December 19, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

I’m relaxing in Minnesota as I await the annual Blaha Christmas Party at Janet and John’s home in Minnetonka. Life is pretty much back to normal for me thus no time for blogging. I’m not entirely back to the level of exercise intensity I was at prior to my diagnosis however I am able to stay involved in family activities until 10 or 11pm and wake easily at 5:30am. It feels good to be ‘normal’ again.

At the office, we just completed an eight-session group program for people who are struggling with Stage IV cancer. I’ve participated in many groups with cancer patients. Most often it is with newly diagnosed cancer patients however this time I wanted to structure a program with people that have lost all naivety about their cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. I may write more about this program later but for today, I want to share some of the comments made by the participants.

THEME: Am I going to survive this cancer?

• One women with breast cancer that has spread to the brain, bone and the liver shared a story about how she hesitates to go to her dentist because her internal dialog questions “why bother getting my teeth fixed when it’s likely I won’t be here long enough for anyone to see them?”

• Another woman with colon cancer that has spread shared how when she was really sick she found herself coming to the conclusion that it was okay to die. Once she started to feel better however, she says she got greedy – and wanted more time.

THEME: Can we talk about funerals here?

• How do I get a coffin for my wake when I’m planning on being cremated?

THEME: Talking with adult children about advanced cancer

• It’s okay for children (even adult children) to believe that you’re going to survive cancer, even when you think you’re not.

This group was a phenomenal experience for me and truly a privilege to be a part of with these unique women. I’ll write more on this later.

Merry Christmas.

Love,

Veronica