world cancer day + treatment tomorrow + happy mail campaign for lisa

"and here you are living despite it all"

(rumi)

today was world cancer day.

14 million people a year are diagnosed with cancer.

14 million.

just let that sink in for a second, and think about how insane that number is.

we need to find cures. asap.

the following is what i posted today on my facebook and my instagram (jill p - are you on there yet? yes, i am talking to you;) accounts. 

"today is world cancer day - on this day, i would like to thank all of the researchers, doctors, and nurses who dedicate their lives to finding cures and taking such good care of patients like me. i am also sending my love out to all my fellow fighters still in the ring with cancer, those who have finished their rounds, and those fighters we carry in our hearts that put down their fighting gloves for the last time - and to all of the families and loved ones whose lives have also been forever changed due to cancer, because they are most certainly fighters too"

tomorrow i go in at 7am for bloodwork and a 7:45 appointment with the docs to see how my blood levels are and to ensure that i can have treatment tomorrow. then we meet with research specialists for another research trial that we signed up for to help scca develop a program for parents with cancer that have young children on how to talk to your kids and support them. if we can get help ourselves and help other parents we are all in.

then we go to work because my schedule got messed up somehow.

then we go back to seattle at 5:15 for my infusions.

tomorrow is going to be one hell of a long day. that i know for sure.

but what i also know is that every day is a fight. not just for me, but for others.

which leads me to the happy mail campaign for lisa.

my friend lisa is a breast cancer kicker-asser and she is about to start 20 rounds of radiation. 

20 rounds.

so as you can imagine, i think this girl deserves to get some happy mail while she goes through her 20 rounds of radiation and kicks breast cancer in the ass.

so, if you haven't been on this blog long enough to know how this works, here is the deal.

if you are interested, you let me know (leave a comment with how i can get in touch with you if i don't already know, message me, text me, reach me through facebook or instagram, send me an email, send up smoke signals from your backyard, trip me as i walk by you, yell at me when you see me, throw things at me (preferably candy) - whatever it takes.

i will then assign you a week to send lisa some happy mail which can be a card, a postcard, a simple note on a post-it note, whatever you have time and the desire to do. the point is to bring a little happiness to her mailbox as she goes through radiation. if you don't know lisa, that is ok. trust me, getting mail from total strangers that are cheering you on pretty much rocks and makes you feel less alone in the world and in your fight.

so if you are interested, let me know and i will share her address with you and all the details off-line of the blog.

i hope that you all had a good weekend - and that your mondays get off to a great start.

anywhere i fight, you fight.

and back in the ring tomorrow we go.

as my big brother says, gloves up. xo