A REMINDER...

SEPTEMBER IS

CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.

I sometimes talk of being a survivor of the

once incurable Wilms Tumor, childhood kidney cancer.

In 1968, when I was diagnosed it was incurable.

I was given lots of radiation, lots of chemo.

and it saved my life as well as having a part in

proudly being able to say, because of my treatment,

Wilms is one of the most curable childhood cancers

out there. This does not mean children still do not die

from it and other childhood cancers.

Every day, many children die of this dreaded big C.

Once you are a survivor of it, you are forever linked

to those others who have fought the battle and won.

Such is the case with my sweet Kelly GRanier.

She too, now a big girl, a beautiful woman,

a teacher soon to be a wife and still when we

see each other we hug tightly and smile,

laugh and then sometimes we cry.

this was how we were at our dear Stephen's funeral.

She and my "Katie the neighbor"

have been the best of friends for a while.

 As we hugged in church we both knew what the

other was thinking, 

"Why us, why are we still here and our Steve-O is not.

I hug her tightly and whisper in her ear,

I know what you are thinking and we don't have the

answer, I only know we have to continue to live

and make a difference for Stephen as well as

all those who die of the childhood disease of Cancer.

Cancer is a family disease,

it changes the dynamics of each person in a family.

I, being the baby of 7, having siblings 24 years

older than me up to only 2 years older than me,

my cancer changed us all. Many don't understand

our relationships even now as adults.

We, like most in this world, have some crazy in each of us.

Yet, we are forever bonded by the relationships that

were formed way back in the 1960's.

Just random thoughts this morning before I pack to

spend the weekend with our Bean and

my dear Nephew, Miki and his family.

It is because of beating cancer that I have 

these relationships, two children I had against

what every doctor told us growing up.

Now having three little grand girls and hopefully

more to follow from gypsy baby in her time.

I am blessed, I am a survivor, and I hope in knowing

me, you have found something in me and my family

that makes you, also grateful that I beat it.

Forever grateful, never bitter,

I AM A SURVIVOR OF CHILDHOOD CANCER

SEPTEMBER 2015 MARKS

MY 47TH YEAR OF SURVIVAL.