"What Can Make A Hippopotamus Smile"

What can make him walk for more than a mile.....one of the many camp songs that is still bouncing around in my head after Outdoor School with the kids last week. As you can see from the pictures, we had gorgeous weather - probably the best ever in 10 years of going to Outdoor School . We went to Camp Trickle Creek, a great site nestled in the foothills west of Salem , and it was so much fun. Campfire each night, goofy camp songs and skits, eating together in the dining hall, a night hike, not to mention the actual "school" part of Outdoor School, field studies in plants, animals, soil and water. There's nothing like watching kids experience the outdoors in a new and different way - to see them get so excited over catching (and releasing) a newt or watching the bats in the night sky or playing games where they get to be different stages of the forest. It's so much fun! I was tickled to have two high school counselors there that had been my students many years ago - one of the pictures is me and "Poppy", she was in my 6th grade class six years ago. The other two pictures are one of my classes as we were "hanging out" late in the afternoon and a nice shot of the camp.

I was so grateful to be a part of the Outdoor School experience this year. It's a lot of energy and can be exhausting even on a good day and I wasn't sure how I'd hold up. Praise God, I felt just fine. I do tire more easily, a side effect of the chemo, and couldn't do the long hike or running games, but was able to be a part of everything else. My colleagues took good care of me too, making sure I didn't overdo and covering whenever needed. And I must say, we did one very funny skit at campfire that is still making me laugh! I am very blessed. :)

There are times the reality of this cancer rears it's ugly head and, sometimes, just the sheer joy of watching the kids having fun and being a part of the beautiful surroundings made me cry. The tears were mixed, joy at watching the kids and sadness with the realization that, quite possibly, this could be my last outdoor school experience. Not a morbid thought, but as I say, there are times I am reminded of my mortality in this whole cancer thing.

This doesn't, for one minute, take away from my intent to be fully healed, and perhaps there is no easy way to explain this, but I'll try. Cancer is now a permanent part of my world. It isn't always a conscious thought and, truthfully, often it isn't on the conscious level at all - that is a huge praise that I still feel good, have energy and no symptoms or significant side effects. But it is there and will be, until I am fully healed. There are moments when the reality of the cancer surfaces and there are practical matters that have to be dealt with such as advance directives for the hospital, a will, stuff like that. It's things that all of us have done or will do at some point in our lives. Mine just happens to be a little more pressing at the moment. And there are moments of deep sadness - realizing that I may not be able to dance at my niece's and nephew's weddings or hold their babies or get all seven continent stamps in my passport or be that brazen old lady dancing the Argentine tango in a scandalous dress slit to....use your imagination. ;) I may not have that kind of time. Only God knows that and I trust Him and His plan for me.

For now, for today, I feel great. It's a gorgeous sunny Memorial Day and I'm heading over to my cousin's house to enjoy time with family and a bbq. I've got some wonderful summer plans that are coming together nicely and I can hardly wait to pack my bags and travel a bit. My dog, Corbett, is doing just fine and continues to be the diva of the household. Tomorrow I go back to work to a job I love and I am deeply grateful to have a job next year - budget cuts in our district have eliminated a lot of teaching positions and friends of mine have lost their jobs for next year. My favorite ice cream flavor, Baseball Nut, has returned to Baskin-Robbins for the season - yum! The baseball game is on the radio and, unfortunately, the Mariners are losing to the A's, but the game isn't over yet! Life is really good and I'm enjoying each and every day.

This is my wish for you, too. Reach out, grab the day with both hands and enjoy every moment!

Love and hugs to all,

Susan

Scan Results are Encouraging

Praises to God for answered prayers! I met with Dr. Karamlou yesterday and the news of the scan results were good. The tumor in the lung and the lymph node has shrunk to a size slightly larger than a quarter. Considering it was about the size of my loosely clenched fist when we first started, this is great news! No changes in the pancreas or surrounding nodes and this is good news too. There isn't an expectation of much shrinkage of these tumors and the hope is to stem any progression so no changes is a good thing. I continue with the Tarceva and Gemsar chemo treatments and another scan will be done in about 6 weeks. It was great to get some good news and thanks to God for His mercies and listening to all the prayers.

Chemo went well yesterday - had to switch veins midstream but, thankfully, it wasn't too painful and I felt fine when done. I'm still feeling good, no symptoms or significant side effects and decent energy. My hair is starting to grow in at a more rapid pace and is still white with a dark patch here and there (I guess I'm the 102nd Dalmation :). It's showing signs of curl here and there as well. I must admit, I've gotten used to the semi-baldness and the ease in washing my head in the morning. Buff dry and done! I'm only half kidding when I tell people I might just keep it this way for awhile. Saves a bundle on hair care, that's for sure, and I always have "Marge" when hair is absolutely necessary :)

Today is a gorgeous sunny Portland spring day and I'm going to go enjoy the sunshine when I'm done here. Hope all of you have a great weekend. I know I plan to!

Love and hugs to all, and so many heartfelt thanks for your care and prayers. God is listening!

Susan

"Radon, lung cancer and me"

The scan on the 30th went fine, it's an easy process and now we wait for results. I see Dr. Karamlou on Thursday, May 7th before chemo and we'll go over all the reports then. In these last months, I've learned that the doctor calling right away after tests are done usually means the news isn't good so I'm happy to bide my time until the 7th.

Many times in this cancer journey I've wondered what the purpose is in all this and what can be done to glorify God in each step. He has brought so many amazing people into my life throughout this process, people that have encouraged me and people that I have been able to encourage. I am so grateful for these opportunities.

There is one other very important mission I've been given and as each day goes by, more is revealed to me. Let me give you a little of the history behind my "Radon mission" first. In December, when I was at UCSF to see the oncologist there, she asked if I had ever had my home tested for radon. I told her no, I didn't even know what radon was and had never tested for it. Didn't think much of it until my oncologist here in Portland asked the same question...again, I answered no, but was thinking to myself "Why are the doctors asking me about this?". I didn't pursue the question and it wasn't until my dog, Corbett, was diagnosed with a form of cancer that this whole radon thing got my attention. A friend of mine is a chemical engineer and when he heard that both my dog and I had cancer, his first response was "Susan, you need to get your house tested. There's something there making you both sick."

The reasearch began. I learned that radon - an odorless, colorless, radioactive gas - is the number #1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, killing an average of 21,000 people annually. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Radon is caused by the decomposition of uranium in the soil and when inhaled over long periods of time, can cause cancer. It doesn't matter what type of home you have or when it was built, it all has to do with the dirt it sits on.

The research continued.....according to Oregon EPA, I live in an area known as "Radon Ridge" with some of the highest levels of radon in the Portland Metro area. This was news to me! The next step was to test my home and without going into all the particulars, just know that anything measuring above 4 PiCu is considered toxic. My home tested at 20.4, five times the toxic level. Do the math, folks, - 13 years in this house with high levels of radon gives me a pretty clear understanding as to why I have lung cancer.

I guess you could say this rocked my world (no pun intended). Several things happened at that point. First, immediate plans were made to install a radon mitigation system to properly vent this toxic stuff out into the air. Done. Next step was to continue my research and talk to others. I thought it was just me....how come I didn't know anything about this radon stuff? Turns out very few do. Many would tell me they'd heard of it, but didn't know what it was or why it was an issue. The #1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and no one knows about it? How does that happen? Virtually none of my neighbors, friends, colleagues knew about it - friends on my block tested their home shortly after my report came in and their home had a level of 46, over 10 times the toxic level.

More research.....I find that some states have legislation in place requiring radon awareness/notification in real estate transactions. Oregon is not one of them. According to the Federal EPA, all homes should be tested for radon yet it is a subject few know about. So I decided to do something about it. I contacted a columnist for our state newspaper, the Oregonian, asking if she'd be willing to write an article about radon awareness, as I want to be the "living face" of radon related cancer for as long as I can. It is really important to me to get the word out, have people test their homes and if necessary, mitigate any radon exposure as soon as possible. Turns out she was interested and an article was published in the paper two weeks ago. Here's the link if you'd like to read it: www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/margie_boule/index.ssf?/base/living/1239839713325720.xml&coll=7

Things have really taken off from there. I've been asked to testify before the Oregon House for HB20, a bill that will require all new home construction to have radon detection systems and may also do some promotional work for the local American Lung Association chapter in their Radon Awareness group (up till now, I didn't even know such a thing existed!). I've also been in touch with a woman in Illinois whose husband died 18 years ago from radon related lung cancer - she became part of an organization that was subsequently successful in getting legislation passed in Illinois requiring Radon notification in real estate transactions. Her group has already done the legwork I want to do to get this same requirement in Oregon . I have lots of plans for getting the word out to everyone I can think of about radon awareness!

So at least a part of this cancer journey is my "Radon mission", to help inform others and prevent anyone else from getting lung cancer as a result of exposure. I've been asked if I'm angry or bitter about the fact that I probably have a cancer that could've been prevented if I'd tested my house years ago. And honestly, no, I'm not either of those things. I didn't know anything about radon - now having cancer is just what is and I do believe there is a purpose in it. What I ask of each of you is to take the next step, no matter where you live or how old your home is, and test your house. The test kits can be purchased at Home Depot or any similar store and cost about $10.00, plus an additional $30.00 for lab processing. $40.00 isn't a huge sum when you consider the alternatives. Do it for me, ok? It will make me glad to know the people I care about and anyone else that happens to read this are taking steps to protect themselves and their families and pets.

Skeptical? That's fair. Do your own research and read up on the subject, it's weirdly interesting. But most importantly, please do something. You're all too important to me to let this sit on the back burner.

OK, 'nuff said and I'll hop off the soapbox. Keep praying for good news when I see Dr. Karamlou on Thursday!

Love and hugs,
Susan