the topic of smoking, lung cancer, and the Lung Cancer Stigma. The only behavior I can control, though, is my own.
Lung Cancer Facts
1. 1 in 15 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer during their lifetime.
2. Approximately 221,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year...24 people in the next hour...one person every 2.5 minutes.
3. Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the US, accounting for 13% of all new cancer diagnoses but 27% of all cancer deaths.
4. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, regardless of gender or ethnicity.
5. Lung cancer takes more lives than colorectal, breast, and pancreatic cancers combined.
6. Lung cancer kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer and almost three times as many men as prostate cancer.
7. Approximately, 60-65% or all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers.
8. Only 5% of federal dollars spent on cancer research are spent on lung cancer research.
9. Lung cancer claims approximately 160,000 lives per year. It is a devastating disease that can affect anyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or smoking history.
10. The five-year survival rate for lung cancer is currently 17%.
11. Lung cancer currently has no effective, widely used early detection test.
12. When lung cancer is detected early, patients have more treatment options and better outcomes.
13. Approximately 400,000 people are living with lung cancer in the United States today.
14. There is hope. Survival rates have increased mostly thanks to improvements in treatment.
36 Ways To Enjoy Living
Take a break from the daily grind! It doesn't require a month long stay in a luxury hotel (although if that's in the offing, go for it!). Sometimes a little time out works wonders to rest, renew, and rejuvenate.
1. Listen to the birds sing and notice the trees and flowers.
2. See fantastical animals in cloud formations.
3. Lounge in a bubble bath.
4. Look up something you've always wondered about.
5. Read a captivating novel.
6. Ponder a passage from Scripture or a meaningful quote.
7. Write a poem.
8. Concentrate on the moment.
9. Stretch.
10. Listen to soothing music.
11. Go for a massage.
12. Sip a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
13. Take a nap.
14. Breathe deeply.
15. Daydream.
16. Read a joke and giggle.
17. Stroke a cat; walk a dog.
18. Savor an exotic fragrance.
19. Sit alone in a quiet place.
20. Pray.
21. Remember the big picture.
22. Close your eyes.
23. Clear up clutter.
24. Recall happy memories.
25. Forgive others.
26. Forgive yourself.
27. Make small but important changes.
28. Do a random act of kindness.
29. Get enough sleep.
30. Try something different.
31. Be open to serendipity.
32. Eat healthy.
33. Love others.
34. Love you.
35. Count your blessings.
36. Expect the best.
Simple pleasures are all around you. Look out a window and look-really look-at the trees. Better yet, go outside and run your hand along the bark, rub a leaf between two fingers, and gaze up at the broad, green canopy. Pick dandelions...smell roses...find a seashell...collect rocks. Listen to birds singing, crickets buzzing...or the deep silence of a winter landscape.
There's the simple pleasure of taking a walk around the neighborhood...going to the library and checking out a good book...returning home and settling down to read it. An hour spent to watch the clouds...to think your own thoughts...to daydream. A song to sing...a poem to write...a picture to draw...a dance to dance just for the fun of it. There are discoveries to make, mysteries to solve, beauty and splendor to take your breath away. And laughter...always laughter!
Simple pleasures are all around you...and best of all, they're free!
Love you all...mean it,
Shanna xoxoxo
gofundme.com/hope4shanna (We are headed back to Tulsa in a few weeks and are in dire need of donations for medication, co-pays, and travel expenses. If you can help please do. Any amount helps us reach our goal. If you cannot, please share with your friends and family.)
facebook.com/hope4shanna (Please like our page to support me in my fight against lung cancer. We need all the prayer warriors we can get!)
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