Thursday, July 16, 2015

AN ABUNDANCE OF COURAGE....










The other day 
I received a request for help
 from a very courageous lady.

 Her name is Heather Von St. James
  and she is pictured above
 with her husband, Cam and her daughter, Lily.

 She has been fighting
malignant pleural mesothelioma
for almost ten years.

She has been in touch 
with our blogging community
 as I have seen some posts
 concerning her plight 
from some of you.

I couldn't even imagine
 living my life 
with this diagnosis hanging 
over my head, 
but she is handling it with
 grace and strength
 and a need to educate others 
about this disease.

Here is a  website
 that can be helpful to anyone
 who wants to learn more:





Having just completed 
my 12th year as a participant
 involved with the Avon Breast Cancer Walk,
 I have seen so many 
strong women
 who have experienced,
 first hand,
 a connection with cancer.

  It really doesn't matter
 the type of cancer
 or where it started in your body.

 Just hearing the word
 can put a person
 in such a deep hole
 that it is sometimes very hard
 to crawl out of.

In my life so far,
 cancer has touched me numerous times.

  Friends, grandparents, parents,
 aunts, uncles, nephew,
 son, daughter and myself.






While I was reading 
Heather's blog post,
 I was struck by how
 my daughter's hearing of the news
 that she had cancer
 was so similar
 to the way Heather experienced it.

 We were sitting on her bed,
 Tami holding Jake at 9 years of age
 on her lap, 
not knowing at that time 
what the outcome would be.

I experienced mine 
quite differently. 
 Our son was very sick
 and in the hospital
 when I was diagnosed with 
endometrium cancer.

 I couldn't take the time
 to think about myself
 as his illness 
was all I could manage.

During this year's walk, 
Tami's 12th year as a breast cancer survivor,
 she came in first place
 out of 2000 entrants.

 The walk is not a race
 and she didn't approach it in that way.
  Her foremost thoughts are 
that "this disease will never beat me"
 and this is her
 mantra and reason 
for walking each year.

As in Heather's case,
 my daughter's and myself,
 early detection and treatment 
were prime issues.

 Without those in place
it is doubtful 
that any of us 
would still be around 
to see our children grow 
and to live
 a fulfilled life.

We must all have hope.
  If hope is taken away
 we really have nothing left.
  To understand 
and to take care
 of our lives and our bodies, 
please
 make annual appointments
 with your doctors 
and continue
 to raise awareness 
when you can.





I wish the very best
 to Heather and her family 
and for her continuing health
 and to anyone
 who might be confronted 
with this terrible disease.

I am so proud of anyone
 who has to stare this thing in the face 
and then come out 
on the other side!

 Be sure to read Heather's blog (www.mesothelioma.com/heather/survivor).

It is a story 
you will not
 soon forget.

A lot of money is raised 
throughout the world 
and we can only hope 
that it is going
 to the right places 
so that a cure for cancer 
in general
 will be found soon.


...Judy...











7 comments:

  1. Thank you for this wonderful post. I, too have lost many friends to cancer. It is a terrible disease and hopefully we will have a cure for it.
    Have a great weekend Judy.
    Mary

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  2. I read the story of Heather. It is sad and she is brave. Cancer touches many family. We pray for a cure and soon. Check ups and early detection are important. My daughter is a breast cancer survivor too. My God bless them all and watch over them. xoxo,Susie

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  3. Thank you for this beautiful post I loss my mom this year with cancer my sister is survivor of breast cancer and 2 week my husband is going in to surgery to remove a mass on his Colon thank God they cut on time he don't need any treatment
    My pray go to all with this disease
    God bless you
    XOX

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  4. Judy, you've written such a heart-felt post. Thanks for sharing Heather's story and link with us, as well as your own experiences with cancer.
    It seems like anymore, that cancer is a disease that will affect everyone of us, in one way or another, if it hasn't already.
    We must keep fighting this terrible disease, and support each other as we deal with the ravages of this terrible disease.
    Praying for a cure!

    ~K.

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  5. Such a lovely post with very important news. Heather is a very strong woman. I sincerely hope there is a cure for cancer. so many lives have been lost. You are such a lovely person to rally and support this cause. One never knows. Have a great weekend Judy. xo

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  6. Early detection is definitely a must, no matter what type may be found! Great post! Blessings, Cindy

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  7. I think that "c" word scares the snot out of all of us. My father in law lost his battle but my dad has beat his for a year now and 2 of my best friends lost their battle. I too posted something about Heather. My hats are off to all of you. This was a beautiful post..

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Your comments are so special to me...Judy