Square ladies...I need your paragraphs.

Hissy_Fitz

If you asked to be represented in the OC quilt. I need a paragrph or two Bout you (or your mom, if she is the honoree).

Linda
Jonie
Kathleen
Leesa
Lisa 13Q
Meghan
Mary K

Did I miss anyone, Mary?

My email is in my profile.

If you guys have not seen the squares, check out my Facebook page, or Mary's. They are powerful and I can't wait to see the whole quilt.

I am so grateful to Mary for all her hard work.

Together, we really are stronger

Carlene

MK_4Dani

Giving back..
it was my pleasure to give back to all who inspired me: gave me support, laughs, cyber hugs, advice, etc....This board was/is my cancer life line. It was bittersweet to work on the squares of the ladies who have dates instead of Survivor: I was again reminded of how lucky I am to be NED.


There are 17 squares, do you have paragraphs for the others already? If they don't respond we will be forced to "invent" paragraphs....we will make them super duper sassy...I am a teacher during the day and a mud wrestler at night...

What is our next project...do they need more squares?

Cyber teal hugs,
Mary

lindaprocopio

MK_4Dani said:

Giving back..
it was my pleasure to give back to all who inspired me: gave me support, laughs, cyber hugs, advice, etc....This board was/is my cancer life line. It was bittersweet to work on the squares of the ladies who have dates instead of Survivor: I was again reminded of how lucky I am to be NED.


There are 17 squares, do you have paragraphs for the others already? If they don't respond we will be forced to "invent" paragraphs....we will make them super duper sassy...I am a teacher during the day and a mud wrestler at night...

What is our next project...do they need more squares?

Cyber teal hugs,
Mary

Do you have an example so we know what to write?
I am so honored to be included in this! I can't seem to get started writing the text, though. Would you have an example you could share of what you want that would help me stop procrastinating & feel more confident about what you're looking for? Thanks!

Hissy_Fitz

lindaprocopio said:

Do you have an example so we know what to write?
I am so honored to be included in this! I can't seem to get started writing the text, though. Would you have an example you could share of what you want that would help me stop procrastinating & feel more confident about what you're looking for? Thanks!

Linda....it just needs to be
Linda....it just needs to be something - anything -from the heart. This is mine:


I was diagnosed with Stage IIIc Ovarian Cancer in Sept of 2009. I had no early symptoms, no family history, and no risk factors. I had a grueling seven hour de-bulking surgery, follwed by a host of unpleasant complications and 18 infusions of toxic chemotherapy drugs.

Cancer has changed my life forever. Before, I was almost never sick. Now, I imagine that every headache is a metastasis to the brain, every bout of indigestion means the cancer has returned and spread to my stomach. I bought burial insurance, changed my will, and labeled my possessions with the names of people I want to have them. Even though I thank God every day that I am in remission, still, I prepare myself to die. Because late stage ovarian cancer is the cruelest form of the disease. It does not kill us straight away. It encourages us to hope - to believe that we are "cured." Then it comes back. It almost always comes back.

I have four children, ten grandchildren, and a wonderful husband. I don't want to leave them; they don't want me to go. But we all know that each year could be my last year. Cancer is the elephant in the room, at every Thanksgiving dinner, every birthday party. It fills the space that used to be occupied by plans for the future. "Someday," I used to say, "we should all go on a cruise over Christmas - when the little ones are older." Now, they just hope that Mom is still here next Christmas.

I pray that soon someone will discover an effective treatment for ovarian cancer, and a method of detecting it early. For the sake of my daughter, my four granddaughters, and all the women whose lives have been touched by this disease. Some of thsoe women lost the battle so early in life, they will not get to see their children grow up. They will never look into the eyes of a newborn grandchild. Please do not forget them. Do not forget US.

TeaLurker

Echoing MK_4Dani
May we still submit a square if we send it via priority mail?

My relatives in your area would also like to buy raffle tickets, if that is still possible.

(I haven't been able to lurk for several weeks, so my apologies if I missed any other posts about this.)

Hissy_Fitz

TeaLurker said:

Echoing MK_4Dani
May we still submit a square if we send it via priority mail?

My relatives in your area would also like to buy raffle tickets, if that is still possible.

(I haven't been able to lurk for several weeks, so my apologies if I missed any other posts about this.)

Of course!
I replied to your
Of course!

I replied to your email. I am delighted that you have a square to add to the quilt.

Would your family come out for the 5K in Sept? What part of Sept will you be in town? We could all do the 5K and you could see the finished quilt.

The 5K is in Grapevine, in the Baylor Hospital area.

There is always a special area for survivors (special shirts too) and a memorial tribute.

Carlene

leesag

Hissy_Fitz said:

Of course!
I replied to your
Of course!

I replied to your email. I am delighted that you have a square to add to the quilt.

Would your family come out for the 5K in Sept? What part of Sept will you be in town? We could all do the 5K and you could see the finished quilt.

The 5K is in Grapevine, in the Baylor Hospital area.

There is always a special area for survivors (special shirts too) and a memorial tribute.

Carlene

Square Paragraph
My name is Leesa Green. I am 46 years old, I was diagnosed in 2010, Stage IIIC. After 8 months of NED, my ovarian cancer become one of the very rare cases of direct brain metastasis. I used to define myself as a mother, wife, and teacher. Now I have to add, Ovarian Cancer and Brain Tumor Survivor. I'm proud to be all of those things. They each have challenges and rewards. While I would not have chosen to be a cancer survivor, my life has new meaning because of it. I have made many wonderful new friends whose strength both awes and inspires me. I have learned the value of family and friends and the waste of time in small disagreements.

My family has risen to the challenge and surrounded me with love and support. My friends who have stuck with me are awesome. I can call any time day or night to discuss my fears and anxiety with them. Some things you just can't share with family. They have all been with me every step of the way.

I would not have chosen this path, but now that I'm on it, I plan to do what I've always done. I'll look for beauty and hope wherever it can be found. So far, I've found in my family, my friends and the Teal Warriors of CSN and Inspire. God Bless Us and help us find a cure.



(Is this okay Carlene?)

Hissy_Fitz

leesag said:

Square Paragraph
My name is Leesa Green. I am 46 years old, I was diagnosed in 2010, Stage IIIC. After 8 months of NED, my ovarian cancer become one of the very rare cases of direct brain metastasis. I used to define myself as a mother, wife, and teacher. Now I have to add, Ovarian Cancer and Brain Tumor Survivor. I'm proud to be all of those things. They each have challenges and rewards. While I would not have chosen to be a cancer survivor, my life has new meaning because of it. I have made many wonderful new friends whose strength both awes and inspires me. I have learned the value of family and friends and the waste of time in small disagreements.

My family has risen to the challenge and surrounded me with love and support. My friends who have stuck with me are awesome. I can call any time day or night to discuss my fears and anxiety with them. Some things you just can't share with family. They have all been with me every step of the way.

I would not have chosen this path, but now that I'm on it, I plan to do what I've always done. I'll look for beauty and hope wherever it can be found. So far, I've found in my family, my friends and the Teal Warriors of CSN and Inspire. God Bless Us and help us find a cure.



(Is this okay Carlene?)

Leesa....it is perfect.
If
Leesa....it is perfect.

If we convey only one message, I hope it will be that no woman is exempt from OC. Nothing you can do - or not do - will protect you. All the clean living in the world will not keep you from getting ovarian cancer. And it's downright scary, how many women believe they are "safe" from OC because they have had their ovaries and tubes removed.

Carlene

lindaprocopio

Hissy_Fitz said:

Leesa....it is perfect.
If
Leesa....it is perfect.

If we convey only one message, I hope it will be that no woman is exempt from OC. Nothing you can do - or not do - will protect you. All the clean living in the world will not keep you from getting ovarian cancer. And it's downright scary, how many women believe they are "safe" from OC because they have had their ovaries and tubes removed.

Carlene

After putting it off, I lifted heavily from my bio here...
It's harder to write abbout yourself than it is to write about anything else! So I paraphrased most of this from my bio here, just to make myself stop procrastinating & get this done. It's such a honor to be included; the least I can do is get my part done. Here's what I came up with:

At 55, I was always ridiculously healthy, always ate a high fiber organic diet and went to the gym almost daily, never overweight, never sick, religious about my annual check-ups since that was the only time I ever saw a doctor. So imagine my shock when, with absolutely NO symptoms of any kind, I had a 'highly suspicious' routine PAP test in July 2008. That led to a series of biopsies, ultrasound, D&C radical hysterectomy and staging October 10, 2008, and was diagnosed as Stage III-c with an highly aggressive grade 3 cancer. & PAPs don't typically hint of this type of cancer, so that was a LUCKY break for me!!

For rest of 2008 and half of 2009, I did chemotherapy followed by 28 rounds of pelvic radiation and 3 rounds of vaginal cuff internal radiation. I enjoyed 5 blissful months of remission that included a week-long 'Camp Grandma' sleepover, a week at the beach with my children and grandchildren, and a 2-week trip to Greece, Turkey, & Italy with my husband. Unfortunately, we cancer metastasized in my lymph nodes in the fall of 2009. A chemo regime of dense dose taxol brought me back into a brief remission, and then we tried 3 other chemo drug combinations throughout 2010 and early 2011, but by now my cancer had mutated into something that seems un-killable, and had metastasized to my liver. The blessing of all this chemo is that I had no side effects other than baldness and fatigue and enjoyed an excellent quality of life throughout the endless chemo attempts. In the summer of 2011, we switched to tamoxifen/megace to try and hold me stable, and an experimental Sir-Spheres radioembolism treatment, and that seems to have knocked back the liver mets and bought me some time. The trick is to find something that will buy you enough time until the next new treatment comes along!

I have wonderful support from my family and friends. I do a tremendous amount of research on my cancer, and on the drugs I am prescribed or that I learn others with similar cancers are taking, and I actively advocate with my oncologists for aggressive treatments. I make myself eat right, sleep a lot, and stay on top of good bowel function, and I try to maintain a positive attitude. I have continued to work every day until recently when I gave the last shares of our family business to my sons, and that has been very therapeutic. I live in the "now" with much joy. Facing your own mortality is a GOOD thing. Everyone should realize that every day is precious and that love is to be expressed and shared openly.

Hissy_Fitz

lindaprocopio said:

After putting it off, I lifted heavily from my bio here...
It's harder to write abbout yourself than it is to write about anything else! So I paraphrased most of this from my bio here, just to make myself stop procrastinating & get this done. It's such a honor to be included; the least I can do is get my part done. Here's what I came up with:

At 55, I was always ridiculously healthy, always ate a high fiber organic diet and went to the gym almost daily, never overweight, never sick, religious about my annual check-ups since that was the only time I ever saw a doctor. So imagine my shock when, with absolutely NO symptoms of any kind, I had a 'highly suspicious' routine PAP test in July 2008. That led to a series of biopsies, ultrasound, D&C radical hysterectomy and staging October 10, 2008, and was diagnosed as Stage III-c with an highly aggressive grade 3 cancer. & PAPs don't typically hint of this type of cancer, so that was a LUCKY break for me!!

For rest of 2008 and half of 2009, I did chemotherapy followed by 28 rounds of pelvic radiation and 3 rounds of vaginal cuff internal radiation. I enjoyed 5 blissful months of remission that included a week-long 'Camp Grandma' sleepover, a week at the beach with my children and grandchildren, and a 2-week trip to Greece, Turkey, & Italy with my husband. Unfortunately, we cancer metastasized in my lymph nodes in the fall of 2009. A chemo regime of dense dose taxol brought me back into a brief remission, and then we tried 3 other chemo drug combinations throughout 2010 and early 2011, but by now my cancer had mutated into something that seems un-killable, and had metastasized to my liver. The blessing of all this chemo is that I had no side effects other than baldness and fatigue and enjoyed an excellent quality of life throughout the endless chemo attempts. In the summer of 2011, we switched to tamoxifen/megace to try and hold me stable, and an experimental Sir-Spheres radioembolism treatment, and that seems to have knocked back the liver mets and bought me some time. The trick is to find something that will buy you enough time until the next new treatment comes along!

I have wonderful support from my family and friends. I do a tremendous amount of research on my cancer, and on the drugs I am prescribed or that I learn others with similar cancers are taking, and I actively advocate with my oncologists for aggressive treatments. I make myself eat right, sleep a lot, and stay on top of good bowel function, and I try to maintain a positive attitude. I have continued to work every day until recently when I gave the last shares of our family business to my sons, and that has been very therapeutic. I live in the "now" with much joy. Facing your own mortality is a GOOD thing. Everyone should realize that every day is precious and that love is to be expressed and shared openly.

Thank you, Linda. There is
Thank you, Linda. There is no "wrong" way to do this. Your bio info is great!

Now I'm down to nagging just three people: Kathleen, Meghan and Brittany.

Here is an interesting post from my NOCC chapter's site:
We are at $42,000 & 42 teams.
Let's reach our goal of raising $200,000 with 112 teams!

Sales from the quilt raffle will help push this amount up and help us meet our goal!

So far, I have 17 squares, plus one that is supposed to arrive via USPS. Sadly, of those 17 beautiful, vibrant women, only 7 are still alive. This is the message we are trying to convey - OVCA kills women. Please support awareness and research to put an end to this devastating disease.

Thanks to all who helped, and especially Mary, who did the beautiful embroidery. Our names never looked so good!

Carlene

kayandok

Hissy_Fitz said:

Thank you, Linda. There is
Thank you, Linda. There is no "wrong" way to do this. Your bio info is great!

Now I'm down to nagging just three people: Kathleen, Meghan and Brittany.

Here is an interesting post from my NOCC chapter's site:
We are at $42,000 & 42 teams.
Let's reach our goal of raising $200,000 with 112 teams!

Sales from the quilt raffle will help push this amount up and help us meet our goal!

So far, I have 17 squares, plus one that is supposed to arrive via USPS. Sadly, of those 17 beautiful, vibrant women, only 7 are still alive. This is the message we are trying to convey - OVCA kills women. Please support awareness and research to put an end to this devastating disease.

Thanks to all who helped, and especially Mary, who did the beautiful embroidery. Our names never looked so good!

Carlene

Hi Carlene,
you don't have mine? I sent it to you via reg e-mail and FB e-mail. Maybe it is a good thing, as I really didn't like it. I am inspired by Leesa and LInda. I will try agan.

Many years ago, I read Gilda Radner''s biography. I never forgot what she said about the symptoms, and I told myself that I would be pro-active about ovarian cancer. I have always excersised, eaten well, and never missed my yearly check up. I had endometriosis and many times asked my doctors if it would lead to cancer. They all said that they was no connection. I believed them.

Fast forward to June of 2007, and at 51, without any abnormal symptoms (I had bowel changes for years due to the endometriosis) and imagine my absolute shock to receive a late stage ovarian cancer diagnosis! At the time my twins were 9, and oldest son was 16. I knew I had every reason to fight like hell. After a major surgery and 8 cycles of chemo, I was declared NED. That only lasted a glorious 8 months.

In November of 2008, I recurred, and had more surgery and constant chemo. My body is starting to wear down, and although I don't know how much more I can take, I plan on doing whatever I can to keep going. I have had 4 surgeries and 50 plus doses of chemo.

I know that one day, I will die from ovarian cancer, but I plan on living each day to the fullest and cultivating seeds of JOY in my life for as long as I am given that opportunity. I pray that one day, there will be a cure and no woman will have to go through this painful journey and no family will have to loose their wife and/or mom to this aweful disease.

How is that?
k

AnneBehymer

kayandok said:

Hi Carlene,
you don't have mine? I sent it to you via reg e-mail and FB e-mail. Maybe it is a good thing, as I really didn't like it. I am inspired by Leesa and LInda. I will try agan.

Many years ago, I read Gilda Radner''s biography. I never forgot what she said about the symptoms, and I told myself that I would be pro-active about ovarian cancer. I have always excersised, eaten well, and never missed my yearly check up. I had endometriosis and many times asked my doctors if it would lead to cancer. They all said that they was no connection. I believed them.

Fast forward to June of 2007, and at 51, without any abnormal symptoms (I had bowel changes for years due to the endometriosis) and imagine my absolute shock to receive a late stage ovarian cancer diagnosis! At the time my twins were 9, and oldest son was 16. I knew I had every reason to fight like hell. After a major surgery and 8 cycles of chemo, I was declared NED. That only lasted a glorious 8 months.

In November of 2008, I recurred, and had more surgery and constant chemo. My body is starting to wear down, and although I don't know how much more I can take, I plan on doing whatever I can to keep going. I have had 4 surgeries and 50 plus doses of chemo.

I know that one day, I will die from ovarian cancer, but I plan on living each day to the fullest and cultivating seeds of JOY in my life for as long as I am given that opportunity. I pray that one day, there will be a cure and no woman will have to go through this painful journey and no family will have to loose their wife and/or mom to this aweful disease.

How is that?
k

I don't want to sound stupid
I don't want to sound stupid but I am new to ovarian cancer I keep hearing the term NED what does that mean

Anne

carolenk

AnneBehymer said:

I don't want to sound stupid
I don't want to sound stupid but I am new to ovarian cancer I keep hearing the term NED what does that mean

Anne

No Evidence of Disease
NED is just an abbreviation for no evidence of disease--doctors won't say you are cured even if your blood test & scan look perfect.

AnneBehymer

carolenk said:

No Evidence of Disease
NED is just an abbreviation for no evidence of disease--doctors won't say you are cured even if your blood test & scan look perfect.

thanks

thanks

MK_4Dani

kayandok said:

Hi Carlene,
you don't have mine? I sent it to you via reg e-mail and FB e-mail. Maybe it is a good thing, as I really didn't like it. I am inspired by Leesa and LInda. I will try agan.

Many years ago, I read Gilda Radner''s biography. I never forgot what she said about the symptoms, and I told myself that I would be pro-active about ovarian cancer. I have always excersised, eaten well, and never missed my yearly check up. I had endometriosis and many times asked my doctors if it would lead to cancer. They all said that they was no connection. I believed them.

Fast forward to June of 2007, and at 51, without any abnormal symptoms (I had bowel changes for years due to the endometriosis) and imagine my absolute shock to receive a late stage ovarian cancer diagnosis! At the time my twins were 9, and oldest son was 16. I knew I had every reason to fight like hell. After a major surgery and 8 cycles of chemo, I was declared NED. That only lasted a glorious 8 months.

In November of 2008, I recurred, and had more surgery and constant chemo. My body is starting to wear down, and although I don't know how much more I can take, I plan on doing whatever I can to keep going. I have had 4 surgeries and 50 plus doses of chemo.

I know that one day, I will die from ovarian cancer, but I plan on living each day to the fullest and cultivating seeds of JOY in my life for as long as I am given that opportunity. I pray that one day, there will be a cure and no woman will have to go through this painful journey and no family will have to loose their wife and/or mom to this aweful disease.

How is that?
k

My paragraph.
At the age of 45, I went to the ER with what I thought were symptoms of appendicitis. I was not aware of Ovarian Cancer warning signs. After a CAT scan, the doctors informed me of the probable cancer diagnosis and surgery was schedule the following week. I was hopeful at the time that the doctors would find a cyst that was not cancerous considering I was excellent physical health, never missed a day of work and a very active mother of a 14 year old daughter. The pathology report returned a Stage IIIC Ovarian Cancer diagnosis. After recovering from the radical surgery I had to start an aggressive chemotherapy treatment plan. I received weekly Taxol treatments for 4 months and 6 IP Carboplatin every three weeks. I was very lucky to have tolerated the chemo with no major complications and minimal side effects.

Before the first chemo treatment a nurse told me, “I promise you that something good will come out of this.” That wise nurse’s promise has come true: I cherish every day with my family, especially seeing my daughter growing into a fine young lady. I make a concerted effort to see the positive in every situation. I don’t worry about dust on furniture, dog hair on couch, dishes in the sink, etc. because those chores will eventually be completed. I truly live by the cliché: Life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. The rest of my life is a gift from God, through the wisdom of my team of doctors…I do not want to waste this gift.

MK_4Dani

MK_4Dani said:

My paragraph.
At the age of 45, I went to the ER with what I thought were symptoms of appendicitis. I was not aware of Ovarian Cancer warning signs. After a CAT scan, the doctors informed me of the probable cancer diagnosis and surgery was schedule the following week. I was hopeful at the time that the doctors would find a cyst that was not cancerous considering I was excellent physical health, never missed a day of work and a very active mother of a 14 year old daughter. The pathology report returned a Stage IIIC Ovarian Cancer diagnosis. After recovering from the radical surgery I had to start an aggressive chemotherapy treatment plan. I received weekly Taxol treatments for 4 months and 6 IP Carboplatin every three weeks. I was very lucky to have tolerated the chemo with no major complications and minimal side effects.

Before the first chemo treatment a nurse told me, “I promise you that something good will come out of this.” That wise nurse’s promise has come true: I cherish every day with my family, especially seeing my daughter growing into a fine young lady. I make a concerted effort to see the positive in every situation. I don’t worry about dust on furniture, dog hair on couch, dishes in the sink, etc. because those chores will eventually be completed. I truly live by the cliché: Life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. The rest of my life is a gift from God, through the wisdom of my team of doctors…I do not want to waste this gift.

After reading everyone else's paragraphs...
I am overcome with emotion...we all have been, and continue to go down this rocky path of OVCA hell but our last paragraphs are full of hope, how lucky we are to see another freaking day.

Carlene: I would like to propose that we make a little booklet of our project. Nothing fancy: just pages stabled together. A picture of the persons quilt square, their paragraphs, a picture of the person on one a page. Once the quilt is put together it could be the cover. The story of how total strangers unite for a common goal. Would you other ladys like to have something like this?

kayandok

MK_4Dani said:

After reading everyone else's paragraphs...
I am overcome with emotion...we all have been, and continue to go down this rocky path of OVCA hell but our last paragraphs are full of hope, how lucky we are to see another freaking day.

Carlene: I would like to propose that we make a little booklet of our project. Nothing fancy: just pages stabled together. A picture of the persons quilt square, their paragraphs, a picture of the person on one a page. Once the quilt is put together it could be the cover. The story of how total strangers unite for a common goal. Would you other ladys like to have something like this?

Yes,
that is a great idea.

I also think that if a picture is taken of the finished quilt and made into a poster, it would sell. You could charge double what it costs to print it at Kinko's or whereever. Not sure if anyone is up to doing this, but I would definitely buy one and frame it for my wall.

kathleen

Hissy_Fitz

kayandok said:

Yes,
that is a great idea.

I also think that if a picture is taken of the finished quilt and made into a poster, it would sell. You could charge double what it costs to print it at Kinko's or whereever. Not sure if anyone is up to doing this, but I would definitely buy one and frame it for my wall.

kathleen

Kathleen....I am suggesting
Kathleen....I am suggesting this to the person in charge of the quilt project.

Carlene

Hissy_Fitz

kayandok said:

Yes,
that is a great idea.

I also think that if a picture is taken of the finished quilt and made into a poster, it would sell. You could charge double what it costs to print it at Kinko's or whereever. Not sure if anyone is up to doing this, but I would definitely buy one and frame it for my wall.

kathleen

Kathleen....I am suggesting
Kathleen....I am suggesting this to the person in charge of the quilt project.

Carlene

Hissy_Fitz

kayandok said:

Yes,
that is a great idea.

I also think that if a picture is taken of the finished quilt and made into a poster, it would sell. You could charge double what it costs to print it at Kinko's or whereever. Not sure if anyone is up to doing this, but I would definitely buy one and frame it for my wall.

kathleen

Kathleen....I am suggesting
Kathleen....I am suggesting this to the person in charge of the quilt project.

Carlene

jloe

I know this is a bit late to
I know this is a bit late to post but it is what happened. I'm glad you incuded me and i am anxious to see the quilt.

My story is similar to many others with OVCA. I thought my annual exams would find any sign of something wrong. Then it was too late. I was diagnosed 8/2006, stage III. I’ve had eight surgeries and over 50 chemotherapy treatments and I am currently in treatment. I’ve been fortunate to have a wonderful medical team in New York and support from my loving husband, Larry, and friends. I pray every day that there will be a new drug that effectively fights this horrible disease and a new method of early detection. I hope to be here another five years!