Tag Archive for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

My story, all in one place

September 1, 2009 cancer, survivorship 2 comments

When I started this blog, it was to set down my thoughts about living with a Stage IV rectal cancer diagnosis. It was to tell my story out loud, and help me find a path through all of the last five+ years.

I’ve told the story many times — to newly diagnosed patients, to medical professionals, to co-workers and friends. But until today, I’d never really read my whole story all in a row from beginning to now, set down in one place.

This month, in the September Colon Cancer Alliance Buddy Program newsletter, CCA turned the spotlight on me. When Buddy Program co-coordinator Jeannie Moore asked me if I’d be willing to be in the spotlight, she asked if I’d share my story. So I wrote down it all down; today it was published on the CCA website as Pat’s Story in the Personal Stories section, under Stage IV.

I’ve been working as a CCA Buddy since I had my own first buddy, right before my first liver surgery in 2005. Buddies give support to other patients and caregivers as they navigate cancer treatment and their lives as patients and survivors. My story there is from beginning (diagnosis) to now, because my story is still being written. I’m not done yet — it’s not over ’til the fat lady sings.

Typically I don’t refer to my docs by full names (to preserve some shred of respect for our doctor-patient relationship). But today, reading my story all in a row, I want to name you all proudly and gratefully. I want to say each of your names out loud, in print, so that they are recorded somewhere forever, all in one place.

In central New York, my team includes Erik Daly, PCP; James Yurdin, neurologist; Joel Bass, urologist; Jeff Kirshner, oncologist; Dennis Kotlove, radiation oncologist; Jim Spano, ACSW (who helps me find sanity); and the wonderful staff of Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central NY.

In Manhattan, my team includes Nancy Kemeny, oncologist; Martin Weiser, colorectal surgeon; Brett Carver, urologic oncologist; William Jarnagin, hepatobiliary surgeon; all of the wonderful staff in CT scanning (we’re closing in on #60, gang!), the amazing nurses on the 15th floor at Memorial-Sloan Kettering main campus hospital on York Ave., and many other members of the MSKCC team who are too numerous to mention.

I couldn’t have done this without any of you. And while we may not always agree on everything, I’m awfully glad your efforts keep me around to have the conversations. Thanks, gang.

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Yoga for Recovery: Check Out YogaBear

May 30, 2009 cancer, survivorship, yoga One comment

Image of Yoga Bear from TwitterImage of Yoga Bear

Last summer, while recovering from my third major abdominal surgery in four years, I re-discovered yoga via FitTV‘s Namaste Yoga, a multi-skill-level yoga practice created by Canadian Kate Potter.

I was too weak from the combination of surgical recovery and chemo to do much more than the warm-up/cool-down and meditation portions of each show. At first, I felt like I was in the CT scanner (breathe in–hold your breath–breathe out!) Concentrating on breathing while doing active poses was tough at first, but each day’s small improvements intrigued me enough that I quickly sought out the entire Namaste series on DVD and added them to my collection. I’m still very much a yoga beginner, but I’m now able to do a physical yoga practice every day, and although my practices have to be short, some days I manage as long as 15 minutes of active poses. My daily yoga practice is centering, calming and energizing at the same time. It is a way to get my active life back, and get stronger from the inside out.

Today on Twitter, I found out about YogaBear, a not-for-profit corporation which links yoga teachers and yoga studios across the US with cancer survivors. Via Yoga Bear‘s program, this network of teachers offers cancer survivors free yoga classes. If you’re a yoga studio, yoga teacher or cancer survivor, visit YogaBear to make the connection, find and renew your inner energy!

You can join several fundraisers to support YogaBear’s efforts:
June 7 2009, National Cancer Survivor Day: catch YogaBear’s free yoga classes in NYC at Rock & Run on the River (a celebration of cancer survivorship sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center). Free classes also available in LA and San Francisco
June 27: Yogapalooza will offer free public yoga classes in Atlanta GA, Austin TX, Cleveland OH, San Francisco CA and Washington DC.

Bloggers, until the end of the day on June 6, 2009, you can blog for a cause and spread the word about the benefits of yoga in improving recovery for cancer survivors. If you blog about your experience with yoga, and link back to YogaBear following these instructions, YogaBear.org could win $6K to support its efforts to provide yoga classes to cancer survivors!

This blog post is part of Zemanta‘s “Blogging For a Cause” campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

Breathe in. Hold your breath. Breathe out. I’ve had four CT scans since last summer, and now, when I hear those words, I think yoga practice–not scan anxiety! I decided to blog for a cause about Yoga Bear so that other cancer survivors can learn that there’s more to the power of breathing than just getting the best possible CT scan picture. Namaste.

All content in “Gaelen’s Cafe: Life Out Loud” (c) by Patricia. A. Steer.
May not be reprinted without written permission of the author.
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