Leaving on a Jet Plane

Well tomorrow is the big day! My sister is picking me up at 5:30 am and we are driving to Miami International. I am not super excited about the fact that I have a lay over but oh well beggars can't be choosers. I will arrive in Boston Massachusetts at 2:08 and then my mom and I are going into Boston for some food, oysters! Its going to be a long day but that's okay it should be a distraction from Monday.

Monday is surgery day. Even though I do it every three months I still get so nervous. Before the cancer I had never had surgery. General Anesthesia scares the crap out of me. The idea of being put to sleep just scares me. Then there is the waking up, bleh! I always feel like such crap for weeks after, I hate it! But, I am alive and cancer free so I can't complain too much. They are thinking that maybe they will try to take the stents out next surgery. I'm a bit skeptical because we have tried this before and it resulted in an infection that was pretty painful!

Tuesday I have my exam to check for cancer, im really nervous about that too! But I am going to have a great time meeting some new friends and old ones too. Don't worry I will find internet access and be posting :)

Also, if you are interested in my new project: Spirit Jump email me at spiritjumper@spiritjump.com we are in need of more sponsors and always welcoming those who need their spirits lifted! If you need your spirits lifted email needaspiritjump@spiritjumper.com

Project Spirit Jumper Notice

I just got an email from a mom letting me know that her son could use a pick me up. Preston is 4 years old and has t-cell all and was diagnosed on july 29 2008!!! His mom told me that some days he just feels pretty crappy and something like this would lift his spirits!!! I asked her what Preston likes and this is what she told me:

"Prestons likes all "boy" things!:) he loves nascar, monster trucks, thomas the train, mickey mouse, anything disney!! hes really easy to please!! :) just getting something special in he mail would bring a smile to his lil face!!!!

If you want to help bring a smile to this brave boys face please email me: megse5@netscape.net

Today Is a BIG DAY! So Sorry Cervical Cancer

Oh Me Oh My What a BIG DAY! Today I took my last Law School Final...EVER! I made it folks, hats right. Thats Meaghan 10 Cervical Cancer 2!! I beat ya again :) I never thought I would see this day. I am so happy. Today I am going to relax and maybe go out to dinner to celebrate and then Sunday im off to Boston for Surgery.

Today also marks one year with Bryan! We had our first date Dec 5, 07. Bryan has been my angel ever since! I could go on and on about him but I'll try to keep it short. As many of you know I was 28 when I got diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. I was in the midst of law school and had no boyfriend or children. My treatments left me unable to have my own biological children. I was very sick, could barely function and was pretty depressed. Daily I thought, "who would want to start a relationship with me?" I also wondered when and how i would tell a boyfriend that I could not have children. This made me very sad. Of course friends and family always told me that the right guy would come along, that a good man would love me and the fact that I couldn't have children and needed lots of care would not matter. While I "understood" what they were saying it was my life and the reality was a relationship was going to be more difficult post cancer.

I met Bryan a little under a year after my original diagnosis. He was wonderful from day one. It all just happened so perfectly. Bryan loves kids but told me that if he were to ever have any he wanted to adopt. He felt this way regardless of my situation. "There are too many children in the world who need a good home" is what he said to me. And as far as me being sick, Bryan didn't bat an eye at that either. From the beginning I suffered from high fevers, kidney infections, horrible pain. Bryan responded by taking care of me, cooking me healthy food, making tea and renting movies. I never imagined that I would find the man of my dreams but I did! And the funny thing is I was at the end of my ropes when he arrived, he was a gift from God.

But wait, there's more. My knight in shining armor has watched my battle with cancer and he decided to start a business that would donate to various cancer charities. Bryan saw how frustrated I got when I couldn't find charities for Cervical Cancer. So he decided that we would start Get The Bean and that we would allow people touched by cancer to tell us what charity they wanted to support. Could this guy be anymore wonderful???

December 5 has another meaning to me....its my dear friend Jessica's birthday. Jessica is 30 today! Happy Birthday dear friend :)

Okay thats it :) And.....if you haven't heard about my new project, Spirit Jump, please check it out. Its a project I started that matches people who want to give with those touched by cancer who need their spirits lifted! Click HERE to read more.

UPDATE: I am in need of a gift for a 17 year old girl who is currently fighting AML and recently had a bone marrow transplant. If anyone out there has a good idea or wants to donate please email me megse5@netscape.net

Giving Gifts Warms The Heart

Wow I can't tell you how happy I am with the great response I received regarding my gift project! So many emails from people who want to give and many from those who are in need of a bright moment during their dark battles. This is just wonderful!

This idea came to me after Kelley emailed me to let me know her card blog, Amy's Angels, was up and running. Kelley had emailed me about a month ago wanting to do something for the many people fighting cancer. She, along with some other wonderful ladies including Tracy got it all together and now their project is up and running. I have another bloggy friend, Angie, who hand makes boxes to give to men and woman fighting cancer. Angie also created a blog dedicated to this called Nana's box. These women inspire me!

After looking at Kelley's card site, Amy's Angels, I started looking around at other bloggers. As usual I ended looking at lots of beautiful crafts handmade by so many of my bloggy friends. Then it came to me! If everyone donated just one of their items to a person who is suffering it would make the world of difference. An act of kindness from a complete stranger, how wonderful.

Now, I know times are tough, we are all feeling the pinch, so I came up with a solution. If you donate something to a person fighting cancer I welcome, encourage, you to write a guest post for my blog. In this guest post you can write about your blog or website. You can include pictures, links whatever (Hello...great advertising) I would love for you to include a bit about why you decided to donate and what you made. One of my bloggy crafters suggested having the person who got the gift take a picture with the gift, GREAT IDEA! This will get you great exposure and encourage others to give. Also, I have a link under Resources that lists all the shops that have donated and obviously it goes directly to your site!

I notice that many of you do giveaways and this is a wonderful way to get some exposure but I think this gift project is even better! Let me know what you think if you want to participate please email me @ megse5@netscape.net. If you don't have a shop but still want to donate, WONDERFUL!! Even a hand made card by your child would really make someones day, week, month or even year!

If you are someone who could use a pick me up I encourage you to email me too. If you know someone who is in need contact me!

Cards By Amy's Angels

This is a GREAT site dedicated to bringing hope, joy and encouragement to those fighting cancer. If you know someone who has been diagnosed with cancer you absolutely have to read this blog and take advantage of a great opportunity. I have asked Kelley, the creator, to tell you about her project and blog. Please take a minute to read what she wrote, you will be happy you did

When I began blogging, never in my life did I think that I’d be asked to write a guest post on a blog that I read on a regular basis! Thank you, Meaghan, for letting me be a part of your blog. This is very exciting! Now I really have to be on my best behavior.

If you knew me, you’d know that I’m a person who is notorious for starting a project, but never finishing it. If you looked at the basket next to my couch you’d see half crocheted scarves & partially completed cross stitch projects. In fact, right now, in my dining room are 4 canoe paddles that I need to=2 0personalize for the summer camp I used to work at. I’ve had these paddles for 2 months.

When I decided to start the Cards by Amy’s Angels project, I knew that this was one project that I would for sure see through from start to finish.

What is this card project? Oh. Meaghan’s friends & blog readers—this is probably the coolest thing ever. OK, besides the invention of the DQ Blizzard that uses Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies. But I mean it. This is cool stuff.

You see, my friend Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer last October. Like some people who are diagnosed with cancer—she had no symptoms. No family history. There were no light bulbs going off in the doctor’s head saying “Hey…wait. Could this be cancer?” Nope. None of that. You see, like so many young women (Amy was 33 at the time of diagnosis), when a lump is found they’re told, “Don’t worry, it’s probably nothing. Just a cyst. Or fat.” Just want you want to hear at the doctor’s office. That you have fat boobs.

But Amy’s lump did turn into something. A big Stage 2 Breast Cancer something. A cancer that was es trogen based. A cancer that caused her and her husband of less than a year to make serious decisions about children and future birth control options. After a year of chemo treatments, radiation and all the other side effects that go along with cancer, Amy is now cancer free. Her friends and family feel that Amy got through this because of the knowledge of her doctors, the research that has been done, the support of her friends and family, as well as her faith. One thing that made Amy really feel better wasn’t just the anti-nausea medication or the trip to McDonald’s after chemo.

It was cards in the mail from her friends, family and even people she didn’t know personally. Can you image? Something as simple as a card made Amy's day a little brighter. This is the basis for the Card’s by Amy’s Angels project. We want to send cards to people who are fighting cancer. Not just breast cancer. Any cancer. While the people receiving the cards probably don’t even know us, that’s OK. We just want them to know that we are thinking of them, saying a prayer for them, and are sending them a homemade card to make their day a little brighter.



Yes. That’s right. Handmade cards. I know! The girl who is still working on the same cross stitch project that she started in 1998 is going to make cards. I surprise even myself sometimes.

This is where you come in. If you know someone who is fighting cancer, we want to hear about it. We want you to send us their name, address and how you know them. We then use this information to write a personalized note in the card. We then mail the card out to this person and the chain reaction begins. They get the card, they smile really big, they brag to their friends and family about how you were kind enough to think of them, and that in turn makes you feel good. You then tell your friends and family about our project and soon more requests come into us which starts the process all over again.

Who doesn’t like a little recognition? Come on….you know you do! This is almost as good as getting a big gold star on your math quiz in 5^th grade. But only it’s more personal and more than just your mom knows about it.

So, here is what we need you to do. Pass this onto everyone you know: http://cardsbyamysangels.blogspot.com and tell them about this project. Tell them a bout how these ladies in Minnesota are sending out handmade cards to people with cancer and they’re doing it for free.

Oh. Did I forget to mention that part? Yeah. The cards are free. Anywhere in the world. That’s how we roll.

Look, the bottom line is cancer is a pain in the ass. Not only does it take a physical toll on your body, but an emotional one as well. If a handmade card can make someone’s day a little brighter, don’t you agree that this is the least a friend or family member can do? Because let’s face it, a pan of lasagna is nice, and a ride to chemo is great, but a card—well, that’s just fabulous.

We like fabulous.

I Survived to Be Hounded By Creditors!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN OUR CANCER GIFT PROGRAM



Okay I have been pretty upset about this topic for a while so I decided to blog about it, that usually helps. I had insurance when I got sick. However, my insurance quickly dropped me as soon as they discovered I had cancer. They cried, "Pre-existing condition" as quickly and loudly as they could. I was too busy fighting for my life to start fighting the insurance companies so they won.

What does this mean for me? Well it means I have thousands of dollars worth of medical debt. This debt is a constant reminder of my cancer. It is a constant stress for me as well. How in the world am I going to pay all this debt off? I don't work and certainly don't feel well enough to start working anytime soon. I also get constant harassing phone calls from creditors I can't pay. I've been told by these creditors that just because I had cancer doesn't mean I have the right to avoid my responsibilities...WOW! I'm not sure how they expect me to even begin paying them off.

Last Friday i got a reminder in the mail that I owed one hospital 17k and today I opened a piece of mail saying I owed a different hospital 31k. This brings me to tears! I feel like I fought so hard for my life and now my life consists of feeling sick and owing everyone money. Its seems like all that matters is the money. They don't care that I had no choice, that it was either go to the hospital or die. I don't mean to sound dramatic but sometimes I wonder if it was all worth it!?!

I'm shocked at how cold and calculating our medical system can be. Im devastated that my energy and drive must be directed at fighting these credit companies. And it saddens me to think of the thousands of other cancer patients who must battle cancer and creditors!

I'm at a loss for words and ideas. Not sure how to deal with this right now so if anyone has ideas, suggestions or advice I would greatly appreciate it!

Its The Season of Giving...So Here is my Plan

I've been talking to so many cancer survivors, patients and the newly diagnosed. Its not easy being us, the understatement of the year! Many of my memories have been flooding back and they are not ones I welcome with open arms. The past two years have been filled with pain, sorrow and loss. Fighting cancer is painful, draining and never ending. So I came up with an idea!

As I visit all my bloggy friends I notice that almost everyone has one form of talent. Be it beautiful jewelry, knitted items, cards, photos, paintings, all sorts of wonderful things. There are also many cancer patients and survivors who could use a present to lift their spirits. If you would like to donate something I will be happy to provide you with a very special someone who could use the surprise. So many wonderful men and women who are battling cancer or who have survived and still struggle have contacted me. I give my words of advice, my ear of understand and my heart full of love but due to the financial disaster cancer has left me in I can't send them all gifts.

I remember when I was sick at first people were sending me all sorts of stuff. It was wonderful but i remember thinking, they will forget about me soon. But, they didn't. Everyday I had treatments and when i would get back to my room or house (if I was luck enough to be out of the hospital) I would be met with a little package. This always brightened my day and took my mind off my terrible situation, even if for just a moment. I got something literally everyday. Whether a card, lotion, cds, necklace not one day went by without a reminder that I was loved! I cherish all the things I got then. Wear three charms on my necklace that were given to me. All these things gave me strength, they still do! They reminded me that I am loved and if I didn't beat it I would be remembered.

If you would be interested in giving please email me megse5@netscape.net and I will set you up with a person who would be beyond grateful for the gift.

Let me know what you think and if you are someone who is battling cancer, survivor, or know someone who is touched by cancer please email me. We all need to fight the battle and support those who are fighting!

I am going to include a category under Resources with the names of the shops that did give and a link to their shop. I will also write a post about your shop and your donation with a picture of what you donated. So you will get great exposure and being doing something wonderful for a person who really needs it! Win Win!!