Education isn't just a right it's survival

I must say the lack of education behind some sentences that I've been reading and hearing lately is quite astounding.  I know I have been guilty of voicing opinions and discovering that I did not have all the facts, but there's some matters that until I understood the ins and outs I never thought to open my mouth (or set my fingers on the keyboard).

When it comes to your health, do not be uneducated.  Know what the recorded/possible side effects are for any treatment.  Talk to your doctor about your goals and desires.  Find a regiment that suits not only your affliction but your wants and desires as best as possible.  You'll find you heal much better when you are fully confident in not only your treatment but your relationship with your doctor.

Look outside the box for safe ways to boost your treatments both naturally and through new methods.  There's a lot of things out there that can help you.  I am glad to have found one that is not only safe but 100% effective in assisting me through my treatments.

My recent decision to "not go gentle into that good night" of waiting several years for reconstruction has brought a lot of people thinking they know everything to the plate.  There are people saying:
1. we should be happy to be alive.
2. there are people that are worse off.
3. reconstruction is offered at time of mastectomy.
4. we should stop throwing a "pity party".
5. there's only TWO doctors in all of Nova Scotia that can do the reconstruction.

Well, guess what, there's answers to all these statements that are found through actually being in the system and educating one's self on the dynamics of this cause.

1. "we should be happy to be alive."
Not once have we ever stated we were not happy and/or grateful to be alive.  We are very much enjoying being able to see our family, play with our children (grandchildren where applicable), hug our loved ones, enjoy our friends, continue our hobbies, and even simply breathe.  Do not assume we take our lives for granted.  We saw the possibility of death and we looked in the eye and said "NO!"

2. "there are people that are worse off."
 Why, yes!  There are!  There are those that did not make it through their journey and did die of cancer.  There are people out there with other diseases and ailments.  But guess what, if they were offered a way to feel somewhat normal, I bet they'd fight their butts off to be more normal now and not in 5 years.

3. "reconstruction is offered at time of mastectomy."
I assure you it is!  It's also denied to most that ask for it.  And some can pressure the doctors into it, but not all.  I demanded it.  I begged for it.  I did NOT get it, like many, many others.

4. "we should stop throwing a 'pity party'."
This is not a "pity party".  We want what we were promised, what we have a right to.  And we are not going to stand idly by while someone tells us that since we are now "cancer free" we "can wait".  I'm sorry but being told that the only way I can get my breast reconstructed within a matter of months is to go to the next province over is ludicrous.

5. "there's only TWO doctors in all of Nova Scotia that can do the reconstruction."
 Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but no, there's more than two surgeons in our province that can do reconstructions.  I personally haven't counted all of them but I assure you there's well over half a dozen in Nova Scotia alone.

For anyone that has not looked into this already, please pop over to Facebook and join our group in fighting for the right to have Reconstruction Sooner for Cancer Survivors!  Thank you

Mutant Ninja Cancer

A lot of people are discussing the issue of "battling cancer" and "losing the battle with cancer".  There's a great article from the Globe and Mail that you can read by clicking here.  This brought me back to something that I have mentioned before: what cancer truly is.

Cancer is what happens when a mutation occurs in cells.  Your cells that are supposed to become wall lining for your stomach mutate into thinking they're supposed to be something else, or are missing some markers so they won't replicate proper and after several cell dividing and duplicating later, you have stomach cancer.  The cells in your mammaries starts creating a mutation that is rock hard and multiplies and multiplies.  Now in this case instead of being deadly because of it's placement, it is deadly because it has access to other vital areas of your body.  If it was a mutation in your hair, there's not a big chance it's going to make you have issues with your vital organs, but the risk of it spreading to skin cells over time would be a possibility.  You could have mutated cells now, but they are not spreading and multiplying, they're being kept at bay by your body's defenses.  But as you age and your defenses slow, the mutation can become cancerous.

Cancer itself isn't a foe that you can vanquish or lose to, it's your body not doing what it is supposed to in order for you to live in perfect harmony.  It's a wrench thrown into the gears of your body's mechanics.  The mutations can seem to have a personality of their own, just because of irony in the person's life, but it's not a predator looking for a kill.

I labeled this blog post "Mutant Ninja Cancer" because it is a mutant, it's silent like a ninja, can cause you to die like a ninja, and, well, it's cancer!  And like with the deadly assassins from Japan, they can be in any cells of your body and you may not know it until it's too late.

The person that decides to fight their cancer with treatments, surgeries, nutritional aids is a great person indeed!  And if they pass away, they fought hard and deserve to be remembered for trying their best.  They did not lose, they fought for a longer life and got every second they could after the news of having the disease.  Praise them for their bravery, applaud them for their stubbornness, but do not say they lost a single thing.  They lost nothing, they simply could not be awarded more time for their efforts, and I'm sure they were grateful for every moment they were given.

Mutant Ninja Cancer

A message from a great man

The words of Jack Layton may he rest in peace

"To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer."

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."
-Jack Layton

What Makes You Happy?

It seems like an easy question.  What makes you happy?  Hearing a child laugh wholeheartedly, finding that extra $20 in your jeans pocket when doing laundry, coming across those photos of you and your friends from "happier times".  And there's simple things, seeing a full arc rainbow in all its glory, a warm fire with a cup of hot chocolate on a snowy winter night, snuggling with your partner after making love and hearing them sigh with full love and admiration.

Happiness is something fleeting lately, I find.  Pure and total "I'm completely content and happy" moments are so few and far between it grates at the soul.  And it wasn't until I was talking with an old friend from ages ago last week that I did discover something.  I do know one thing that always makes me happy.  I had left it behind.  I would bring it to the light once in a blue moon and in those moments I would be happy.  My heart would purr like a newborn kitten drinking it's mother's milk.  But I had left it for so many tiny, tiny reasons.

My art was something I did everyday.  And not just everyday, but all day.  During school (and I did get honours on more than one occasion while doings so, thank you!), after school, in the evening, late nights, while watching TV, while talking on the phone...  I always had my books of papers, sketch books, sketch pads, binders, and whatnot on me, along with enough pens and pencils to fuel the fire.

Over time, you need a job, and you cannot always draw on the job.  Then you want to see friends, and conversations cannot always be carried while doodling with a pen and paper.  You get your own place, there's more cleaning and responsibilities.  Work.. need more work to make the bills.  Relationships.  Family.  Health.  Accidents.  Life...

But I let it happen.  I have no one to blame but myself.  And it took someone saying to me "Well, it always did make you happy, your art." to realize that in fact, it did.

I have so many pieces of art that are stored away, and not just on paper, in my computers and in my head.  I really wish I knew how to work flash or some simple animation tool.. I have so many ideas.  But I think I will do this for now: I will find one of my old comics that was mine and mine alone (some had friends' contributions and ideas, don't want to take from them), and I will reinvent it to be a webcomic.  Now, can I find them, and can I find the time, my old ability, and audience?  Time will tell.  But I know it will do one thing.  It will make me happy.

"With all due ignorance"

I cannot understand some people.  They have no idea what a person is going through and they feel the need to express their own opinion, so what does the second person say to the first person (the one going through the situation)?  That the first person doesn't understand?  "With all due respect".  If they had respect for the person or their situation they would make more of an effort to understand the person's issues and not belittle their plight.  They would make sure that the opinion they are offering is valid to the plight the person is enduring.

Because of a "With all due respect" statement, I think I need to reiterate something.  I am fighting for the timely respect that Breast Cancer survivors deserve in completing their reconstruction, and thus their treatment.  Waiting 4+ years is torturous.  And if you think that is far fetched, you'd need to have something missing off your body that you would see every day to understand.  Have your ears missing, have your nose gone, no lips, four missing fingers, or both your thumbs.  See if you like being told you have only a two year wait and after 7-8 months be told it'll be another 2-3 years before you can even meet the doctor, not have the surgery that you were told would be completed in another 16-17 months, just meet the doctor.  We haven't finished our treatments until we have fully healed from all surgeries and treatments.

Now the term "ignorance" is not used in it's proper context any longer, either.  To be ignorant does not mean the person is stupid, it means they are uninformed/unknowable of a situation or feeling or experience.  It is not meant or intended to claim the person is a dolt, it is to express that they have no understanding of the matter at hand.  Telling us to just be happy we're here is not part of our fight.  We are happy we are here, we are so happy we'll fight for our rights.

A great example is the single woman/man looking at the parent with a screaming kid in tow and saying that that is bad parenting skills and they should not let the child scream like that in public, it's disturbing.  They may not realize that child has an illness, that child is overtired because they are teething and cannot sleep, the child tried to do something it shouldn't and is having a fit because it was reprimanded.  The point being the single person, unless they care for children, themselves, would rarely have any idea what is going on in the situation of the screaming child.  But they will march right over, if they are so bold, or post online "With all due respect, you shouldn't bring a screaming baby to the restaurant/theatres/mall/<insert public place here>".

Please be sure when you use the phrase "With all due respect" it is followed with respect and an educated opinion.  And remember, it is your opinion.  Opinions should be expressed but also understand when they are not valid to a situation.

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Quote for August

"A sense of humor can help you overlook the unattractive, tolerate the unpleasant, cope with the unexpected, and smile through the unbearable."--Moshe Waldoks