Catching Up....

Right after I posted my last blog about my life in Moses Lake, a couple of special friends died suddenly, within two weeks of each other.

The first one was my former boss at the Peninsula Daily News. Rex Wilson moved to Mexico to join his wife, Olga, in their family business and was suddenly diagnosed with lung cancer and just as suddenly left us all behind three months before his birthday.

The second was a fellow I met while traveling about eight years ago, William Good from Florida, and who became, along with his wife Sandi, delightful additions to my life online as well as when they came to Washington State to visit family. Bill was traveling in Spain with Sandi when he had a heart attack in mid-February, less than two weeks after my boss.

I tried to talk to my husband about the grief I was feeling, but he did not really understand the joy that having any exchange with these fellows gave me - their laughter, their quick wit, their expansive natures causing the lights in my world to shine a little brighter. In some ways it felt like my Dad had died again because there were aspects of each of these fellows that must have reminded me of him.

Then, getting over those sad days, my son-in-law announced his Multiple Myeloma was causing numbers to rise and he was going to have treatments again. So I retreated once more and found myself self-diagnosing anxiety and took on the objective of becoming a healer with art therapy.

"Celtic Knot Flower" is a design from another CZT that
I incorporated into a 12 -inch by 12-inch acrylic work.

This art therapy is called Zentangle™and though it is not advertised as a therapy per se, it is well understood that meditation is helpful and this process of drawing certain patterns was clearly helping me.

Something from my journal that has color and light in it.

I signed up for and was accepted to the 33rd session of training for Certified Zentangle Teachers (CZT) in Providence, Rhode Island for the end of March and beginning of April, 2019. For four blissful days I did nothing but eat, drink and draw with lots of laughter and fun. I concluded my trip with a fresh lobster dinner to celebrate achieving this certification, feeling pretty sure it might be awhile before the next trip and lobster!

Me with my seminar roommate, Norma G.
from Brazil. We had a good connection
and helped each other along.

Home again, I find I am not quite ready to begin teaching The Zentangle Method because I feel I still have so much to learn myself. But I have incorporated it into my existing art activity and have some fun plans for doing more in the future.

This is a small frame purchased at a yard
sale; making the Zentangle appear to be
more worthy... 

This is a Zendala, using tangles from Zentangle, Inc.

The other shoe dropped when we heard that a relative was
diagnosed with cancer, so I made her a blanket with pink
symbols for healing but it had special meaning for me as
it had patterns I have used in tangling.

Feels like an Agatha Christie mystery...

Not exactly the "statues" I had in mind, but in a way
they stand in for that element.

If you ever read "Ten Little Indians" or seen the Agatha Christie Mystery "And Then There Were None..." you may have some idea of how I am feeling today hearing that yet another long-term Multiple Myeloma (MM) has announced his acceptance that no more treatments will be done.

Since I started this blog in 2009 to rant, rave and rail against a disease I knew nothing about at that time, I have watched all those wonderful folks fall like the statues in the mystery. Fortunately the person who inspired my blog writing is still with us and he is managing the consequences of the disease pretty well as we mark the tenth year since his diagnosis.

But Mike Gormley and his wife, Lorna, are the latest victims of MM, a far more murderous element than anything Christie could create. Reading that news late last night, I guess I should not have been surprised to have had dreams about most of the others who have already departed. It was a strange party to attend, not unlike the one on Shelter Island where everyone (unknowingly) has a death sentence awaiting them. We gathered around the table and I had a chance to speak to each one, asking how they were doing, commenting on how long the silence has been, etc.

My favorite was Lonnie Nesseler, a motorcycle rider, pianist, scientist and creative personality, who stepped up and said, "It's a new adventure. You can't really describe it to those who haven't arrived yet." Lonnie had been adventuresome in his treatments, and willing to educate readers as well as his medical team along the journey. But I had a toast with Bob Kirkpatrick, who pointed out that I was now a lot closer to where he used to live, which would suggest that we are not really so distant from the Other Side as we tend to believe.

So let us raise our glasses to them all, let them hear their names called out once more in appreciation for what and who they were to each of us, gone but not forgotten.

Peter Boyle (actor), Sam Walton (WalMart founder), John Ricco (author), Andre (photographer) 2009, Hamada (statesman) 2010, Paula (Multiple Myloma Buddy maker) and Sean Tiernan (photographer) 2012, Lonnie Nesseler (educator) 2010, Robert "Bob" Kirkpatrick (inventor) 2015, and others known to me but not listed here for privacy reasons.

Each one was special to someone, each one served a purpose. I guess the reason for posting this is to honor Mike as he prepares to conclude his business here and to support Lorna as she has little choice as a primary caregiver to go along for the ride.

My dearest wish is that we are able to solve this mystery of MM; to find out what causes the bone marrow cells to start running haywire, to be able to give those with this diagnosis something to hope for, if not a cure at least some way to live with it after treatment.

The setting sun shadows Mt. Rainier in Washington State.

And I end by quoting Ken Kesey, "Loved. You can't use it in the past tense. Death does not stop that love at all."

Multiple Myeloma and Issues with Sepsis

Son-in-law walks with one of the twins down to clear the
drainage pipe at the end of their field.

When I first started posting on this blog, it was because someone near and dear to me had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (MM).

It is wonderfully remarkable that after close to a decade of dealing with the disease (and two auto stem cell transplants and the final and best allogenic one) this dear fellow can celebrate another birthday, perhaps after he finishes mowing the big field or clearing the drainage pipe.

But I have other folks in my virtual life who are not faring so well with the disease. They both live in the UK and they both have recently attempted to arrest the disease with stem cell transplants.

And why, on my birthday, do I have the remembrances of bad news days? When I think I'm getting a call to wish me well for over decades of living, I instead get one that announces tragic stuff.

I want to see, after more than a decade of even identifying MM, that great strides are being achieved toward remission or even a cure. Tom Brokaw announced a couple of years ago that he was living with his diagnosis and he has the benefit of being in the higher echelons of income and status, so he quite likely has a better chance at life extension. And as more people who have public identities help to raise awareness and funds, perhaps this will come. But it is too damn slow for some.

The magenta spinnaker flies full before the
wind in Sequim Bay, Washington.

One hopeful aspect of dealing with the process of transplanting cells is overcoming the sepsis (poisoning of the system because of infection) following the 'cleaning' and replacing stem cells. The body is neutropenic (without resistance to illness and infection) having no white blood cells to work with and many folks succumb before their new cells can get working.

Dr. Paul Marik, affiliated with Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, VA, has started using a combination of Vitamin C, hydrocortisone and thiamine to combat sepsis with some good results. (See www.pilotonline to read the story.)

As Marik pointed out in the story, it is difficult to get funding to promote a solution that does not provide a profit. This is all too familiar in all aspects of medical treatments, not just Myeloma. Any solution to ease pain and discomfort that doesn't use Big Pharma products doesn't get much mention or much credibility.

The deep magenta color in the magnolias reminds me of the 'color' of Myeloma funding... like the color of the blood cells that are needed to overcome it.

Magnolias in springtime; a time of hope.

Go here www.myeloma.org.uk to learn more about the disease and if you care to donate, I know that friends of Mike and Emma will appreciate that although it may not benefit them, it might help others.

I will mention again that using sublingual Vitamin B12 for relief from restless leg or nerve pain in the extremities has been proven, at least in my case, to have significant and cumulative benefits. While I do not have MM, I do what I can to follow resources and post what I find here.

Grateful for the gift

This flower was chosen for it's color;
the deep maroon is the color that MM
supporters use for fund-raising.

When Multiple Myeloma appeared on the horizon of my life with a relative's announcement about this time in 2009, I could not see farther down the road than the next treatment and certainly with all the news about the current situation at that time it did not seem hopeful.

Now, seven years later, the relative is off all medications and is moving, literally, into a new life.

For the individual, it was the autologous stem cell transplant from a close relation that turned things around. But it was at least two years after the transplant before we were seeing green lights.

All of this is still important because a friend has discovered some seriously flawed information that is making its way into the MM threads.

Please read her post at: http://www.loripuente.com/icer-epic-fail/ and draw your own conclusions.

What is really important is that false information is not allowed to proliferate in a field where hope is so fragile and where successes hold so much promise. Let's make sure this does not become cemented anywhere and used for future data or research.

And meanwhile, I am grateful for the gift of life for my relative, appreciative of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Fred Hutch and UW for all they did and are doing to solve the mystery of MM.

Deep Gene Sequencing

I don't really understand it.

But it may be the hope of a cure for Multiple Myeloma.

Nick Van Dyke, afflicted with MM, but one of the best-informed patients I know,  posted this on his blog.

What I do surmise from this information is that for those individuals who can make it for 8-10 years, the disease rarely returns.

Nick's blog is a rich source of research connections on myeloma. And he is very good at connecting with patients who want to better understand what they are dealing with.

I want nothing more than a cure for this…

Error in Posting

Anyone who read the posting for today relating to someone with MM, that was posted in error. It was written two years ago and  inadvertently scheduled.  Please forgive me for any distress I may have caused.

Emma Enduring

As the Christmas season really starts to get underway,  there are lots of causes that are seeking funding and pulling at our heartstrings. But there is one cause I wish I could put an end to and that's Multiple Myeloma. Not just for my personal connection to it, but because as time as gone by I've grown to know quite a few people who have become more than just a name.

Be careful walking in the woods these days... I was caught by surprise
when this giant snowman appeared, just about the time the snow did.

It was because of Lorna's blog that I was led to Emma, a lively and young woman in the U.K. who is enduring cycles of treatments because she wants nothing more than to be normal again. I don't have much in the way of resources to make a difference except I'd like to ask that if you feel so inclined, stop by and offer up some encouragement to this spunky gal.

And to remind my readers that even on your roughest days, if you don't have MM, please STOP complaining that you may have to wait in a line, or get stuck in traffic, or have weather interfere with your plans, because all of that is better than spending a full day with nurses bollocking up IV lines, or having someone grind out bone marrow from your hip with something that looks like a drill bit for oil researchers, or living with the anxiety that the next well-meaning person who sneezes in your direction could be putting your life at risk, for which a breezy "Sorry..." apology is hardly sufficient.

So this is also a reminder to everyone about the season for 'bugs,' that hand-washing is really important, staying home if you think you are coming down with something, sneeze into your elbow and not your hands, and for heaven's sake (because we are nearly full right now) if you know someone with a compromised immune system, don't go and visit them - call or send food instead.

Myeloma Buddy Maker Goes on Final Holiday

Myeloma Buddy dolls were sold from Paula's Etsy shop
and all profits went to Myeloma UK or IMF
(International Myeloma Foundation).
(Photo taken by Paula from her blog.)

There are many of us who have the "Myeloma Buddy," created by Paula Kilgallon of Rainsford, UK, in her efforts to raise funds for, and awareness of, the disease that she tried to manage for a little more than three years. It was never a 'fight' for her, but a constant opportunity to bring a different perspective to the various experiences she faced with an unswerving positive attitude. She deserved to overcome MM if having a remarkable sense of humor was the way to do it, because Paula had that in abundance.

Her blog "Feresaknit" is a chronicle of her sewing, knitting and crocheting her way through tests, procedures, hospital stays that she referred to as 'holidays,' and the untrammeled, ram-rod test of character that she passed with flying colors when her support system of medical transport failed to show up or kept her waiting for hours when she was clearly ill, or her mother-in-law called to insist that she needed to have Paula come over to take care of some niggling task(s), or her Professor wanted to 'discuss something with her,' and she refused to delay hearing the very bad news. Only she gave it to all of us with her usual aplomb, trying to prepare us for today. She never gave up; she was released.

The circumstances that connected me to Paula back at the end of December of 2009 gave us both a chance to share some laughs, some insights as well as photographs as we became pals on a journey none of us expected to take. Please take the time to read her second posting here of her search for the testing bureau for her license to drive. Paula should have been writing scripts for Comedy Central.

We followers were enthralled by the entrance in January 2010 of the Jack Russell/Staffordshire Bull pup "Tommy" in her life who immediately ate one of her crafting needles requiring a hefty vet bill for the stitches required to sew him up after retrieving the needle from his stomach. Tommy was paving the way for her very own Buddy in September - who would end up sleeping on her bed, in the fresh laundry basket, really anywhere it was convenient for him and Paula indulged him, adored him, and shared him with us, too.

Paula's husband, referred to as "B," has a mother who would have tried the patience of Job, but Paula was stronger - for awhile. Some of her postings about the M-I-L were riotous about repeated phone calls and misunderstandings that were reminiscent of the once popular British weekly comedy series, "Are You Being Served?" (A dear friend of Paula's posted this about her.)

Along with the Buddy antics, we worried about Paula driving "B's" car, losing her keys and being afraid to tell her husband, discovering Buddy had chewed through the seatbelt in the back seat of B's car, and a myriad lot of other aspects of the life she was living and letting us in to be like Nosy Neighbors, peering over the blog fence at everything, listening at the keyhole of her existence. When she completed her stem cell transplant and the numbers, at first, seemed to be heading in the right direction, we were her cheering section.

Paula shared many of the various treatments she endured which left little, if anything, to the imagination. But her ability to see the humor in some of the grimmest situations pulled us all through with her. And who among us forever after will refer to PJ's or pajamas as "jim jams?"

Paula received a well-earned reward of the Inspirational Cancer Blog badge and Top Health Blogger for her blog. Her blog readers were seldom disappointed as she wrote about her life - the good, the bad, the frustrating, the bizarre, showing photos of many of her projects and the precious 'postings' of her own Buddy - with us often. We were privileged confidants about her enduring marriage to "B" whom she clearly loved with the same vibrancy she lived. Her creative artistic energies won her first place in local contests and her many gifts, both of actual creations or her thoughtful comments, won her first place in our hearts.

When you look up at the stars shining brightly from the heavens, perhaps you will join me in imagining one of them might be Paula who certainly was a star while she was with us. I will miss you, dear friend.

A Lily for Sean

In memory of Sean Tiernan

I don't have hundreds of 'followers' and each one I have is someone I have come to know through various groups. When I learned today that a fellow photographer passed I was saddened on many levels. Sean Tiernan lived in the UK, wrote a blog, was interested in Reiki and gave his very best all the time. Because I was not a close friend, there is much I did not know, and never will, about someone who never gave up. I will miss his creative perspective, his commitment to life and the smiles he sent across the miles. This photo is the only way I know to memorialize Sean, who was kind enough to be a follower (to help me with Google+), and to give thanks for his life and the gifts he used well while here.

Ten Years Ago

The Saguaro cactus doesn't get it's first arm
until it is at least 50 years old!

Ten years ago I was living in Phoenix, Arizona and I was working for a start-up company providing on-line educational programs to troubled youths. I was up early listening to NPR as I was getting ready to head off to work. Arizona doesn't shift time for the Daylight Savings program, so we were only two hours ahead of the East coast. But it was light enough to see the Saguaro cactus and other desert flora and fauna from my condominium windows.

The night before I had just had my weekly phone conversation with my mother and, as usual, we had been talking about the weather and how lovely New England can be in early September. So when I heard that a plane had crashed into the twin towers in New York City, I said to myself, "How can that be? The weather is supposed to be clear today." I went in and turned on the TV, just in time to see the second passenger plane hit the skyscraper.

Everyone who was alert that day probably remembers where they were when they heard the news about what happened on September 11, 2001. I listened to the radio as I drove into work, astounded and disbelieving what I was hearing. Since our company used televisions to prepare the student programs, it was not surprising to arrive and find all the TVs tuned in to various channels for news updates. But what was a surprise is that our vice president was in NYC and had planned to make a pitch to an investment group at the World Trade Center. As there was no cell phone contact by the time we heard about it, we had no idea if he had been in either of the towers at the time of the disasters.

No work got done that day as we all watched events unfolding, and worrying about our VP. Just as the collapse began, our phone rang and it was the VP's wife calling us to let us know that he was fine. He had not gone to the WTC as planned because the fellow he was supposed to meet had called in sick that day with a bad cold and they had rescheduled for the next day. Of course, there never was a "next day," and eventually our VP was able to get back to Arizona, but it took him three weeks and several bus and train connections to do it.

I did not know that I would end up in Colombia almost a decade later, nor did I know that another issue of undocumented aliens would result in over 27 Colombians being added to the list of those who were killed that day because they were working in the restaurants in the towers. Affecting people who were of different nationalities, cultures, religions and persuasions, this horrible event should become a way to remember that we all bleed the color red, and to become a united world in remembering this day.

I have just reading "City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance and 9/11" by Anthony DePalma, a former NY Times reporter, who has done extensive research on the consequential health issues post-9/11. Apparently huge numbers of people who were working in rescue and recovery for weeks after the destruction were not wearing any kind of protective masks to prevent breathing in all the toxic dust. Some of that was due to not having the equipment, some of it was because of the heat and difficulty in communicating with a mask on, and some people were those who were caught unprepared in the first dust storm of pulverized materials with no way to protect their airways. What is clear from this book is that there were people who died on September 11, 2001, murdered in those terrorist events. But there are also people who have died, and those who are still dying, because of failures of the governmental agencies - local and national - to either properly assess or report on dangers of the environment, failures of employers to protect their workers from toxic exposures, failures of the medical community to properly identify symptoms and certainly failures of various investigative committees to pursue logical routes because of political agendas in place.

My purpose in posting about this book is two-fold: even a decade after the horrors of that day, there are emerging health issues related to the event which people should be aware of and not discount, and secondly, one of the emerging health issues is Multiple Myeloma. This from the book: "Mount Sinai reported in 2009 that it had found a higher than expected number of cases of multiple myeloma in responders who were younger than 45."

DePalma, Anthony (2010-07-21). City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance, and 9/11 (FT Press Science) (p. 223). FT Press. Kindle Edition.

Collaborative effort by two Colombian artists to create
their version of a remembrance of 9/11.

My hope, perhaps wrongly placed, is that it will not take another ten years before those people who have been 'in charge' are willing to look at their culpability, deliberate or accidental, so that the many victims of 9/11 at least are given the medical and financial support they need for whatever time they have left. And finally, that should anyone ever again be caught up in any kind of disaster where the clean air is compromised, they remember to do all they can to protect their lungs on their own because the government will not be your mother and will not take care of you.

Remembering this day ten years ago, my condolences go out to all who have lost someone they cared about as a consequence of 9/11 and I send blessings around the planet to heal what can be healed.

Fighting Dis-Ease by What We Eat and What We Don't

June's full moon is in Sagittarius and tonight, the 15th,
there will be a total eclipse lasting about 100 minutes.

A couple of the blogs I read about Multiple Myeloma offer some insight to this disease, and ways to live with it or fight it. In particular, Pat Killingsworth and his wife, Pat, offer several blogs on the subject of cancer, unfortunately due to personal experience. If you have stumbled onto mine for this reason, I hope you will click again to find the Multiple Myloma Blog and read Pat's entries. He is an endless researcher, one of several erudite MM bloggers, and easy to read.

My objective in taking on this subject today is that I do believe in the benefits of eating good, natural foods and I am (because of a certain cancer risk in my family) a proponent of curcumin and take it daily. I want to remain healthy and so I do also take supplements along with a daily fresh fruit, vegetable and some protein.

I have commented before that certain elements in our lives seem to be making a lot more people vulnerable to various varieties of this disease of cancer - key word "dis-ease." Stress is listed as a major contributor to heart disease. It is really disturbing that so many more people under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with MM, but I don't think stress of any kind is sufficiently toxic to cause dis-ease.

And it is not my intent to lay blame at the foot of the sufferer - already in anguish at feeling ill and perhaps powerless, this would be cruel. But I will ask these questions: Can we be certain that the water we drink is really safe? Do we really know what happens to the food we eat, before we eat it? What can we do to maximize healthy living before we face any kind of illness?

With all the threats of "Swine Flu," "Bird Flu" and just plain, but potentially deadly "Flu," we have to avoid the sugars (hidden as well as variations), sugar substitutes like aspertame and Splenda, which are horrendous liver limiters, are forbidden in other countries around the world!  Did you know that various flu viruses feed off sugar in the cells to proliferate? Getting off sugar is one of the hardest addictions because it is everywhere - but for your own good, start reading the labels...

Using a sugar-substitute is not the answer either. Did you know that aspertame is even in chewing gum now - both the sugar-free and NON sugar-free types! And aspertame does not leave the body easily - unless you know what to do - it creates a toxin that keeps building up and arresting the liver's function. Here is one solution I found: Dr. Janet Hull - you might want to take some time to read this link. Here is another recent (2012) link about a study of the effects of aspartame on the brain. If you are thinking drinking a can of diet soda can't be that bad - think again!
Here's what they found:
- 42 percent higher leukemia risk in men and women (pooled analysis)
- 102 percent higher multiple myeloma risk (in men only)
- 31 percent higher non-Hodgkin  lymphoma risk (in men only)

If you think switching to sugar-sweetened sodas is an improvement, it apparently is not. The soda ingredient is just generally bad for you.

A rare double rainbow awhile ago... hopeful only if one
is awaiting, and wanting, rain. We have had plenty.

I discussed once before the issues I have with water flouridation and how horrible it is for liver function as well. Since I have been living in South America, I have lost over 30 pounds! Part of it is due to eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and NEVER using a microwave for anything. And, to the best of my knowledge, the water in the local city is not flouridated at all.

For those of you who are using a microwave to heat up things, are you aware that those precious nutrients in the food you cooked before in the oven or on the stove are, once in the microwave oven,  being permanently altered by the microwaves? This is making the food or water (at best) hot stuff to eat and (at worst) changing the structure from nutritious to toxic for you.

Margaret on her blog reminds us regularly that using natural supplements, in most cases, enhances certain treatments for MM or the bones being attacked by MM. I am not a doctor nor a nutritionist, but I am aware that when we eat foods that are most closely connected to their origin (not in packaging with convoluted ingredient lists) we fare better.

In line with that, here is a recent list from the Environmental Working Group of the 15 best foods to eat because they are relatively free from pesticides: "Clean Fifteen" list: Onions, sweet corn, pineapples, avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, and mushrooms. NOTE: Margaret recently reported (June 9th) that asparagus is high in a certain enzyme that is not beneficial for those with certain cancers.
Items listed as being list of "dirty" produce are celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines (imported), grapes (imported), sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce, and kale/collard greens because they are most likely covered with pesticides.

There are a couple of MM sufferers who have eschewed (pardon the pun) traditional chemotherapies and gone their own way to find a solution. Margaret spoke of one this last week who has accomplished huge success but has been tormented by various organizations for his claims. I have read of another who is taking taking PolyMva and has also achieved a kind of remission from what I can determine.

It is not my objective to foster false hopes. But I do continue to believe that organic foods along with quality supplements and other elements combined, especially the water we drink every day, can make a huge difference in our health. So I don't know if this has been helpful, but what I want on this day of the eclipse is to wish all my readers better health!

Who's reading this blog, anyhow?

Once in awhile I review the 'stats' on Blogger to see which articles are the most read or where the audience comes from. I started out writing this blog as a window on the world for a couple of people who were in the hospital with Multiple Myeloma (MM), a blood plasma cancer which is considerably more terminal than life itself. Some people with it have had Stem Cell Transplants (STCs) either with their own cells (autologous) or someone else's (allo) and some have had both or none and lots of chemo or medications. Knowing these treatments can create isolation for the patients (needed because of compromised immune systems) I wanted to bring in a little fresh air and fresh thoughts.

So my objective when I started was to provide some entertainment, different views of the world, and also to give my family some idea of where I was and what I was doing. I still try to meet my objectives and from some of the readers, it would appear I am doing that.

Three abandoned kittens were left in a carton near my casa.

But a couple of weeks ago when I looked at those 'stats,' I was surprised to see one (1) reader came from Burkina Faso. How many of you already know where that is? It used to be the Republic of Upper Volta when it was ruled by France in the western part of Africa, but their independence changed the name which now means "Men standing upright," or "Men of  Honor" and 'father's house,' a compilation of the two languages stemming from that country. Thanks to Wikipedia, you can find out more information on the link provided.

This was quite a surprise to me, and the reader never left a comment, so I have no idea what prompted him or her to stop by. (The statistics do not show me when the readers read a piece where they are from, only that on one day there were six or seven readers and over a week they were from five or six countries.) Was it a woman from Burkina who was frustrated with a country motto of "Unity, Progress, Justice" but finds her countryMEN less than enthusiastic about giving her a voice? I will probably never know unless that reader comes back.

What I also learned from Wikipedia is that the Burkinabes are fed up with a President who has a private plane and who has become very wealthy in 23 years of ruling the country and the people want the wealth to be more evenly distributed. Apparently there have been riots since February 2011 and as recently as April 28 when they held another protest seeking redress of their grievances. Have you read about this anywhere?

A few of my readers are ex-pats-to-be who want to know what it is like to live here, some are future travelers to Colombia realizing that it is no less dangerous than a supermarket in Arizona, USA, because there are crazy people with insane objectives all over the world and it seems to be a matter of timing as to whether or not you end up involved in that craziness.

I know I have more than a few readers who have MM, or their caregivers, people I have come to know as a consequence of a relative developing it. I have learned a lot about the disease from their blogs and become part of their blog family providing words of comfort or cheering on the sidelines when something is working and receiving the same here.

To me this audience is the most important because they have taught me that living life and writing about it is a day-to-day experience. Everyone has challenges to face and a timeline - known or unknown - in which to deal with it. 

Yesterday we had a 4.9 earthquake only 24 kilometers away. I really felt the shaking this time and so did Scott, the other artist's dog on the property. He was anxious and clingy all day afterwards.

Today I learned that Harmon Killebrew, 73, a nationally known ball player, has announced his plans to enter Hospice after a failed attempt to overcome cancer. I met this man in Boise, Idaho when I worked for a foundation that held a special event to honor native-born Idahoans. I don't really 'know' him well, not even an acquaintance. But his decision to live his life in whatever time he has left without further combat is a bold move and I can understand and sympathize with that choice. 

It was the mention of his name combined with yesterday's earthquake that caused me to reflect today on my own life and history and the importance of living... and giving what can be given. I hope my readers find the gifts offered up. And if you only like cat pictures, these are for you.

I decided to keep this little girl. Her name is "Sombra," or
"Shadow" in English. She is very small. The other kittens
were given to a pet store to find them homes.

The Heartbreak of Myeloma

Before I knew about Multiple Myeloma, I lived in a gingerbread land of illusion. I did not know about this disease that comes into families like a snake sliding into a picnic, creating fear and havoc.

Today I have friends and a relative living with this condition. I try to support them all with my words, my pictures and comments of caring and support when appropriate. This blog was originally started as a way to provide respite and a window on the world to one who was hospitalized with an STC. And while I continue it, it still partially serves that objective.

It astounds me that there are so many younger people who are being diagnosed with it. And it is a point of curiosity that I do not hear about it in South America much. I wonder why that is? I also support various fund-raising efforts to provide resources for research. I look for hopeful posts on possible solutions or medications for either moderation or cure(s). But today it doesn't feel like I am doing enough as I hear about a friend's pain and I cannot ease it, cannot erase it, cannot solve it.

I hate this disease.

Multiple Myeloma Takes Another One

I dedicate this sunset photo to Hamada
who, according to Susie, loved them.

The news from Susie that her beloved husband Hamada had passed away on November 23 from the consequences of Multiple Myeloma was no real surprise after her continuous updates of his failing kidneys, but it was still very sad news for those who have come to know her and the love of her life through her blog and her poetry.

It is also a horrible reminder that without aggressive and skilled medical intervention, this disease will show no mercy and will steal life long before that life should have ended. There was a notice on one of the MM sites that some people in the UK are putting forth an extra effort to educate the medical community about the symptoms of Multiple Myeloma since it is often mis-diagnosed, losing valuable time for the disease to gain a stronger position.

Reading other blogs often provides links to new information or theories which may bear fruit, for example "Riding the Wave" or "Margaret's Corner." I would not want to forget Phil Brabb's blog, MM for Dummies, and the efforts to fund-raise with Cancer Kickers, providing an inexpensive way to bring MM more into the public eye.

Education is something that should be happening world-wide since it appears that more and more individuals are facing this fight and at younger years (in MM for Dummies this week there is a story of a young woman in her 30's). I know I will continue to do what I can to educate those I meet about it, encouraging people to be more proactive in their discussions with their doctors and more than that, pushing them to eat healthier, more natural foods. I have also tried to get the message to President Obama that the government Veteran's Administration has not demonstrated compassionate care for our vets and in the U.S. there is a huge population of veterans suffering from MM.

This is no consolation for the wife of a man who loved her and who was well loved in return - nor will it bring him back. But perhaps those who are about to be diagnosed with MM or those who have recently been discovered to have it will take time to read the various blogs and make some educated decisions about their treatment so they can have a better chance at the remission that is sought after.

The Swim is Over

Some of the MM bloggers and caregivers
will remember "Andre" and I didn't
want him forgotten, either.

It's hard to believe the Swim Across America event here in Seattle is over and I only have a few hours before grabbing onto the wings of an east-bound plane for Atlanta, GA, and then head south to Colombia.

I was there again at Luther Burbank Park at 6 a.m. ready to volunteer. It was dark and cool and I had to drive through several patches of rain so it was just plain good fortune that it didn't rain during the event.

The turnout of swimmers was bigger than last year with 200 jumping into water temperatures that would send more than a shiver up your back. According to the announcer at the end, the fund-raising for Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) was better than the year before, too. That is good news because they are working very hard on research related to the immune system and these funds will help to support that effort.

I found this sign somewhat amusing given the numbers
of people (200) who were swimming for this event.
Actually there were over 50 people on the water watching
out for the swimmers - police, rescue personnel and volunteer
kayakers and boaters to ensure a safe outcome.

Some of the volunteers were on the water, some were dishing out food (me), some were handing out packets and tee shirts and afterwards there were a lot who were doing clean-up. As my daughter remarked, "We couldn't swim without all the help that's provided." It was fun, and I wouldn't have missed seeing my oldest beat her own time by a couple of minutes over last year. Good going!!

This year the cooler temperatures made the hot sausages, hot quiche, hot pancakes and the rich whipped cream and strawberries, cookies, cup cakes and cream cheese a veritable feast for all who attended. If food is a motivator, this year it sure surpassed all expectations! Families and friends picnicked together after the racing was done and listened to announcements and successes in the fundraising efforts. The numbers aren't all in yet, but they definitely already showed an increase over 2009. One team of four women raised $7,000, winning the "Best Effort Award."

One of the on-water volunteers was taking his dog with him. "She loves to go with me," he said. But in this first photo, he is trying to tell her she has to move to the front and she has already loaded on, being very careful to keep her feet dry, having determined that the cold water wasn't something she wanted too much of.

In the second photo he had gently taken her by the collar and pretty much forced her to move to the front spot. I loved the expression on her face which seemed to say, "I don't agree with you, but if you say so."

And then in this final photo she seems to have resigned herself to the new position and is watching some of the activities on shore as her owner paddles out to the race area.

The Half-milers begin their swim at 8:30 a.m. and a few managed to finish
just as the Two-milers were coming into the gates as well.

The leading swimmers in the Two-Mile race began hitting the gate at 39 and 40 minutes (having started at slightly after 8 a.m.) which means that they were swimming a mile in 20 minutes!!! That is churning up some water!!! The Half-Milers were swimming pretty well by putting themselves through the gate after about 25-30 minutes. Nothing to be ashamed of!

About 9:30 the sun began to break through the heavy clouds and as the remainder of the swimmers came onto the beach from both races, the early arrivers were getting toweled off and warmed back up.

There are too many who are in this MM fight... I was sad
that they limited the numbers of flags we could post.

I posted some prayer flags for a few of the MM folks I know who are having a particularly tough time, but I was limited in the number of flags so I just want to say that although your name might not have appeared to be waving in the breeze, I was still thinking of you and your caregivers and hope you know this was not meant as any kind of slight. And while I wasn't 'swimming,' for the cure, I did what I could to support those who were.

These are the leader swimmers rounding the last mark on their two-mile
Swim Across America in less than 40 minutes!

'Godwillin' and the crick don't rise,' I will be back next year to do my small part in helping to raise awareness, funds and energy to this event.

The red, white and blue balloons of Swim Across America
blow in the gentle breeze off Lake Washington in Seattle.

Swimming Across America in WA #2

This will be the second year for Swim Across America in Seattle on Lake Washington. It takes place on Saturday, September 11 and here is the link for all the information about the long distance swimming event, which gets under way VERY early in the morning... good place to see the sunrise!

http://www.swimacrossamerica.org

I was a volunteer last year and have offered again for this year but have not heard back as yet. Whether or not I am doing that, I will certainly be there to support the swimmers.

The upside-down triangles are prayer flags which are filled out by anyone who wants to remember someone who has been affected by cancer or by family members paying tribute to the swimmers or for groups to recognize someone. Last year I honored the late competitive motorcycle rider, Andre, who wrote the blog "http://motocancer.blogspot.com/" He was afflicted with Multiple Myeloma.

My dream is to not have to put anyone's name up there for this disease or any other kind of cancer.

As you can see, the weather was ideal for this kind of an event. I will be intending for a repeat version for this year as I cannot imagine how much harder it might be to complete such a course in the rain or other inclement weather.

As the swimmers complete their two miles, there is a group of volunteers ready and waiting to help them out of the water, give them refreshments and a towel. When it is all over and done, the donations received will be going to the local Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, as it did last year.

HOPE WE WILL HAVE LOTS OF SUPPORTERS!!!

A Creative Solution

She walked into the waiting area of the airline departure lounge with her head held high. And on both sides I saw flowers. How perfectly lovely they are, I thought. I wanted to get a better look and pondered how I could approach without seeming maddeningly intrusive.

If I'd been traveling with anyone else, I might not have had the courage to do this, but when I'm alone I seem to have a different kind of bravado.

I found the right words and she was more than willing to allow me to look and even better to take this photograph... I thought about what a creative solution this was for her situation (she said she has alopecia and is not under chemo treatment), and how others might gravitate to it... provided the tattooist was approved by the medical team.

What do you think?

Canaries in Combat Boots

Often as caregivers we are so anxious to improve an awful situation, we take a somewhat heavy handed approach, like a canary in combat boots. We forget that the 'other person' is wrapped tightly too, struggling with what may be an end-of-life crisis and in our own stress we push too hard, making things worse.

I was reading another care-giver's blog and direct you to it for some sane advice.

http://www.loripuente.com/?p=612&cpage=1#comment-248

But it is a good reminder for all aspects of daily living, I remind myself. Recently I was tasked to help out a neighbor with his canaries, over 100 of them, as he and his wife wanted to take a weekend away and he discovered in conversation that I had had birds, loved them, and was able to care properly for them.

These lovely birds are delicate, but they are not weak. In fact, when offered uncooked corn on the cob, they act more like piranhas on meat than birds. They peck each other, shriek, chirp, flap their wings at their opponent and generally act quite aggressive for such small feathery things.

So what did these little creatures teach me this weekend? That putting food in front of them does not automatically mean they will eat it and my job was simply to provide it. Some of them were ravenous, but others were totally disinterested. It was not a judgment of me or my delivery. It was where they were at.

We can learn... whether as caregivers or as companions. There are boundaries we do not need to cross and we can save the combat boots for battles that really have to be fought by us for our loved ones. Just a thought.

Hearts and Flowers on Mum's Day

Two years ago I came out to the Northwest on a mercy mission, to help out my family with a relative who has Multiple Myeloma (MM). I was actually here for Mother's Day, but I don't remember much cause for celebrating it.

At that time I didn’t have the faintest idea what this disease was, and how variable it can be with each individual. I was on the fastest learning curve imaginable and part of the discovery was finding out about me as the stress and crisis escalated.

What strange paths I was led down as I stumbled along, gradually gaining information and confidence in my own strengths as part of a support team. But anguish crept in as well as I realized there were limitations and this is a disease that teaches you how little control you have over even the smallest aspects.

I returned to Florida, supposedly to pick up my life again after two intense visits in Washington state. I ended up taking an impulsive trip to Phoenix, Arizona, for a seminar and met the love of my life. Why did I do that then? Because MM taught me another lesson - don’t wait.

And who was this Mystery Man (another kind of MM)? He has lived in the NW almost all of his life, half of it in the food business and the last half in electronics. He has wired at least 40% of downtown Seattle for sound, including doing several special events. The son of a naturopathic and chiropractic doctor, Jey-hu's real interest is finding out how to make water better and electricity more productive. (I guess I need to interject here that "Jey-hu" is a Blog name, as is mine, to maintain the privacy of the MM relative.)

We also, as those of you have found out by reading this blog, share a love of photography and travel and both of us have done more of that together in the last year than either of us did singly in the two years previously.

My MM (Mystery Man) and I met up with the family MM recently and I was happy to see so many positive changes - brighter smiles - happier energy - and healthier color, not to mention hair on top; the best look in two years! And the family, like a budding spring plant, seems to be bursting forth with new hope as well.

THE SHARING

Isn’t this what all of us who are in or around MM dream of having? It is what has driven me as a blog supporter to bring to those I connect with. Just this past week many of the MM Planet “family” have been sharing their connection with “Nancy” who was, like “Andre” of this particular group, a very special soul. It is inevitable that each of us will go through to the ‘Other Side,’ but the goodbyes are harder sometimes, even when one gracefully bows out, taking the last curtain call like the Trapp Family in the “Sound of Music,” and we know when the house lights come up, the stage will be empty.

Yet I have so much to be thankful for - because I never would have known and blogged with Andre and Nancy if it hadn’t been for MM, and my life is richer for that connection with each of them; for the laughter and the tears. And the decisions I have made, from this “MM education,” have put me on a life path that, like the promise of new growth with an SCT, gives me a renewed sense of purpose.

THE CARING

My prayer for all the MM caregivers is that you are finding new sources of information and strength to encourage you as you begin a new day, even if the night before was short. An aside for Cassie: I know your nights are shorter with that new little "gem" in your life and everyone else you have to care for - hats off and many hearts to you!!

My prayer for all the MM bloggers, with your special needs, is that you are being guided to the right sources for the best support always and that you know, even in the dark when you wonder, that you are valued and loved.

And I send out my heart-felt gratitude to both caregivers and bloggers for the information and sharing that has helped me to better understand and appreciate the challenges you each face every day so that I am able to be more of whatever it is I need to be, whenever I may need to be it. Is “Thank you” really enough?

Swimming Across America in WA

On Saturday, Sept. 12, at o-dark-thirty, I headed south from Everett to Lake Washington to Mercer Island's Luther Burbank Park for the first annual Swim Across America event as a fund-raiser for a beneficiary which this year was the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

The sun seemed to take forever to get up over the horizon, and before it actually made it, the first swimmers began to arrive to get registered and marked up. A team of volunteers, of which I was one, were already in place to blow up balls, prepare the coffee, cut up the bagels, hand out t-shirts and answer questions.

One of the swimmers is someone I know very well, and I had not advised her that I was going to be a volunteer, and she was significantly surprised to be standing in line for a t-shirt and see me standing there. I was there to support the swimmers, a family member who has cancer and to memorialize those who have recently died from Multiple Myeloma or another cancer.

About 90 men and women signed up to swim the two-mile route under the Mercer Island Bridge on the western side of the island and another 35 or 40, including a number of teens, were ready to swim a half-mile course. Each of the entrants had to raise $500 as part of their "training" for the competition along with other physical conditioning activities.

The efforts of these swimmers raised $65,000, along with other donations, putting the total raised near $100,000 for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. The "prayer flags" were comments by various people about the event or about their motivation to swim the distance.

When the bus came to pick up the two-milers, the sun was shining brightly, there was little wind and the water was 69 degrees. They hit the water at 8 a.m. and the first swimmer, a guy, ran up on the beach at about 8:37 a.m.!

This was just after 8:30 a.m. when the half-milers got the gun and they were off, swimming furiously.

I took a break from being a spectator for a walk around the park and discovered a dew-covered spider web plus loads of blackberries ripening, and they were a tasty breakfast treat!

The announcer proclaimed a new wave of arrivals from the 2-mile group and I found the best spot to watch was up in the lifeguard's chair. My hat is off to all the swimmers who churned up the water for at least an hour; a few took longer than that to complete the course.

The last of the half-milers came in as well, moving the event from being spectators to the animated talk between swimmers and supporters about the event. Friends and relatives began arriving to share in the post-event breakfast and awards ceremony.

Young boys and girls were now bored with the adult conversation and quickly found a way to entertain themselves - a dried up fountain offered an opportunity to discover what it was supposed to be doing, where the water came from, where the water would go. I was fascinated by their youthful conclusions and research as they worked together easily, boys and girls, to reinforce their ideas.

One enterprising young lady had seen a number of bottles of water not being taken by the adults, and she offered to make several trips from the dry fountain to the source to carry more than a few bottles of water back to be poured into the dry spot to see if it would either generate more water or when overflowing would run down to the outlet. As I was her temporary "caretaker," at the request of her mother, I let her make a few trips without comment. Finally, after 9 bottles of water had been 'sacrificed,' I had to be the spoil-sport and stop her, partly because her parents were getting ready to leave. She was quick to think of another way to get the water... go to lake and fill up the bottles she already had! I hated to

be the limiter of her fun and stopping the energy of youthfulness.

The lazy sun was now heating up the day without a cloud to slow it down. People were leaving the park, heading off to other weekend duties or adventures. I had been a part of something powerful and moving... and my thoughts went out to the individuals who had committed to the swim and why they did it. How many times did their arms reach into the water to pull them along over a two-mile area? How many kicks did it take to get to the end? It was impressive and thought-provoking. And because of each one, combined into many, SCCA would have some additional research funds perhaps to help solve the mysteries of MM. Like this last shot suggests, a victory over cancer for good!