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“we are our choices.”
-jean-paul sartre
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image credit: new yorker cartoons – roz chast
Aug13
Tag Archives: illness
Jun3
pox.
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“demon pox. there’s always demon pox.”
-cassandra clare
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image credit: the maine renaissance faire
Jun14
immune system surrenders without notice.
now that school is out
and i’m away from my classroom filled with littles
for some reason
my immune system has taken it upon itself
to also go on break, relax, and let down its guard
welcoming in a variety of ailments all at once
the good doctors have well-armed me with reinforcements
only a matter of time and rest before I win the battle once more
onward.
(I said from my bed wrapped in my sherpa blanket)
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“i’m in a quandary. if I wash my hands before i eat fries, it’s healthy, right? but if i don’t wash my hands, I’m slowly building up my immune system. what to do, what to do…”
― Foster Kinn, author – Freedom’s Rush II: More Tales from the Biker and the Beast
Dec11
moonbeams.
it was truly an honor and my pleasure
on a chilly december evening
to gather with hundreds
of friends and strangers
from all parts of the community
reaching out with lights and song
to wish children sweet dreams.
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WHAT IS “MOONBEAMS FOR SWEET DREAMS”?
“Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams,” is a program created by the Beaumont Children’s Pediatric Family Advisory Council at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI.
Every evening at 8 p.m. during the month of December pediatric patients will shine flashlights from the hospital windows and look for people from the community who are standing outside the hospital to flash them back. It only takes a few minutes, but it will mean a lot to these young patients and their families.
“Many children are unable to leave their rooms and can feel isolated in the hospital as the rest of the world continues without them, and have trouble falling asleep” Beaumont Children’s Child Life Supervisor Kathleen Grobbel said. “With the help of the community, we can make sure they go to bed with smiles on their faces.”
If you want to put a smile on the faces of some kids that are spending the holidays hospitalized … it’s time to grab a flashlight and head to Beaumont Children’s Hospital in Royal Oak.
That’s where you can help by being a part of Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams.
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“deep in the meadow, hidden far away
a cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
forget your woes
and let your troubles lay.”
-suzanne collins
credits: beaumont children’s hospital, wwj radio
Oct7
“if you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been.” – robert h. schuller
norma and her therapy dog, ringo on the road.
Norma Bauerschmidt, who decided to take a cross-country RV trip instead of undergoing cancer treatment has died at the age of 91.
More than 400,000 people have followed Norma Jean Bauerschmidt’s journey with her son and daughter-in-law on her “Driving Miss Norma” Facebook page. Her final stop was San Juan Island, Wash. San Juan County Coroner Randall Gaylord said Bauerschmidt died Friday, Sept. 30.
When 90-year-old Michigan native Norma Jean Bauerschmidt learned she had a large, likely cancerous mass on her uterus, she wasn’t going to waste any time with what she saw as debilitating treatment. Instead, she spent her final days experiencing as much of the world as she could.
Bauerschmidt, a native of Presque Isle, died in her motor home on San Juan Island, Wash., on Sept. 30 at the age of 91, but not before she’d traveled more than 13,000 miles in an RV, sleeping in 75 different locations in 32 states.
In that time, “Miss Norma” became in internet sensation, with more than 482,000 people following her travels via a Facebook page set up by her daughter titled “Driving Miss Norma.”
Her story has since gone viral, appearing on CBS News, BBC, Huffington Post and NBC’s “Today Show.”
Bauerschmidt’s decision to refuse treatment was made just two days after her husband, Leo, passed away. While sitting in an OB/GYN office talking about treatment options, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, a doctor asked her how she would like to proceed.
According to Facebook, Bauerschmidt, a tiny woman at 101 pounds and under 5 feet tall, looked the young doctor dead in the eye and with the strongest voice she could muster, said, “I’m 90-years-old. I’m hitting the road.”
And that’s what she did. They did, “what they don’t teach you in medical school,” and hit the road on Aug. 24, 2015.
While on the road, Miss Norma experienced many things for the first time. Big things like riding in a hot air balloon or on a horse, to little things like getting a pedicure or having her first taste of key lime pie, oysters and fried green tomatoes.
She was hosted by the U.S. Navy, the Atlanta Hawks, the Georgia Aquarium and the towns of Winthrop, Mass., Marietta, Ga., and, according to her Facebook page, what felt like the entire state of South Carolina.
Miss Norma also visited the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Walt Disney World and Yellowstone National Park.
She began hospice care after arriving in the San Juan Island town of Friday Harbor in August, according to the Associated Press.
A celebration of Miss Norma’s life and a memorial tree planting is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 7 at 4:30 p.m. at Friday Harbor’s Overlook Park.
“Our families, friends, and the many thousands of former strangers have lifted us up and kept our spirits high,” a message from Miss Norma’s family reads on Facebook. “We continue to be overwhelmed by the kindness and love that has been directed our way.”
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credits: mlive.com, brandon champion, pittsburgh post gazette/ap
Oct1
legacy.
http://www.solvingkidscancer.org
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my brother’s loving legacy to his son, hazen:
a non-profit
pediatric cancer
research funding and awareness program
so that no other child and family
should ever have to suffer from cancer again.
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Day 30 – As we close out the month of September, we want to share our most sincere thanks with all of you who supported our #CCAM campaign. We can’t wait to share the results with you! We also want to thank our friends at Adams Fairacre Farms, Inc. for their support all month long, BGC Charity Day and the beautiful Coco Rocha for an incredible day of fundraising on September 11, and The Ronan Thompson Foundation for allowing us to be part of the incredible Runway Heroes event on September 26th. It was an amazing month, and we are so proud of the #awareness raised across the entire #childhoodcancer community. #thatsawrap!
Sep17
illness tells us what we are. ~italian saying
little kinder in my class
who so loves germs and viruses
he’s making a book of them
school nurse
comes in
to
talk about
hand washing
germs
staying well
not wanting
to get sick
or
catching things
like
flu
or
colds
he raises his hand
and adds
‘or, the black death’
yes
the black death
too
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image credit: funny-pictures.picphotos.net
May23
when super bug worlds collide
my immune system must have been sleeping, for i woke up fighting strep throat and sinus infections simultaneously, both in hardcore aggressive mode. researched my prescribed antibiotic and now i’m feeling better at last, at least psychologically. here is what it is capable of fighting:
– strep throat
– sinusitis
– typhoid
– cholera
– lyme disease
– malaria
-and an festive variety of std’s
wow, who knew? i am now armed and ready to take on pretty much any disaster )
I didn't have my glasses on.... 