Monday, October 15, 2007

Brain Tumor walk

Saturday's Angel Adventure Walk for the National Brain Tumor Foundation. The weather was perfect, good turn-out, $106,000 raised for research, and we all had a great time.

Nicole (Chiarian), Jackie, Kristina, Jennie, Holley (tumor survivor) and her 3 boys, Holley's mom, and me.
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Jennie flew here from New York to do the walk with us. You may remember she traveled from her town all the out to Long Island to spend the night at the hotel and go to my doctor appointments, testing, and to the hospital with me in July. I was so incredibly grateful for her companionship. Her mom has just had her first round of chemo for breast cancer and Jennie from day 1 has been proving herself to be an advocate extraordinaire.

We were talking hair loss, scarves, and hats last week, and the decision I made to shave the day before the 2nd brain surgery since they were going to do it anyway because of the extent of what was being done, the three areas of brain they had to go into. I wanted the control of where and when, instead of losing it to some nameless tech who likely wouldn't even know my name and only would see me as someone who had something wrong with me.

So Jennie's mom thought about that and may decide on doing this as well, should she start to lose her hair.

I found the picture below a few minutes ago. DH took it moments after the shaving. There is another picture in my collage at the top of the blog with me and a hat and scarf that is from the same time.

When something like this happens you feel like the world should stop turning. That everything needs to just STOP for a minute so you can breathe and try to understand because nothing is going to be the same.

Nothing is so important as family and friends. Nothing that is owned, that can be bought, that can be packed in a bag. They're those who are around you.

Jennie's mom raised one amazing young woman, and to have done that, she must be one great lady herself.

Stay strong, know that you can do this, and kick cancer's ass!

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2 comments:

  1. You are beeeyoootiful, ZH! I will be shaving my head early next year when I get the fusion, because of having a halo put in place immediately post fusion for 3 months. My friend who also had a halo said it's best to shave the whole head because it's so hard to wash your hair and keep those pin sites clean. I'll be sure to get some photos, but I am SURE I will not be as beeyootiful as you are sans hair!

    loveya and congrats on such a successful fundraiser/walk (or in your case, putter!)

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