Saturday, October 19, 2019

Colon Cancer: When A Cancer Warrior's Parent Is Diagnosed With Cancer


Can you imagine what it's like to be a parent of a toddler that was sick with cancer? Can you imagine what the tumor excision and treatment may have done to the development of that child? Can you imagine what it must be like to navigate, as a parent, through social access disability and realizing your child is autistic?


Now--try to imagine one of the parents being diagnosed with cancer too and the child's caregiver becomes the caregiver for all. It is difficult for me to begin to try to imagine what it must be like to be in that caregiver's shoes.



I am a caregiver of a veteran that was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The antibiotics took their toll and exacerbated his C-PTSD. I became the sole provider when he expected to be the provider and caregiver for me, as a cancer patient.

Some of us are lucky enough in life to never have to struggle through circumstances like this. Some of us are all too familiar with it. Whether we are caregivers of patients or children--I believe that a large number of us can try to imagine the struggle that is involved.

The research and record-keeping responsibilities, alone, can be a daunting task when emotions are difficult to control. Some people would demand that the caregiver "just get over it." Some would declare, "Grow up! This is life!" How is that helpful?

Those of us that have been through something a little similar but different may be able to imagine what it must be like. If you can, try to imagine what it must be like for the Davis family.

Their daughter was diagnosed with a tumor in her brain. It was not a small tumor. It was very large and it had to be removed. Their daughter struggles with seizures and they are in constant vigilance in the middle of the night prepared to rush to the hospital if she has a bad enough seizure.

They had to become skilled at knowing when the seizure is bad enough to have her admitted. They also have to research the best approaches for their daughter's needs so she will be able to have some skills to be self-supportive in life eventually.

Now, the father has been diagnosed with colon cancer. He is the sole provider. This leaves the burden of everything on Nat Davis' shoulders.

If you have the ability to assist, please consider supporting the family during this difficult time. Nat is working on several methods where support can be provided for the styles of many contributors. Healthcare subjects are difficult enough in current events and everyone has their idea of how things "should" be. However--what we believe and what we think can be parked because now, this family could really use some intense support.

Below is a link to her post. Thank you, in advance, for considering their situation. Thank you, in advance, if you do go to her Patreon site to support them.








Friday, September 20, 2019

Mustang Cypress and Heather Longshore





It is such a pleasure to have the opportunity to work on this project for Heather.
When I first met her, I asked her what she would advise someone that is dealing with anxiety. Her advice was to do something that makes you proud.
Combining my technology skills with horses is something that helps me manage PTSD symptoms now that I'm aware of what they are. It also affords me the opportunity to contribute something while showcasing someone else's talent.
It is a bonus to do it for someone that is as thoughtful and incredible as Heather Longshore.




Friday, June 21, 2019

It's True. Old Times There Should Not Be Forgotten nor Should We Look Away.



Gravesite of Emmett Till at Burr Oak Cemetery in Aslip, Ill. The case went to trial and the accused were acquitted of his 1955 lynching.
Scott Olson/Getty Images


A friend recently shared an article. To paraphrase my take of her message--responsible journalism documents the truth whether good, bad, or ugly and shares it with the world.

All of my life I was shielded from this history. Dad had generations of magazines piled in the basement where I spent hours and days organizing, reading, and sorting by certain era characteristics and dates.

To gain a glimpse of the changes through time, I would stack the magazines by month and year. I was fascinated by the changes in fashion, political rants, and consumerism trends.

Of the hundreds of magazines he had, I had never seen images like this with the exception of the JFK assassination. Now, I'm wondering why. The subject of racism was never discussed in our home.

Conversely, after reading 'Diary of Anne Frank,' I had nightmares for years that kept me up until 4 AM on most school nights. It terrified me that we were capable of such horrific and deplorable atrocities when I was taught in school that a part of our top biblical values was that we shall not kill. We should also forgive those that trespass against us and lead us not into temptation.

On one side, it was probably a good thing that I was protected from these images. In contrast, it was a disservice to the reality of what was happening in the land of cotton while I was being taught to sing, "...old times there are not forgotten. Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land."

A couple of friends were deep in discussion about the South and I didn't have any answers while others were declaring, "You just don't know what it was like back then. You don't understand."

"Several days later, Till was kidnapped, beaten and shot. Barbed wire was wrapped around his neck and tied to a heavy cotton gin fan, and his body was thrown in the Tallahatchie River." - NPR, Camila Domonoske

My husband has not forgotten and the trauma of what happened back then is not something that is easy for him to discuss. He was an outsider because he didn't buy into it. He often crossed the railroad tracks seeking the culture that struck a chord with him. That generated resentment from both sides.

What happens when you don't have a tribe? Identity violations are not easily delineated in binary narratives. Especially when you're taught a set of values that are supposed to be written in stone.




100PHOTOS.TIME.COM, "Emmett Till was brutally killed in the summer of 1955. At his funeral, his mother forced the world to reckon with the brutality of American racism."




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