Hello loyal followers of this blog.... I have moved my blog to a new sphere and am hoping you all can join me there. Also, please feel free to share this new site with other's who might be interested in my musings. And, please be sure to comment, add your own thoughts and expand the conversation. Thanks!
Follow me now at www.raychelkubbyadler.com
Friday, July 25, 2014
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Ice Machines
I believe a spell was cast over us this morning when we walked into the airport. The 4 am sunrise was shining through the glass at Terminal A as we stepped out of the Friendly Cab and toward the Delta check-in counter.
We were all tired, but filled with a frenetic excitement for the trip ahead of us. The sweet beckoning of the ocean, sand, and sun were enough to pull us out of our dreams.
Our ticketing attendant was incredibly upbeat for the hour. She was either punch drunk like us from a lack of sleep or ramping up for the day ahead working on Christmas Eve day...or maybe a real Christmas enthusiast who still leaves out cookies for Santa and wakes of early to try to catch him going up the chimney. In any case, she was ready for us, and happy to see us.
"Merry Christmas," she said, "Can I see your ID's please," and grabbed our passports. "Ewww, where are you going?" Mexico my husband Mitchel replied. "Sayulita."
"That's kind of funny for Christmas, the warm weather and all," she said, typing on her keyboard and then turning to retrieve our luggage stickers>
"We're Jewish," I said. Feeling like I made her feel bad I changed the subject. "Will it be crazy today?"
"All in a day's work," she said. "I am glad to be the first stop for folks who are about to go somewhere special."
"That's an awesome way to look at it," I said starting to really love this woman.
"It's all what you make it," she said. "Attitude is everything."
As we made our way up the escalator toward the security line, I turned to my family and said, "I thought about giving her one of the Posi+ivi+y Bracelet I had brought with me to give away on this trip. The bracelets are an awareness and fundraising campaign that is inspired by Ann Murray Paige , a great friend, amazing cancer warrior, and incredibly positive soul. The idea of the bracelets is that you give them away. For this trip my plan was to take three and give them away during my journey if the feeling hit me.
The baggage attendant certainly exemplified positivity...but somehow it seemed to soon in my trip to be giving one away, and anyway we were now facing a very long line at security.
But then another little elf came along with a clipboard and told us to go to the empty line up ahead for "priority passengers" since we were traveling with children. I looked around in disbelief. I couldn't believe that none of the others in the long line were traveling with children. My little gems shone even brighter when we walked right up to the TSA agent and then didn't have to go through the dreaded x-ray scanner.
We were of to a great start.
With plenty of time to spare, we ate a light breakfast, made a few potty pit stops, and waited briefly at Terminal 5 before getting on the plane to Los Angeles.
Each of our girls wanted a window seat so we split up in adult kid pairs. After getting settled into our seats I noticed that the stewardesses were not in the aisles as they are usually before take off. There was a brief welcome message over the PA, and I heard the stewardess ask the folks a few rows up in the exit seats if they were comfortable opening the doors in case of an emergency, but then no safety demonstration followed. The next announcement was to say there was a mechanical issue with the light for the door. They would be checking it out but we had to hold take-off until it was resolved.
Mitchel got upset. "We have a connection to Mexico," he told two flight attendants as they walked by us, as if they could do anything about it.
"What time is your next flight," the younger one with thick blue eyeliner asked.
"10:30 or so," Mitchel replied.
They both seemed to consider the time.
"You should be okay," the other woman said. "There are people back there," she gesturing toward the back of the plane,” that have a 9 am connection. They might need to be worried."
I wanted to remind Mitchel about our friend at the ticket counter this morning. There was no need to go to the what-ifs just yet. We were okay in the moment and there was nothing we could do to change the situation so our attitude would determine our experience.
But the next announcement over the PA challenged this again.
"This is your Captain folks. It seems like that although we know the door to be closed; the light continues to indicate that it is open. We have cleaned it and checked it out but we will need to shut down the plane completely and have you all unload and see if we can reset it. We are sorry for your inconvenience."
Mitchel lost it a bit with this news and yanked at Marley's backpack when she was having trouble getting it out from under the seat. Realizing that he was a little rough I saw something flash over his mind, perhaps a reminder of our goals to work together. I was certainly frustrated too, but at that time I still believed that we would get to our flight and destination.
Returning to the terminal, Mitchel (brilliantly) beeline it for the terminal desk. He was going to check with them about our connecting flight. It is lucky that he was standing there because only a few minutes later, a male flight attendant came to the mic and announced that the issue was still unresolved. They were cancelling the flight.
We were grounded.
In my mind I was catapulted into our family's favorite show, "The Amazing Race." We needed a new flight fast. One of us had to get our luggage while the other one worked on changing our flights. The kids would need to be safe and entertained.
But it quickly became clear looking at Mitchel's posture and face that we weren't going anywhere fast.
The next 3+ hours were spent with three different Delta employees trying to find a way to get us all to Mexico. The holiday combo of having less flights running and more people wanting to go places was not working in our favor. We tried all kinds of options. Driving to SF or San Jose. Flying to Atlanta and then to Puerto Vallarta. Spending the night in LA and traveling the next day. Checking every carrier, considering flying into Guadalajara and renting a car to drive the 412 miles to our destination, or even rerouting to Maui where we had a free place to stay with my brother.
But none of them, even the terrible options, was even a possibility. There were not four seats until December 28th - four days after our planned departure.
Though the outlook was not good, we four remained relative calm. Part was shell shock of our new reality, but I do think that a small part of the spell cast over us that morning was to believe that things were going to happen no matter what, but it was up to us to decide how we were going to feel and react that mattered most.
We stuck together. We held an impromptu family meeting and came up with a plan we could live with, although it would not have been anything we would have chosen. My husband and older daughter Marley would fly the next day. Me and my daughter Ruby would have to wait two more days.
We would be broken apart. Our vacation would be cut short. There would be money and time lost and expectations shattered.
But we kept our chins up. For me, my mind was flooded by thoughts of others that weren't doing so well this holiday season. Jacy, a fellow spin instructor, mom, wife and teacher who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, Ann Paige and her fight, and all my loved ones that aren't even here on this earth anymore. I don't know what was going on for the others in my family but it seemed that all of us were keenly aware of how very lucky we were to even be going on this trip.
We passed along a bright green posi+ivi+y bracelet to Giselly Montoya, the wonderful gate agent that stayed with us long after the others had abandoned our cause. Told her the story of the bracelets and thanked her for her time and efforts and then went to spend the $25 in food vouchers given to help kiss our you-know-whats.
***
Tonight I am in a hotel 15 miles from my house. My younger daughter is asleep in the next bed over. My husband and daughter have arrived safely and are in Sayulita Mexico sleeping next to the Pacific.
Although it was not the way we planned it - our Christmas was a nice one. It was a Jewish girls classic - a movie and Chinese--pretty fun and not something that would have happened organically. We got to take our dog on a surprise walk, so that part of our family was happy too. We even got a ride and more time with the king of positivity, Ben Finkelor. He is someone who really looks for the silver lining, and is good at reminding others of these often overlooked and underappreciated life gems.
Arriving at our hotel, and relatively stuck (it being Christmas and the hotel being in an unpopulated area) we decided that we would order Room Service. It would be Ruby's first time and she was thrilled. While we waited for food we would go to the hot tub.
But then again we were foiled. The hot tub was broken and room service and the restaurant closed. Ruby was visibly bummed, her little frame slumping and her smiley face turned down.
"I'm so sorry," the hotel clerk said over and over again. She could see Ruby's sadness too.
"We'll be okay," I said, scooting Ruby away from the desk. I was saying it more to convince myself, crestfallen that my little girl was disappointed again.
"I'll make us a fun dinner from our plane snack bag," I told Ruby as we went up the elevator. "And we will watch something fun on TV while we eat."
And then, looking for the silver lining we found it - in the form of the ice machine. Ruby's eyes lit up. She loves hotels. And she loves ice. And the ice machine is a little bit of both.
So we went to the room, got our ice container, and still in our dry swimsuits, we got some ice, ate our snack food dinner, and watched a Christmas Ice Age special on TV.
So wish us well that tomorrow we join our family on the beach. And may I wish you all very hearty, healthy, happy holidays! May we all find the attitude of gratitude for things big and small and fill the season with big hearts full of joy and peace!
We were all tired, but filled with a frenetic excitement for the trip ahead of us. The sweet beckoning of the ocean, sand, and sun were enough to pull us out of our dreams.
Our ticketing attendant was incredibly upbeat for the hour. She was either punch drunk like us from a lack of sleep or ramping up for the day ahead working on Christmas Eve day...or maybe a real Christmas enthusiast who still leaves out cookies for Santa and wakes of early to try to catch him going up the chimney. In any case, she was ready for us, and happy to see us.
"Merry Christmas," she said, "Can I see your ID's please," and grabbed our passports. "Ewww, where are you going?" Mexico my husband Mitchel replied. "Sayulita."
"That's kind of funny for Christmas, the warm weather and all," she said, typing on her keyboard and then turning to retrieve our luggage stickers>
"We're Jewish," I said. Feeling like I made her feel bad I changed the subject. "Will it be crazy today?"
"All in a day's work," she said. "I am glad to be the first stop for folks who are about to go somewhere special."
"That's an awesome way to look at it," I said starting to really love this woman.
"It's all what you make it," she said. "Attitude is everything."
As we made our way up the escalator toward the security line, I turned to my family and said, "I thought about giving her one of the Posi+ivi+y Bracelet I had brought with me to give away on this trip. The bracelets are an awareness and fundraising campaign that is inspired by Ann Murray Paige , a great friend, amazing cancer warrior, and incredibly positive soul. The idea of the bracelets is that you give them away. For this trip my plan was to take three and give them away during my journey if the feeling hit me.
The baggage attendant certainly exemplified positivity...but somehow it seemed to soon in my trip to be giving one away, and anyway we were now facing a very long line at security.
But then another little elf came along with a clipboard and told us to go to the empty line up ahead for "priority passengers" since we were traveling with children. I looked around in disbelief. I couldn't believe that none of the others in the long line were traveling with children. My little gems shone even brighter when we walked right up to the TSA agent and then didn't have to go through the dreaded x-ray scanner.
We were of to a great start.
With plenty of time to spare, we ate a light breakfast, made a few potty pit stops, and waited briefly at Terminal 5 before getting on the plane to Los Angeles.
Each of our girls wanted a window seat so we split up in adult kid pairs. After getting settled into our seats I noticed that the stewardesses were not in the aisles as they are usually before take off. There was a brief welcome message over the PA, and I heard the stewardess ask the folks a few rows up in the exit seats if they were comfortable opening the doors in case of an emergency, but then no safety demonstration followed. The next announcement was to say there was a mechanical issue with the light for the door. They would be checking it out but we had to hold take-off until it was resolved.
Mitchel got upset. "We have a connection to Mexico," he told two flight attendants as they walked by us, as if they could do anything about it.
"What time is your next flight," the younger one with thick blue eyeliner asked.
"10:30 or so," Mitchel replied.
They both seemed to consider the time.
"You should be okay," the other woman said. "There are people back there," she gesturing toward the back of the plane,” that have a 9 am connection. They might need to be worried."
I wanted to remind Mitchel about our friend at the ticket counter this morning. There was no need to go to the what-ifs just yet. We were okay in the moment and there was nothing we could do to change the situation so our attitude would determine our experience.
But the next announcement over the PA challenged this again.
"This is your Captain folks. It seems like that although we know the door to be closed; the light continues to indicate that it is open. We have cleaned it and checked it out but we will need to shut down the plane completely and have you all unload and see if we can reset it. We are sorry for your inconvenience."
Mitchel lost it a bit with this news and yanked at Marley's backpack when she was having trouble getting it out from under the seat. Realizing that he was a little rough I saw something flash over his mind, perhaps a reminder of our goals to work together. I was certainly frustrated too, but at that time I still believed that we would get to our flight and destination.
Returning to the terminal, Mitchel (brilliantly) beeline it for the terminal desk. He was going to check with them about our connecting flight. It is lucky that he was standing there because only a few minutes later, a male flight attendant came to the mic and announced that the issue was still unresolved. They were cancelling the flight.
We were grounded.
In my mind I was catapulted into our family's favorite show, "The Amazing Race." We needed a new flight fast. One of us had to get our luggage while the other one worked on changing our flights. The kids would need to be safe and entertained.
But it quickly became clear looking at Mitchel's posture and face that we weren't going anywhere fast.
The next 3+ hours were spent with three different Delta employees trying to find a way to get us all to Mexico. The holiday combo of having less flights running and more people wanting to go places was not working in our favor. We tried all kinds of options. Driving to SF or San Jose. Flying to Atlanta and then to Puerto Vallarta. Spending the night in LA and traveling the next day. Checking every carrier, considering flying into Guadalajara and renting a car to drive the 412 miles to our destination, or even rerouting to Maui where we had a free place to stay with my brother.
But none of them, even the terrible options, was even a possibility. There were not four seats until December 28th - four days after our planned departure.
Though the outlook was not good, we four remained relative calm. Part was shell shock of our new reality, but I do think that a small part of the spell cast over us that morning was to believe that things were going to happen no matter what, but it was up to us to decide how we were going to feel and react that mattered most.
We stuck together. We held an impromptu family meeting and came up with a plan we could live with, although it would not have been anything we would have chosen. My husband and older daughter Marley would fly the next day. Me and my daughter Ruby would have to wait two more days.
We would be broken apart. Our vacation would be cut short. There would be money and time lost and expectations shattered.
But we kept our chins up. For me, my mind was flooded by thoughts of others that weren't doing so well this holiday season. Jacy, a fellow spin instructor, mom, wife and teacher who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, Ann Paige and her fight, and all my loved ones that aren't even here on this earth anymore. I don't know what was going on for the others in my family but it seemed that all of us were keenly aware of how very lucky we were to even be going on this trip.
We passed along a bright green posi+ivi+y bracelet to Giselly Montoya, the wonderful gate agent that stayed with us long after the others had abandoned our cause. Told her the story of the bracelets and thanked her for her time and efforts and then went to spend the $25 in food vouchers given to help kiss our you-know-whats.
***
Tonight I am in a hotel 15 miles from my house. My younger daughter is asleep in the next bed over. My husband and daughter have arrived safely and are in Sayulita Mexico sleeping next to the Pacific.
Although it was not the way we planned it - our Christmas was a nice one. It was a Jewish girls classic - a movie and Chinese--pretty fun and not something that would have happened organically. We got to take our dog on a surprise walk, so that part of our family was happy too. We even got a ride and more time with the king of positivity, Ben Finkelor. He is someone who really looks for the silver lining, and is good at reminding others of these often overlooked and underappreciated life gems.
Arriving at our hotel, and relatively stuck (it being Christmas and the hotel being in an unpopulated area) we decided that we would order Room Service. It would be Ruby's first time and she was thrilled. While we waited for food we would go to the hot tub.
But then again we were foiled. The hot tub was broken and room service and the restaurant closed. Ruby was visibly bummed, her little frame slumping and her smiley face turned down.
"I'm so sorry," the hotel clerk said over and over again. She could see Ruby's sadness too.
"We'll be okay," I said, scooting Ruby away from the desk. I was saying it more to convince myself, crestfallen that my little girl was disappointed again.
"I'll make us a fun dinner from our plane snack bag," I told Ruby as we went up the elevator. "And we will watch something fun on TV while we eat."
And then, looking for the silver lining we found it - in the form of the ice machine. Ruby's eyes lit up. She loves hotels. And she loves ice. And the ice machine is a little bit of both.
So we went to the room, got our ice container, and still in our dry swimsuits, we got some ice, ate our snack food dinner, and watched a Christmas Ice Age special on TV.
So wish us well that tomorrow we join our family on the beach. And may I wish you all very hearty, healthy, happy holidays! May we all find the attitude of gratitude for things big and small and fill the season with big hearts full of joy and peace!
Friday, December 20, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Souls Ajar
As featured in this years Jewels of Elul (http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/
Elul 1: Souls Ajar by Raychel Kubby Adler
“The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.”
~ Emily Dickinson
An inviting tap on the empty chair next to me was enough. Jackie turned to her husband at their otherwise empty table, nodded yes, and got up to join us. At my request, the eight people at our auction table inched their chairs closer and our friends slid comfortably into place. Later I got an email from Jackie saying, “Thank you for welcoming us to your table. It made all the difference for our night.”
The week before, I witnessed a similar gesture at my daughter’s new dance class. Though Marley’s skill set made her more than ready for this troupe, and even though she had known many of these girls before, she was intimidated knowing the troupe had been dancing together for three years. Marley hung back saying, “I’ll just watch,” when one girl, usually shy and withdrawn, stepped out of the glob of girls.
“Come on Marley. You learn routines so fast.” That was it. Marley shot me a look, shrugged her shoulders, and found a space alongside the others.
This is the art of welcoming: being open as well as extending invitations. Welcoming brings ease – makes people feel wanted and accepted. It allows us to sanctify a moment, cherish a relationship, receive and embrace. I was intrigued when Morah Shoshy, my 1st grade Sunday school teacher, told us that shalom meant hello, good bye and peace. As a verb, it goes even further to suggest safety or completeness. We welcome to make whole. May you welcome the taste of the fruits of summer. Invite someone new to your next celebration. Open your heart big and wide to acknowledge all that is before you.
Raychel Kubby Adler is a writer, wellness and fitness coach, mom, and breast cancer previvor. www.choicepointwellness.com
Elul 1: Souls Ajar by Raychel Kubby Adler
“The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.”
~ Emily Dickinson
An inviting tap on the empty chair next to me was enough. Jackie turned to her husband at their otherwise empty table, nodded yes, and got up to join us. At my request, the eight people at our auction table inched their chairs closer and our friends slid comfortably into place. Later I got an email from Jackie saying, “Thank you for welcoming us to your table. It made all the difference for our night.”
The week before, I witnessed a similar gesture at my daughter’s new dance class. Though Marley’s skill set made her more than ready for this troupe, and even though she had known many of these girls before, she was intimidated knowing the troupe had been dancing together for three years. Marley hung back saying, “I’ll just watch,” when one girl, usually shy and withdrawn, stepped out of the glob of girls.
“Come on Marley. You learn routines so fast.” That was it. Marley shot me a look, shrugged her shoulders, and found a space alongside the others.
This is the art of welcoming: being open as well as extending invitations. Welcoming brings ease – makes people feel wanted and accepted. It allows us to sanctify a moment, cherish a relationship, receive and embrace. I was intrigued when Morah Shoshy, my 1st grade Sunday school teacher, told us that shalom meant hello, good bye and peace. As a verb, it goes even further to suggest safety or completeness. We welcome to make whole. May you welcome the taste of the fruits of summer. Invite someone new to your next celebration. Open your heart big and wide to acknowledge all that is before you.
Raychel Kubby Adler is a writer, wellness and fitness coach, mom, and breast cancer previvor. www.choicepointwellness.com
The Heart of Welcoming
This months issue of The Vine features another of my stories - this time thinking about the ways in which we can welcome. I welcome you to read about it here: http://davisfood.coop/repository/1/607/dfcnews_9_13_low_res.pdf
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Davis Music Revolution
I describe myself as a juggler. Dabbling is my thing. I really enjoy having multiple projects, roles and responsibilities at the same time. Indeed, I wear many hats: mom, wellness coach, wife, spinning instructor, writer, business owner, outreach volunteer, friend. One of my favorite roles at the moment is as a member of the Davis Life Music Collective. It is great to be part of a community brought together by a deep love for music, art, culture, and our great town of Davis, CA.
My story about the DLMC and Davis Music Fest we are helping to host June 22 & 23 (please note the date is incorrect in the PDF version) is featured this month in The Vine. The whole article is great, but if you are just wanting to get to my story, scroll to page 8. And thanks to Rik Keller Photography for the amazing shots.
June Issue of The Vine featuring the Davis Live Music Collective
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Getting Techy With It
I have to admit, it feels really cool to say, "I have an app." Yep, it's true, though my kids might tell you something different, I am hip to today's trends. After 14 years of teaching spinning I feel like I have finally arrived. Whether you live in New Jersey, Costa Rica, or right here in Davis, just go to your iphone, type in "irideinside" and there you will find me and two other great instructors, spinning away on a bike, and encouraging you to join the fun for 45 minutes, 1 hour or even 90 minutes of great rides.
Even if spinning brings up thoughts of wool or your last night of too much drinking - you might still find a way to enjoy this great tool. Use it at home on a stationary bike or trainer, while traveling, or if you get sold out of your regular spin class. Just don't take this ride outside - remember the name is irideINSIDE!
And even if you don't want to use this app for working out, the playlists alone are worth checking out.
Thanks to Jamima Wolk and her JammyCo business for this great opportunity and wonderful product.
To celebrate the launch of irideinside we are having a launch party tomorrow, Sunday, March 17th, from 4-6 pm at the U.S. Bicycle Hall of Fame
The app, usually a great bargain at $4.99 will be available at the best price ever at the event tomorrow--free!
Sorry, the app is not yet available outside of the US or for androids but those are coming soon.
Download the app on Itunes here
From Itunes:
Take your indoor cycling class to go with iRideInside, an app that provides you with “ready-made” as well as “customizable” workouts so that you can get in a great ride anywhere you want and for any amount of time. Choose from a selection of experienced instructors that ride right along with you and push you harder than you ever thought you could go. Whether you are a beginner just wanting to get in shape or an avid cyclist looking to stay fit, iRideInside is the app for you.
Features:
- Video clips of instructors demonstrating the workout.
- Full audio of each instructor’s workout.
- Choose the music playlist provided by the instructor or create one from your iTunes library.
- Choose ready-made workouts or customize your own.
- Customize what icons are displayed on the screen, including total elapsed time, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and cadence.
- On-screen display includes total workout time as well as a countdown timer for each section.
- Expert information on bike fit, hand positions, equipment, nutrition, stretching, etc.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Patient Experience Contact Tool
If you want to help people learn first hand about surgical options and surgeons please take 60 seconds to fill out your info:
FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered): Patient Experience Contact Tool
FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered): Patient Experience Contact Tool
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Genetics specific research
Hi folks: I have explained before the urgent need to fund research into the specific factors of genetically related breast and ovarian cancer... for my children and perhaps your own, take a minute to read a bit more about why FORCE has set up a research fund specifically dedicated to this important issue:
FORCE - Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered
FORCE - Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered
US Patent and Trademark Office
FORCE recently testified to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on the adverse impact that exclusive gene patents has had on hereditary cancer research, interpretation of BRCA testing, and access to care. Learn more here:
uspto
uspto
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
A simple and fun message about exercise
Well, those of you that follow me know that my posts have been slim pickings of late. The truth is I have been focused on writing my book (which is very close btw) and figured that most of you have many sources for seeing great videos, sharing new ideas, and just connecting. What I am trying to say is this.... at this point I am only posting here if I really hope you see something like this below. Credit Jamima Wolk and her blog Sweat Style for the original posting.
Enjoy - and go get your 1/2 hour!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
FORCE and Renew Denim on live tv!
We got some great press for our FIX OUR GENES event to raise awareness and money for heritatry breast and ovarian cancer reserach. Check us out on a live broadcast on Sacramento and Company this week:
Help men at high-risk for prostate cancer
Action Alert: FORCE Responds to USPSTF Guideline Changes for PSA Screening
The United States Preventive Services Task Force recently issued a draft recommending against PSA screening for men of any age and risk status. Although the guidelines were not written specifically for men with BRCA mutations, FORCE is concerned that the proposed screening guideline changes may have serious negative health implications, lead to confusion, and make it more difficult for high-risk men to get insurance reimbursement for PSA screening. The USPSTF is accepting public commentary on these draft guidelines until November 8, 2011. Visit the FORCE website and learn how you can take action on behalf of high-risk men. |
Friday, August 26, 2011
Dragonfly
I haven't come back to post on this blog since December of last year. Look at the month now, late August, almost September. But when I read the email that inspired this post, I could think of nothing other but opening another tab on my desktop, entering this site, logging in, and starting to write.
Not that there haven't been things I thought about writing about, other events of significance or import. But there were other projects and places that were occupying my attention, and the blog was quiet.
But this email seems intended to be put here, right now, even though I am not sure of its ultimate significance.
A few of my other writing pieces have me waxing on about the meaning of relationships, the friend who I am most suprised to have. Another contest asks when I first learned the meaning of love. These questions, and the ones I ask in my book always lead me back to the Big ? What the heck is life all about anyway?
The main conclusion I come to most of the time is hope. Believing in it, having it, living for it. I mean why else live unless you can imagine a likelihood of success and believe in possibilities?
The email that I got somehow seems to represent both the questions and the answers in one simple picture. It is from Caryn in MI who I have only really known for the equivalent of one day.
I had seen her in the hallways and showroom of the conference we were both attending, but we hadn't connected until the last day when we talked at a boot camp class in one of the ballrooms.
"I like your funky moves," I said to her bobs and weaves, little kicks, and great expressions as we went through the workout. “Thanks,” she said, looking like a sweaty Sarah Silverman. She gave a sideways smile and I could tell she liked that I said it. We talked a bit more in class between power intervals and then chatted after with a few other women leaving the class and heading for the elevators to shower.
Later that night a group of us met up at the pool party and Caryn was there. She was preoccupied because she really wanted to see the fireworks from the top of the building, but nobody wanted to go with her, until she asked me.
I never miss an opportunity to see fireworks. It reminds me of my mom, and of sweet times, and always pulls "ohhs" and "ahhs" of wonderment out of me at any age.
We went to the 54th floor of the hotel and watched the distant fireworks of Epcot center through the glass as we told each other the stories of why we were at the conference.
Caryn's mom died at 44, when she was only 14. Caryn's mom was one of four sisters. Three of them, including her, died from breast cancer. Caryn tested positive for the BRCA gene and she wanted to do something to stop a similar fate. So she joined FORCE at was at the conference to learn more.
Caryn's mother Irene (LowerLeft) and her sisters: Pat, Joan and Barb Unpictured is Joyce, who died of bone cancer at 18
I told Caryn my BRCA story and about losing my sister and mother to breast cancer. We talked about breasts and surgeries and loss, about our children, and our husbands and our sex lives, all in the space of under an hour while the not so spectacular fireworks shot up and fizzled in the background.
After an only fair grand finale we went back to the pool party for a bit and then said good-bye. Caryn left the next morning while I was enjoying a rare chance to sleep in. She stuck a card under my hotel room door that gave me the dates and fundraising information for her upcoming 3-Day Breast Cancer walk. I made a donation the next day before she even got back home, and we emailed twice over the months between.
Last week, when Caryn was about to leave for her walk, she sent me an email saying said she would be thinking of me and my loved ones as she walked.
"Walk with wings," I emailed back.
When I opened the email I am going to share with you now, I broke down crying. Instantly hit, smack dab in the heart, with a huge helping of hope and appreciation and love. And it got me blogging.
Thanks Caryn, the inspiration keeps going round and round. We should never forget that it is not about time spent with people, but the quality and connection that makes all the difference.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Stop The FDA From Disproving Avastin To Treat Metastatic Breast Cancer
Please view this video or read on so that we can raise awareness about an upcoming FDA decision that will affect thousands of metastatic breast cancer survivors.
Avastin is an anticancer medication that many metastatic breast cancer patients respond to. As we move towards personalized medicine, we need better ways to evaluate who will and will not respond to a medication and assure that those medications that benefit subsets of the population remain available.
Both Komen for the Cure and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance’s statement about this topi can be viewed at :http://ww5.komen.org/KomenNewsArticle.aspx?id=6442452367 . The FDA decision on the drug Avastin was scheduled to occur on December 16, but has been postponed for the time being, so we have some time to act, but not much.
Please sign the petition by a woman for whom Avastin is the only drug benefitting her: http://www.thepetitionsite.
Write a letter/e-mail to the senior leaders at the FDA (Margaret Hamburg,margaret.hamburg@fda.hhs.gov; Patricia Keegan, patricia.keegan@fda.hhs.gov; Richard Pazdur, richard.pazdur@fda.hhs.gov; Janet Woodcock, janet.woodcock@fda.hhs.gov) and also send a copy of that letter to your congressman and senator. The mailing address for the FDA is 10903 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002.
We need more choices in treatment not less.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
May the FORCE be with you!
This knowledge saved my life - now I want to pass it along. Will you help me? I will be on a radio show Friday called How She Really Does It hosted by Koren Motekaitis talking about all this. Tune in at 10-11am PT on 95.7 FM or via live webstream directly from Koren's websitewww.howshereallydoesit.com. There is a button to click to listen to the podcast.
Today FORCE begins an awareness campaign. Did you know that approximately 750,000 Americans are affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. It is our goal for 1%, or 7,500 of our friends and family to join us on Facebook and help us spread the word about HBOC. We have 5,011 to go. Please suggest this page to your friends, share your stories and comments, and pass the word. We're grateful for your support.
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