PJ Party, Part II

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - Well, we did it. We gathered together in a hotel in Indianapolis to celebrate, cry, dance and eat a great deal of chocolate - all while we wore our PJ’s. This image is just the survivors in the crowd, a feisty crew. This event was a fundraiser for IWIN – a breast cancer service provider. Let me just list a few things that patients might need that you might not have never even thought about:

Walk the dog. Sometimes, you are too tired from chemo to get up and go for a walk.

Mow the lawn. See above.

Babysit their children. They might not need a day out, just a day of rest and know their precious little ones are in good hands.

Buy a gas card. Do you know what it costs to have breast cancer treatments – even with insurance?

Treat them to a photo session. No, its not our most photogenic time, but we are realists. We don’t know how much time we might have left, wouldn’t this be a great gift for our loved ones?

Put some flower pots on their porch. Then maintain them! Will take a few minutes a week for you, but will help them daily.

These are just a few of the things I know I needed and a few of them were gifted to me by my sweet friends and co-workers at Vera Bradley. Now that IWIN is located all over Indiana, I can recommend their services to every patient that calls me from this state. Thank you, Nancy and team, for doing this amazing work. Now you, gentle reader, know what to do if you want to help someone and can’t necessarily donate monetarily. Get out there and help make a change!

PJ Party

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - When I was going through my breast cancer treatment, I was exhausted. Really, that’s not a strong enough word but it is about all we have to describe extreme weariness. As a result, of course, my housework suffered. My treatments are finished now, but somehow my house is still a mess…but that’s really a story for another time. Today I want to introduce you to cancer services that are cropping up all across this country. These service providers help women going through breast cancer treatment by supplying them with help for the basics. Lawn mowing, housecleaning, laundry services, etc., - things that you just don’t have the energy to do after chemo, but still it needs to be done. Cancer service assistants match volunteers with very grateful patients. This evening, I am going to a ‘pink pj party’ in Indianapolis – a fundraiser for Indiana Women In Need, who provide exactly these great deeds at no cost. I will be wearing my pjs (Vera Bradley pj pants, of course), dining, chatting, and standing in awe of people who are so willing to give of themselves to help others. Thank you to everyone who helps in such a way – and to those of you who think you might be able to spare an hour every now and again, feel free to look up your local cancer services provider. Tell them you are ready to help a weary woman when she really needs it the most!

Last act

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - You know you have a short time to live; you know this because you have the wisdom, the history, the years spent trying to cure the very disease which has now taken hold of you. Decades of being an oncologist and researcher allow you the insight to know all the signs. What do you do with this information if you have it? Would you call a dear friend to help prepare your memorial service? Your first day in hospice care, would you order Valentine’s gifts for your sweetie to make sure she got them even if you weren’t there? Dr. Stephen Williams, oncologist, spent his last days like he has spent so many days before that: thinking of and caring for others. The items he purchased? Vera Bradley bags in Hope Garden – bags that give a portion of the proceeds to breast cancer. Thoughtful, even with his choice of gifts. We will miss you, Dr. Williams. Thank you for all you have done for cancer patients. And thank you, too, Mrs. Williams, for sharing this story with us – and for sharing your sweetie with so many.