Thanksgiving on Whidbey Island

Thanks for all the warm messages through Thanksgiving. I went to Rosie and Sue's home on Whidbey Island for a long winter's nap with Jo, Cec, Therese, Crowley and Mary Beth, my 14 year old niece. We had a wonderful relaxing time watching the ships come in and out of Puget Sound from the front windows, reading, watching movies, playing on line, talking and laughing...lots of laughing! I did great except for a mouth sore that finally went away (Faye called in a mixture of viscous lidocaine and maalox).
 
Today I started my 4th chemo and was at the hospital from 8-6. Jo will unplug me from this one on Thursday, and I'll get another week off! This time, though, I have an appointment for another CT scan which will tell the story of how the chemo is doing! I will keep you posted.

Please do something special for World AIDS Day on Thursday!

Thanks for all the love and good energy!

Lynne

The girls of Whidbey

Fashion forward on Whidbey Island

A Quilt for Me!

Rose made her first quilt for me. The name of the quilt is, "it takes a village" and Rose said it did take a village to make it, including Anne Bader and others!

Books

I am reading Seriously, I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres for a break, but lately have really liked Still Alice, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the Hundred Brothers (a little weird), a Visit from the Goon Squad (also a little weird), Sarah's Key, The Book Thief and The Weird Sisters.

Lynne

Third Round of Chemo

Tuesday I started my third round of  chemo.                                  Bridget made Tuesday go a lot easier!
Here's JoAnn checking out some of the meds!

My National AIDS Housing Coalition Colleagues

This weekend we had an east coast attack when my National AIDS Housing Coalition board of directors colleagues, Gina Quattrochi and Shawn Lang came from New York and Connecticut to see if I was faking or really sick! Mark Anderson, recently a local, joined us for a mini NAHC board meeting which, while recognizable, did not quite measure up to the usual brilliant but chaotic gatherings we have had around the country and internationally for the last 20 years! Thanks, Dudes!

And thanks to the Gee Rosenthal Bed And Breakfast, Linda Weisenstein (who brought enough food for a small country), and to Jo and Moe, who handled all the home chores!

I am so grateful for my friends who traveled to "fly over land" to see me and to all of you (Rosie and Susie, too) who helped me show them a good time.

Lynne

Going to the Gym

Well, the chemo that so many of you have sent encouragement about was cancelled because my white cells were too low, so I am rescheduled for next Tuesday. In the meantime, Jo and I are going to the gym, and I have meetings at Doorways. So it is a good day but a slow day. I need to rest, stay away from lots of people and try not to overdo it!

Lynne

Welcome to Minnesota!

I reflected that the blog about my journey with metastatic pancreatic cancer might look a little like a travelogue or a holiday letter about vacations, great friends and exceptional opportunities. It has been! I am forging my own answer to the question, "What would YOU do if you knew you only had a limited time to live?"

I am not trying to be morbid, and I hope to get a couple more laps around the track, and, as I mentioned before, I DID just sign a two year lease on a car (more on that later), but aside from the obvious pain in the ass of being sick and dying, this is the best. I have some Doorways responsibilities, and I have a pile of medical and insurance stuff to procrastinate about, but otherwise I am doing pretty much what I want to.

No more do I anguish about the expectations of others, or make myself do things I don't care to do, or should on myself like I might have in the past. JoAnn says I have lost my filter (did I have a filter?). I am freer with money. I don't mind insomnia, because I can do things I want to do and sleep.......whenever.

My niece, Mary Beth says skydiving should be on my bucket list, but the fact is that SHE is on my bucket list!

So my most recent vacation was with the Caven family in Minnesota this weekend. This is Mugs and her mom, siblings, outlaws and a multitude of grandchildren, nieces and nephews. I have spent a good bit of time with them over the past 25 years, but my insight this time was about how healthy and gracious Eleanor is, how generous and hospitable my generation is, and how engaged the young adult grand children are. I mean they sit around and play games and laugh and talk literally all the time they are together. And they all like each other more and more over the years I have known them.

So thanks Cavens and Burgers. I had a great time!

Lynne

A Missed Opportunity

Last night we had the RED SPONSOR'S party at Mark Spurrier and Karl Koesterer's. Wow, it was one of the best we have ever had. RED is really on a roll.


I got to speak and my usual task is to tell the story of the clients, the meaning of the mission, so we all can be reminded of why we are there: to house and care for poor people living with AIDS so they may have better health, improved quality of life and comfort and peace during their illness.


Well, I talked about my own health issues and how much they are like our clients'. About how humbling it is to be experiencing many of the symptoms they have and to be dependent on, and grateful for, the kindness of other people.


What I didn't think to say is how dreadful my life would be if I did not have housing or someone to take care of me. How nasty it would be to have diarrhea or nausea on the streets or in a shelter. How impossible it would be if I had children to take care of while I was sick...or my constant need to sleep, to get to the doctor, to take medicine at the right time, to bathe or to trim my daily disappearing hair. I missed the opportunity to be a witness, although a protected one, to the devastation of illness without housing.


Fortunately, Chuck Miller stepped up and covered the essence of our mission in his remarks. But I could have shown how real it is.

Next time I will. And I thank Chuck and Mark and Karl and all the chairs and sponsors who came!

And I still haven't heard anything back about Chuck's homemade chicken pot pies. Maybe I will soon!

Locked and Loaded

Lynne and Paula arrive for Sunday dinner at Ann and Terry's. Note the trusty six shooter!