I found out today that I was chosen as the Izea Blog Battle Royale IV Champion! I am so excited to get people reading my story and raise awareness for Pancreatic Cancer! Oh, and that $1000 donation toward the cause is a great way to honor my Mother’s memory!
It seems I am one of thetop 3 finalists for the Izea/PayPerPost Blog Battle Royale for Charity!
Sister is right in there with me, with her efforts to continue walking & raising money for Breast Cancer. It is an honor to be considered as a finalist, and all 3 entries are for great causes - so I think we all are winners already!
Winner will be announced March 19th…..Good Luck to all of us !
I have heard bits and pieces of this report all day - haven’t been able to come up with a lot of details yet, seems his people are being a bit hush-hush about it…below is the article I got off of MSN, which gives quite an optomistic prognosis, I heard other reports that he only had 5 weeks to live, so am unsure of how far along he is, or whether they were able to do the Whipple Procedure (with the limited time they are giving him, I would have to say “no”).
Patrick Swayze Has Pancreatic Cancer
March 5, 2008, 6:09 PM EST
MSN Entertainment
A representative for Patrick Swayze says he is being treated for pancreatic cancer but is well enough to continue working. The “Dirty Dancing” actor has a very limited amount of disease and appears to be responding well to treatment, according to Dr. George Fisher, Swayze’s physician.
The doctor’s prognosis was included in a statement released Wednesday by Swayze’s representative, Annett Wolf.
“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” the statement read. “All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic. Patrick is continuing his normal schedule during this time, which includes working on upcoming projects. The outpouring of support and concern he has already received from the public is deeply appreciated by Patrick and his family.”
The 55-year-old Swayze has starred in a number of well-known movies including “Ghost” and “Dirty Dancing.”
The actor has two projects in the works: the movie “Powder Blue,” and a television movie titled “The Beast,” according to the Web site imdb.com. Both are scheduled for release this year.
This Saturday is the 5k run/walk I am participating in for The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, in my Mother’s Memory. There’s still time to donate if you can, any amount will help, run over here and look on the right side for our team Lynda’s Hope and you’ll find me there….! As of this morning, the event in total has raised just over $7000 towards Pancreatic Cancer research and awareness! YAY!
We buried my Mom yesterday, under the shade of a cedar tree…just like the ones on the Jersey Shore where she grew up, raised us, and lived most of her adult life.
This afternoon at work, I glanced over at the picture of my Mom on my desk - a picture that I chose off of her refrigerator last weekend when I was there, it was taken just 1 year ago. She’s smiling brightly, beaming into the camera as she hold’s my cousin’s baby boy, she looks so happy and healthy..nice beefy arms. For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed my mind “I have to call and check on Mom and see how she’s doing”…..and then I realized, I cannot.
So, Izea has announced that their latest round of Blog Battle Royale is going to be for charity - and only charity related blogs can be in the battle. The winner gets $1000 donated to their charity. Those who know me, know that I do not like to be in the spotlight, I am a hang in the background kind of girl…but this time, I must step up and throw my hat into the ring..not only for my Mom, but for anyone and everyone who has had their life , and heart, ripped open by this horrible disease.
Here it is folks. My entry into the battle, my chance to increase awareness, and an opportunity to continue to tell my Mother’s story, in the hopes that it will help someone, anyone.
I call this My purple blog.
I purchased my own domain last August, and started this blog so that I could talk about my Mother’s battle with Pancreatic Cancer. . And talk I did. From the first post in that category on August 20, 2007…….until her death 2 weeks ago. I chose the color scheme of purple because it’s the color for Pancreatic Cancer Support and Awareness. I did not start this blog to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer, as much as I did it to raise awareness and give myself a forum to open up my feelings and talk about what it was like to not only watch your loved one slowly deteriorate from this horrible disease, but what it does to the family and caregivers as well. When Mom was diagnosed last June, I had never even heard of Pancreatic Cancer, I immediately turned to the internet to educate myself, and started talking, and typing. There were times when I wore my heart on my sleeve, and shared things that I dared not share to close friends and family in person. Sometimes it’s easier to share here, behind the mask of your monitor, where people don’t really know who you are.
I made friends with total strangers, and found a support network that I never dreamed was out there. And, if I helped just one person learn something new about this most deadly form of cancer, or helped one other caregiver or survivor to get through their day, then it was all worth it.
Worth every tear that fell as I typed the story of the longest night of my life, worth every trip across the state in the wee hours of the morning to take her to the oncologist, worth every heart wrenching moment of her last Christmas with us. Pancreatic Cancer took my Mother from me, and I will spend the rest of my days trying to raise awareness and ensure it does not take someone elses.
My office made a $100 donation to PanCan in my Mother’s name………I was overwhelmed! Team Lynda’s Hope is walking on March 8, in memory of my Mom! I am more commited than ever to raising money and awareness for this horrible disease that invaded my family’s life last summer.
..was this past Monday. I was watching The Biggest Loser when my phone rang at 9:45 - and older Sister’s name was on the ID - I was pretty sure this was not going to be good news. She stated that she felt Mom had “turned a corner”…the last time she had spoken was when she was readying her for bed about an hour before, since then she had vomited, and had some gurgling (when the stomach is full of fluid from the acites, it overflows into the lungs - and the gurgle is actually water), she called the Hospice on call Nurse and let them know, and gave Mom the pill under her tongue to dry up the gurgling. It worked, but Mom was unresponsive when she tried to talk to her, and she felt she was in for a long night. After about 30 mins of pacing the floor and trying to decide what to do, I spoke to Brother and we both agreed that we could not allow Sister to do this alone. So, I grabbed a few things in a bag and hit the road - StepMother went with me, as she did not want me driving over there alone at night with this on my mind. We arrived about 12:30-1am…and I was not prepared for what I saw, and I JUST saw her a week ago.
That was not MY mother.
(Apologies in advance for anything blunt, not meaning to offend.)
Mom was in the bed, with her hands curled up, open mouthed labored breathing, an occasional moan…skin drawn