Nobody Has Ovarian Cancer: The Soft Whispers of a Fierce Blow

I go by #Servivorgirl. Celebrating almost 14 years since diagnosis of stage IIIC ovarian cancer, recently restaged to IVB. My blog is called Nobody Has Ovarian Cancer because I felt like a nobody upon the eventual correct diagnosis. Being told multiple times that I was too young to have ovarian cancer, I did not receive the proper testing. I am so grateful to Him for all those who allow me to share my love, to those who love me and those who treat my illness. I praise Him always.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

A Rebirth and a new place

It's been a while since I shared news about my status. My apologies as I have been moving, and well, I'm tired. Lot's of emotions moving out of my dear mom's home into an empty apartment. But it was time, and mom really wanted this for me. Love you mom.

Every morning for the past two years mom and I would enjoy our coffee together and catch up on the news. I would eat my oatmeal and for two hours or so, life was heavenly. Even if I was in pain or tired from chemo, we would still enjoy that time together. I would get to hear tid bits of stories from long ago about her childhood, or a rant about something important politically in the world. Mom holds back on nothing.

I really didn't want to leave, especially now that she is on dialysis. The house is too small and her plate is full with questions, worries, and concerns for her future. She needs time and space for peace now. I see her a lot anyway, so it won't be too bad. I just really miss her so much.

Now I'm in a secure apartment managed by a very kind woman who thinks of this complex as a community. I like that. I will include a photo in my blog when I get my furniture and pictures arranged. I found a small wooden table as a give-away, and am using that for my dining table. Mom was so generous to give me one of her couches and a living room side chair. My sister and her husband helped me move, thank you guys!!!!

It feels like a dorm room right now, not really homey.

Thanks to comcast and their evil doings, I have no television. I'm trying to look at this lack of television as an opportunity to reflect and pray more. It's probably a good thing at the end of the day. I miss my CNN and Hoda and Kathy though. No cooking channel, what's a girl to do? Ha. Thanks to Pat and Mandy for offering Hulu to help with the TV.....yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I just found out my niece passed a black belt flip test last night...............yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. Later today I hope to see my other niece at a performance in the zoo. The rest of the family is well overall, I wish we all lived in the same area, like when we were little kids. I really do.

On the medical front, my CA125 is 11 and my latest exam was normal. In 3 months I have a pelvic CT scan. My mammogram and breast MRI are good too, but I'm still seeking the opinion of a surgeon to consider a prophylactic mastectomy. Sigh. Still totally undecided, I just want to talk.

That's all for now. I really hope you are well. Peace and blessings and hugs and smiles to you.

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

This brilliant man died yesterday fighting a never ending battle with cancer and the health complications of his war. Cancer steals our souls, our hearts, our minds.

We must actually find a cure, not some sort of palliative medication that allows us to "live with cancer as a chronic condition".

I'm sorry, I don't want to dampen our hopes or be "negative". I'm just being real.

I don't want cancer to become a chronic disease. It needs to remain a disease to be cured!!!!!!!

Every single person on this planet carries equal value and importance, but few of us actually soar above the flock and really make a true, positive difference for the masses. Steve Jobs was an individual who's vision changed the way the world communicates.

For the fleeting moment along the spectrum of time wherein each of us breathes God's sweet air, we must strive to do only good. When drug companies decide to desire to do good, we will find a cure for cancer.

Peace, Blessings and condolences to the Jobs Family and people at Apple.

Steve Jobs, Rest in Peace

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Join Yale University to do the WALC-N Study

Hello Teal Family,

I am grateful to be participating in a very important study, about walking and our health as women who have experienced the wrath of ovarian cancer. If you, or any woman you know, is interested in participating in this very important study, please contact Yale University. This is a fully randomized study.

Please forward this to all of your teal sisters. There is no other study of this nature being offered in the Ovarian Cancer community. Your participation could save a life.

From WALC-N Study at Yale University:

We are inviting women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and living anywhere in the USA to participate in the

WALC-N Study (sounds like “walking”).

This research study will examine if a 6-month home-based walking program, with weekly phone calls and counseling from our certified personal trainer, will improve quality of life, fatigue and other ovarian cancer outcomes.

http://publichealth.yale.edu/people/melinda_irwin.profile

Friday, September 30, 2011

This is my dear mom. Looking at her in this photo I see the true spirit of my mother. She has in her hands my sister's Sketchbook Project booklet http://weatheredsilo.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-sketchbook-final-entry.html Mandy is such a natural artist, as is my mom. Even my brother is greatly talented. My mom loves art. In this candid moment I see her sincere deep joy in seeing my sister's works, and just being so so so happy for Mandy.

I am here to witness this joy! I am here to participate in life and be with my family. There is no greater joy to me, other than my reverence to our dear Lord, than to be with my family. All of my family, which includes you.

Thank you all for supporting Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, and a shout out to Tammy G. for wearing her teal shirt as she holds her precious daughter Lila.

The point of this post is that I could have missed this moment, but I didn't. Thank you God.

Love,
Denise

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Dr. Oz and the test you can take to your doctor

Dr. Oz is a champion in the campaign to "Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer" These images are selected from www.doctoroz.com. Dr. Goff of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance appeared on his show and is a re-assuring presence in this fearful arena of OC.

Please visit his website to learn about the lifesaving measures we can take to prevent Ovarian Cancer from growing out of control

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/5-ovarian-cancer-warning-signs-pt-1?hs317=billboard_3

There is nothing I can personally add to this informative program accept to say that I wish my gynecologists and PCP from my pre-OC life were paying attention. Don't let your doctor fall asleep at the wheel.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Beauty in my Sister's Paintings

WEATHERED SILO

taking the mother rd 150.00 buy	waiting 150.00 buy	worldly possessions 150.00 buy	fryin' pone 150.00 buy
ruthie's red 150.00 buy	faded clover 150.00 buy	taking the mother rd 30.00 buy	waiting $30.00 buy
worldly possessions $30.00 buy	fryin' pone $30.00 buy	ruthie's red $30.00 buy	faded clover $30.00 buy

WEATHERED SILO

profile:

I am THRILLED to be participating in Poppytalk Handmade alongside so many talented artists. I invite you to view my latest collection of acrylic paintings and limited edition giclée prints from my DUST BOWL GLIMPSES series.

I live with my family in Seattle and have an affinity for the old ways. When creating my shop name I immediately thought of my great-grandparents and their parents who homesteaded in the early 1900s on the prairies of Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico. "weathered silo" pays tribute to my ancestor's resilience and resourceful ways of living off the sometimes unforgiving land and it's untamed beauty.

I look forward to meeting you. Cheers, Mandy

shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/weatheredsilo

website:

http://weatheredsilo.blogspot.com/

twitter:

http://twitter.com/weatheredsilo

http://www.poppytalkhandmade.com/table15

Friday, September 09, 2011

Mom I admire you

I have been asked many times by my Seattle doctors, and recently a psychologist, to identify what really kept me going every day. It is not easy to identify the force that drives us to live, even when we are healthy. When we are healthy, we wake up and live our lives.

We go to sleep and start over the next day. "Living" is up to God and is not in our control, but the "will" to live comes from another place. I always look to God and find that the people around me give me the desire to keep going.

My mom was and remains a driving force behind my will to traverse the path of a new life, even when I just want to quit. I'm in a tough spot, and need to get an actual life started again. It's more about resources. I have none....ha! I just have to think positive and believe that I will be able to take care of myself financially. That's all I can do.

My mom believes that I will make it.

Although my mom has started dialysis, she is determined to remain independent and that means that I am being requested to keep looking for a new place and resume some sort of life, after cancer.

I could stay here forever, because I want to be here if she needs something. She is so strong. I will miss her so much when I move out.

My mom is AMAZING. She is more driven and determined and motivated to live than anyone I know. She is a Type I diabetic, has been for over 40 years. Usually Type I diabetics need to start dialysis after 20 years, but my mom has taken such good care of herself that she has been able to wait 40 years.

She has to work to keep herself alive every day, maintaining her insulin pump, checking her blood sugars, watching every calorie, and type of food. Now that she's started dialysis, we find ourselves spending 15 hours a week at a treatment center and she is hooked up to a machine that cleans her blood.

This is her new life, machine one and machine two (insulin pump and dialysis). If she decides to stop connecting herself to either machine, she will die.

So she wills herself every day to connect to a machine, and live. She too has pain, and complications, but just keeps on keeping on.

She is so forgiving, so forgiving. Puts me to shame. One of her doctors could have given her a little better advice and it caused her some problems, but that is over now and she is just moving forward.

God asks us to be forgiving and love our neighbors. I believe that God uses people around us to talk to us in subtle ways, and we need to just listen. Be quiet, and alert, and open to the cues.

There are many other people in my life, family and friends, who give me "will" to keep going to find my new life, but I just wanted to spend a little time talking about mom.

She is an artist, a debater, an activist, a rebel, a great caregiver, and a great grandmother. Her creativity is endless and she is passionate about all people having equal opportunity and that all humans are treated with dignity. She is so intelligent, and strong-willed. She is very loving.

I love you mom.

Denise

Friday, September 02, 2011

Direct from President Obama on Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

September 01, 2011

Presidential Proclamation--National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

NATIONAL OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, 2011

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Ovarian cancer continues to have one of the highest mortality rates of any cancer, and it is a leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. This month, we remember the mothers, sisters, and daughters we have lost to ovarian cancer, and we extend our support to those living with this disease. We also reaffirm our commitment to raising awareness about ovarian cancer, and to advancing our screening and treatment capabilities for the thousands of American women who will be diagnosed this year.

Ovarian cancer touches women of all backgrounds and ages. Because of a lack of early symptoms and effective screening tests, ovarian cancer is often not detected in time for successful interventions. It is crucial that women know how to recognize the warning signs of gynecological cancers and can detect the disease as early as possible. I encourage all women to learn about risk factors, including family history, and to discuss possible symptoms, including abdominal pain, with their doctor. Now, because of the Affordable Care Act, a wide range of preventive screenings are available to women without any copayments, deductibles, or coinsurance.

My Administration is committed to supporting the women, families, and professionals working to end this disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services have started a campaign to educate women on cancers affecting reproductive organs. The National Cancer Institute is researching new ways to detect ovarian cancer, publishing a comprehensive study of the most aggressive types of ovarian cancer, and conducting clinical trials for new combinations of therapy. And this year, agencies across the Federal Government, from the National Institutes of Health to the Department of Defense, have committed to supporting ovarian cancer prevention and treatment research.

So many lives have been touched by ovarian cancer -- from the women who fight this disease, to the families who join their loved ones in fighting their battle. In the memory of all the brave women who have lost their lives to ovarian cancer, and in support of generations of women to come, let us recommit to reaching a safer, healthier future for all our citizens.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2011 as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. I call upon citizens, government agencies, organizations, health-care providers, and research institutions to raise ovarian cancer awareness and continue helping Americans live longer, healthier lives. And I urge women across the country to talk to their health-care providers and learn more about this disease.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

DEAR PRESIDENT OBAMA, THANK YOU WITH ALL MY HEART
DENISE ARCHULETA

Thank you Ovations for the Cure for letting us know
http://www.ovationsforthecure.org/