Peace

Finally, an update!

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Being a cancer patient is not for the faint of heart! I’m just home from another routine CT scan. I get them every three months. The scans may be routine, but my reactions are not! Sometimes I feel stressed. Sometimes I’m relaxed. Often I’m in a pretty good mood and have enjoyable conversations with people I encounter at the hospital.

This time, I felt unusual stress in the lead-up. I don’t know why and I don’t think there has to be a reason. It’s very common for cancer patients to face “scanxiety”.

Maybe I’ve been thinking too much about this time last year: I was feeling great, went for my CT scan and was blindsided by the results which led to a change of meds. The new meds seem to be working well, and have far fewer side effects. I have no reason to suspect there will be bad news from this scan.

But still the lingering stress trudged through every day. I prayed and asked my Bible study group to pray too. That made a real difference, but even so I occasionally noted the undercurrent of stress ready to ripple through my (mostly) peaceful heart.

In the hours leading up to my scan I felt fine. Joyous even. On my way into the hospital I was thinking of a friend – a lovely person who works at the hospital and just got a big promotion. I was hoping for the opportunity to congratulate her in person, and prayed that I would run into her along the corridor by the coffee shop. There she was, right where I prayed I would see her, and it was wonderful to give her a hug and hearty congratulations!

I found myself praying for other folks in the waiting areas and happily chit-chatting with hospital staff. All was going well until I heard the CT machine from the next room saying, “breathe”. The strangest thing happened: a chill went up my spine and for that moment I was filled with dread about the procedure. I prayed and felt calm again, but that was a tough moment, and this scan wasn’t an easy one. The nurse couldn’t start the IV on the first go. He fished around and still couldn’t find the vein. (Ouch!) I prayed it would go better on the second arm, and it did. The technician was joking about a bunch of things and we were laughing together, but then suddenly he started talking about the changes to our city in recent years and the dramatic increase in gun violence. This is a subject close to my heart, and it’s hard to hear this as I’m lying on the machine about to have a test. There were a few other things that also made it hard to keep calm and relaxed.

But while I was waiting in the observation area afterwards, I became aware that other patients were having a much harder time than I was. The nurse had an even worse time finding a vein in the woman after me. She sounded extremely stressed. The man after her was worried about having a reaction to the dye, since that had happened to him before. CT scans are not for the faint of heart.

I’m thankful I made it through fairly well. Now I just have to wait for the results from my oncologist!

IMG_2995Thank you for standing with us! It has now been a little over four years since my diagnosis, and we give thanks that my health is so good!

There is so much I’d love to tell you about! I know there was a longer-than-usual gap between posts, and I’m sorry if you felt any anxiety about that. I was very sick and tired out through November and December and even part of January. I’m so thankful to be getting my energy back! Here are a few quick updates.

My Lung Cancer and Jelly Beans video has had over 700 views, and many of you have made donations toward lung cancer research. Thank you very much!

 

Here it is if you want to see it again: (pardon the look on my face at the beginning!)

I’ve recently done some fundraising to help me get to the LUNGevity Hope Summit this April. I just learned today that I have raised the full $1500. Thank you to all who have given! Your gifts are both encouraging and helpful!

A large group of us are raising money to fund research into the specific kind of cancer we have: ALK+. Together, our whole team has raised about $300,000. (I think!) We surpassed my own personal fundraising goal of $500., and I’m wondering if I set my goal too low. If you would like to make a contribution towards research into my specific kind of cancer, you can still give here: Jill’s ALK+ Lung Cancer Research Fundraiser. (This is to an American charity, so receipts will only help those who pay US taxes.)

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Our pilot project for the Ottawa Lung Cancer Support Group is completed. It has been a tremendous success! This group of women connected well and we have really enjoyed spending time together. In fact, I invited them over to my home last week! Our leader is a real gift to us, and her skills and experience make a significant difference in the quality of the group. We have shared some ideas and soon the decision will be made about how to move forward to support more lung cancer patients. We are very grateful for the generous support of Lung Cancer Canada and The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. If you know someone diagnosed with lung cancer in the Ottawa area, and you’d like to learn more, please be in touch – either with Lung Cancer Canada or with me.

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One in thirteen Canadians will be diagnosed with Lung Cancer

I’ve participated in a few other (lung cancer) events and there are a couple of more in the pipeline. I’ll try to keep you updated better in months to come!

Thank you again for standing with us. We can’t tell you what a difference that makes!

 

 

Fundraiser: an inside look

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They say the vast majority of people are so afraid of public speaking that they would rather die than give a speech. I’m certainly not in that category! Yesterday I spoke about clinical trials at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation’s fundraising breakfast, and had a great time doing it!

I was privileged to be able to share my story and to thank some of the people who help make a difference for cancer patients, their families, friends and broader communities through clinical trial funding.

This was an extremely well-organized event, with loads of people working hard both upfront and behind the scenes.

I don’t know the exact numbers, but there were about 50 tables of 8, each with a table host and an “expert” (e.g. oncologist, cancer coach, etc.). Our table expert was a cancer fitness instructor, and I would have loved to have had more time to pick his brain! 🙂

I am very grateful for the many people who invested so much time and energy into making this event a success. There is a great commitment to excellent cancer care in the Ottawa region!

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Even with a crowd of 400 or so, I didn’t really feel nervous. I felt moments of nervousness, but I prayed and breathed and felt peaceful and calm. I felt like I was meant to be there and really excited for the opportunity! I give thanks to the Lord for this good gift of confidence and peace!

Just as the breakfast was about to start, one of the Cancer Foundation people asked me if I’d do an interview for a local radio station right then, so I ducked out and missed the opening few minutes of the breakfast. Again, I felt completely calm and glad to do it! I haven’t heard the story yet – don’t even know if it has aired.

The breakfast was so well organized that I knew well in advance exactly when it would be my turn to speak. They confirmed it with me again before the breakfast yesterday morning, but there was also someone who came to my table at the right time, to get me and practically escort me right onto the stage! No backing out! haha 🙂 Seriously, I felt very well-cared for by the team in the lead-up to the event, during it, and afterwards. Very encouraging!

The mayor served as MC, and did a great job! He helped me to relax in the moments before I spoke, while they showed a video much like the one which had been on the news last month. He quietly asked about my kids, where I live, people we know in common, etc. For a very brief moment I considered mentioning to him that the sidewalks on our street are in terrible shape and could really use his attention (I’ve been emailing our Councillor about that lately!), but instead I chose to focus on why we were there! 😉

My speech was only 5 minutes long. So much more I wish I could have said, but these are busy people who need to get to work. I honoured the 4 – 6 minute range they gave me.

I spoke about the strong community of support we have, and the generosity lavishly poured out on our family. I specifically mentioned the prayers, encouragement and the food!

I mentioned that the Lord has made a huge difference for me. Afterwards a woman I didn’t know approached and kept thanking me for speaking and saying, “Praise God!” I’m assuming she was a Christian: it was encouraging to hear from her and shake her hand!

It was good to connect with people who introduced themselves to me afterwards. It’s a small world, and I spoke with a few folks I knew or who knew who I was. I am so thankful for the two friends who came with me, and the team of dear people who weren’t there, but encouraged me and prayed for me. I carried this support with me, and felt carried by it.

Here’s an excerpt from my speech, the end bit:

Every day is a gift! I don’t know how many more I’ll have, but I want to make the most of each one.

I’m thankful that research continues to develop new and better treatments that I hope will help extend my life for many years. I want to celebrate many more birthdays with family and friends, and I’d love to see my kids grow up and even my grandchildren. Clinical trials are helping me to have hope!

Your generosity in supporting clinical trials is making a significant difference for cancer patients, their family, friends and communities. Thank you for standing with us, as members of our support team.

I dream that one day soon the treatment for cancer will be 3 months of a daily pill, and then you’re done. That’s a dream worth working towards, and we get to play a part in that!  Thank you for the part that you are playing.

(Where do you think I teared up? If you guessed when I mentioned my kids, you’d be right!)

The feedback I heard the most afterwards was that people were inspired, and that I spoke clearly and powerfully …

… but what really excites me is that the Foundation raised over $215,000 at the breakfast yesterday morning! What generosity! I hope it makes an even bigger difference!

I’m thankful that I could play my small part!

I count you all of you, dear readers, as members of our support team, and I thank you!

The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation helps fund local clinical trials and offers cancer coaching to anyone who has been affected by cancer, including family members and friends.  http://www.ottawacancer.ca

If you’d like to donate to the Cancer Foundation, consider supporting my husband Jono’s fundraising efforts as he runs the marathon next week-end in support of the Foundation.  http://ottawacancer.kintera.org/ottawaraceweekend/jono   (No pressure!)

Now I’m off to run some errands and enjoy this beautiful Spring day!

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An Extraordinary Week

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I’m resting on the couch with my feet up, reflecting with thankfulness on how good and how strange this week of testing was. I am so glad I made it through! I’m coughing a lot, and looking forward to starting new meds on Monday. (Hoping they work really well!) There are so many stories I could tell and too many thoughts to mention, but let me give you a taste …

Tuesday was blood tests and EKG. As I’m driving to the hospital, the huge dump truck beside me starts moving into my lane! I stayed calm and reacted the way they taught me to in driving school. All was well and I made it safely to the hospital, praise God.

I was rather shaken and physically shaking when I arrived at the chemotherapy unit and checked in. In the waiting room, a man verbally attacked me for no rational reason, but it hit me hard. I’m guessing he was probably feeling frightened and dealing with his own stuff in an inappropriate manner. I was feeling extra vulnerable due to the truck incident. I walked away, then burst into tears. I am thankful for the caring staff at the hospital who comforted and protected me. I made it home without any further incidents!

Wednesday was the bone scan, and my husband Jono asked people to pray that I wouldn’t cough much. I typically cough almost constantly when lying on my back, and that’s how this test is performed … but you have to stay still to get results.

I lay down on the machine and coughed almost immediately, but – and this is hard to believe – that was the only time during the course of the test that I coughed! Wow! Praise God! Thank you for asking for prayer, Jono. Thank you all who prayed.

Thursday was the CT scan – also on my back. Let me say that it went really well. No problems. No coughing. No allergic reactions. Praise God! Thank you for praying.

Now let me tell you what was challenging …

Last CT scan, a friend’s appointment was scheduled right after mine so I greatly enjoyed spending time with him and his wife. This time a different story: a prisoner in an orange jumpsuit with handcuffs and leg cuffs was scheduled right before me, so I shared the inner waiting room with this man and two security guards. I was feeling a bit scared before I got to the hospital, and my apprehension increased. Then there was an emergency situation with the person ahead of us, so we ended up waiting together for a very long time  – over an hour! I thank God for keeping me calm and helping me to see this man as a person rather than simply a prisoner. I am thankful for freedom! I am also thankful for the opportunity to be in an uncomfortable situation that was safe. I spent a fair bit of time praying while I was there! I am thankful for the friends who were praying for me.

So this has been an eventful week on several levels, with new situations and many emotions to process. I am thankful for the love of God which surrounded me, even in the presence of the yelling man and the prisoner. I am thankful for the peace of God which filled me, even in this variety of stressful situations. I am thankful for the gift of prayer and the way God’s peace pushed away anxiety and fear when I prayed. I am thankful for God’s protection in the midst of danger. I am thankful for the mercy of significant chunks of time on my back without a cough. I am thankful for the kindness of strangers, and the beauty of Spring erupting all around me. I am thankful for the love and generosity of friends and family. I thank the Lord who made me.

I thank you.

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6.7)

P.S. –  If I could ask for one more thing … Thursday morning a woman bumped into my arm. It was a fairly hard bump from something she was carrying as she rushed past me. She apologized, and I didn’t think much of it at the time. I figured I’d have a bruise, but it seems to have triggered severe pain and muscular spasms in my rib cage. I’m tired and sore, but the week-end is coming and I want to be present with my kids. If you’re the praying type, I would appreciate your prayers for energy and healing! Thank you!

Update from the middle of the night

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From my last post:  “… But I want that chemo to kill more of the cancer … and I need to get in to see my oncologist before they will schedule me for more. I was feeling a bit frustrated that the long week-end delayed my regularly scheduled Tuesday chemo date, and now I’m chomping at the bit to get back on track! (… and desperately trying to not succumb to the control-freak part of my nature!)”   Note: I was initially expecting to start my fourth cycle of chemo on February 18th, but I’m still waiting.

Here’s a question I’m pondering in the middle of the night here: Does lying awake in bed developing strategic plans for advocating for myself to get a chemo appointment *necessarily* define me as a control-freak?

I left multiple messages with the phone systems in both my oncologist’s office and chemotherapy booking on Monday, then again on Tuesday, and I’m feeling frustrated that no one has returned any of my calls.  Not even a “Sorry you got the wrong number,” reply or, “We’re really busy but we’re working on it because we know this is important to you,” or, “We’ve got your messages, and if you’d please stop calling we’d have time to actually book you an appointment!”  Nothing. So when I woke up with my mind racing, I eventually decided to come downstairs in the middle of the night and leave more messages. Sometimes action helps. If I don’t hear back by 9:30 am, I plan to go in person to the chemo scheduling office and see if I can talk to an actual person. If that doesn’t work, we plan to contact some of the people we know who can help us navigate the system.

Sometimes action helps, but my mind is still racing. Those of you who think I’m so full of faith, remember this moment! There’s a great verse in Philippians (4:6,7) which is much easier to memorize than to consistently live: Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. I was praying on Monday and I felt peace. I was praying on Tuesday and I felt peace. Here and now, in the middle of the night, my mind is racing and although I’m trying to pray, I’m not really feeling the peace!

Time for a new strategic planning session! Warm milk. A couple of Psalms. Asking God to help schedule the chemo (again), find things to be thankful for as I ask. I go to the cupboard for a mug, and the one right in front is a gift from a former student leader who was visiting town this summer. It reads, “Faith is not knowing what the future holds but knowing who holds the future”. (Insert thankful smilie emoticon here!)  I’m now sipping from it – good plan! Now I’ve read Psalm 34 (one of my many favourites)  I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  … I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.  … good Psalm, good plan. As I read it, I could feel my fear and stress starting to melt and my world getting a bit bigger. There may possibly be more in the universe than my next chemo. I’m sorry for my narrow-minded control-freaking focus on that one thing. I thank God for many of the kindnesses of family, friends, acquaintances and strangers, and I thank Him for many of his good gifts to us. This is helping. This is helping me to remember what is true and real. “…though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the LORD holds us by the hand.” (Psalm 37:24) I thank God that I had peace and trust earlier that He was is ultimately in charge of my chemo schedule and would will take care of me. I go back and edit that last sentence, thanking God again! I edit again to, “… and you are taking care of me.”  Psalm 38:9 & 22 read, “O Lord, all my longing is known to you; my sighing is not hidden from you.  Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation.”  Psalm 40:17 says, “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.”  I keep reading, and so many verses jump off the pages at me. I should not be surprised that this happens: it has happened so many times before. I am thankful. Not fully filled with peace, but I think I’ll keep reading and praying and sipping … my “cup” doesn’t feel like it’s overflowing yet, but the peace is growing, my mind is slowing down, and I think it’s nearly time to brush my teeth and head back to bed …

… and if I don’t hear back by 9:30 9:00 am, I plan to go in person to the chemotherapy booking office at the hospital and try to talk with an actual person!

Beautiful delivery Tues. afternoon!