just another friday......

So im getting ready right now to head up to Seattle with some of my friends...we are goin to meet the local news station by Pikes Place Mkt.  We are bringin some PBJs, muffins and various other supplies to hand out on the streets of seattle.  I cant believe this is a foreign concept to SOOOooo many ppl...hangin out w friends/helping ppl/shopping/great coffee & food...enjoying the outdoors...this is the life. (!!)

One of my best friends Larry was SOOO great n suprised me w an ANTHROPOLOGIE gift card!!!!  CANT WAIT!!!! Boy do I love my life right now!!! ;o))) for a million and one reasons......

most ppl would think that having brain cancer would completely ruin their life and destroy their dreams.  this cannot be further from the truth.  If u wanna do something DO it!! why wait??!!!! LIVE LIVE TO THE FULLEST!!!! everyday. w NO excuses. or regrets. tomorrow is promised to NO ONE.

im out.

YAAAYY :D!!!!! read on...and on.....an onnnnnnn :o/ wow.

hello there...Just put my blog posts in sequential order for ya....

BOY i wish i was in bed right now....so today was day 10 (the day my hair could start falling out-and....actually....the top of my head feels a little funny...im thinkin its a sunburn ;o)) hahaa. yea. definitely a sunburn.  still NO sign of any symptoms at all...u know the most CRAZY thing???!!! i actually feel like this radiation is helping me. (!!) seriously. i kiiiiiiiiiinda feel "guilty" that i feel soooo great (and energizer-bunny like) wow i have so much i wanna write about right now... :O((( but my back hurts SOOOOOOOOOOOO bad and i just want to lay down :O((((( UGH.  

so i've had THE dryest mouth ever lately too. just cant seem to drink enough water (however, it seems as tho the NW has mistaken itself for the desert in recent days)...anyway-the mouth is rather annoying (esp having to pee every 15min.(!)... i guess one of the "hardest" things has been getting up--ie: out of a chair/bed/field/sidewalk...hahaaa)  seriously...i think i should invest in a camelpack thingy.........waterbottle....=empty :O(((( grrrrrrr. oh yea-today is the day it feels like ive been hangin upside down esp when i bend over even a little bit...tomorrows "Dr Day" where we take vitals etc n meet w some of my team...they might say it could b my brain swelling...? whatever. im not worried about it :O))

hahaaa--i love the fact that yesterday i consumed no less than SIXTY grams of fat (most in the form of haagen daz...ben and jerrys...strawberry shortcake popsickle :O)) whole milk/chocolate milk...MY PRECIOUS GRANDPA AL'S A-mazing potato salad... :D!!! <3 <3 <3

btw-i need to adjust this playlist too....dont want it to be depressing (at all) bc--IM NOT DEPRESSED :D!!! hahaaa <3

how i WISH i had time/motivation to write about the most amazingest weekend ive had EVER (that i can remember anyway....yea definitely by FAR the best. for a thousand reasons!!! :D!!! see my facebook for a glimpse :O)) oh how i wish u could have laughed as much as i did...!! and i hope u do! :D!! <3

hey-U SHOULD CHECK OUT Dori's Blog (In picture above) !!! (shes 26 and just had a double mastectomy a few wks after she found out (of nowhere) that she has breast cancer :O(((((( and BOY do i love this girl.....shes amazing...AND she starts some ugly ugly chemo in like a wk or somethin...(Oh my...u HAVE to read her blog- ie: most recent (just now read it)...in her words: cancer picked (thought it said "pickled" hahaa :O)) the wrong bitch :D!!! i second that!!!! BAHAHAAAA!!! this is SOOO true...!! i swear it has made me a better person.  True story.  Im pretty positive "the radiation is helping me think better".  well, no one told me that was a potential side effect--so it must be SOME"thing" else.  anyone out there believe in God??...yes, a loaded question....which has most definitely brought much inner turmoil (and 'outer' at many times) in my life....ie: is there really a "God"?? if so, what does it (really) look like to believe in Him?  Who is He?? cause im pretty sure all the amazingness in the world...all the most precise and specific order of things that exists (ie: THE ANIMAL KINGDOM!!! THE HUMAN BODY!!! THE UNIVERSE!!!)  HOW could it all come from nothing? or create itself..? where would "it" have come from??? how could "something" come from nothing?? not interested in arguing or anything...just writing :O)) ANYWAY. must. get. WATER!!! hahaa--waters pretty amazing too!! AND THE OCEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! seriously. WOW.

ok anyway.

met one of the most beautiful souls i've ever met today after my apt.  (am i allowed to say his name??) hmmm...we will just call him "Anthony"....U SHOULD MEET HIM!! anthony is 6' 7'', 24 yrs old  (was given a full ride basketball scholarship in Florida 6yrs ago, also graduated HS w a 3.8) however, he currently lives in seattle & goes to UW!!  He is studying marketing/architecture.  (there is a point to all my details...) Anthony is HILARIOUS, very intelligent, THOUGHTFUL, suuuupper laid back, loves jolly ranchers and has a big container of such things in his thoughtfully decorated home, he actually LISTENS when u/ppl talk to him....however, one of the most fascinating (and dominating) aspects of his character is his unshakable devotion to God....what makes this so remarkable u ask?? maybe the fact that hours bf he was to leave to begin his freshman year in FL, he broke his neck while playing a game at a conference. [speechless] did u know that he spent a solid TWENTY ONE+ MONTHS in the hospital??!!!!!???? thank GOD for mothers/fathers/and friends.....!!!! :o(((( i just had to share that story real quick. btw-they basically said he would never be able to move his limbs...well-they were wrong. and Anthonys gonna walk again. i know it!! <3


much love goes out to my friends (and most AMAZING mom) for making this the best 4 days in a row EVER (in the US anyway ;o)) Mom-for who u are and all u do (and all u put up w from ur "snappy" daughter ;o)) Dad-for sacrificing all u have for the sake of ur family...for moving down to AZ to provide for us (ie: me n mom-hahaaa :O)) You're the best...SOOOO wise, sweet, integrous-is that a word?,  clean ;o)), super duper smart and funny, AND good looking!!! i miss u tho.... :O((( ....to those whose company i enjoyed and treasured immensely: my girl-Heather, my fellow adventure-seeking, music-loving, people-caring,...friend Josh, Allen-hands down, the most observant (yet humble), informative, attentive, giving 22year old i have ever met!, and my new friends Zach and Ben who live in the greatest warehouse ever (yes, a warehouse-renovated that is) w some other awesome ppl.  Zach was so thoughtful to bring his guitar and fresh produce n such :O))

GOSH...bein on the computer makes my eyes (n HEAD) hurt. GRRR...i have SOOO much i need to do!!...like WRITING BACK CHANNEL 4 AND 13 regarding the story they want to do on me/humanitarianism etc.  CANT WAIT!!! just hope my "heart"/vision is represented honestly/accurately and all (and that i dont say something stupid/not make sense/talk too much :o/ i can get a little excited ;o))...oh how i LOVE bringing awareness to people/society.  (ie: regarding cancer/radiation/poverty/LOVE......... yay yay yay) and that is why im SOOOOO excited :D!!! seriously...i dont even watch the news cause its so TERRIBLE the things ppl go thru and the way humans behave towards eachother...its just too much to watch for me....would rather go out and experience it w them...afterall, LOVE IS ALL U NEED! (seriously this is so true) well, on that note, i think im done on here for the night :O)) more pics to come...or see fb <3 <3 <3

Picnic in the Park :O))

So just for a lil update...today is day 6! (of radiation therapy)  Honestly, the most challenging thing has been this cold i came down with last weekend.  i've been frustrated w not being able to do everything i want and need to do-- ie: cooking super healthy meals...reading/researching and responding to emails and calls efficiently.......wow-im boring myself just writing this :o/ hahaaa!

ANYWAY.  treatment is going just fine.  UWMC IS THE BEST EVER AND I LOVE ALLLLL THE STAFF THERE!!!!!!!!! :D!! gosh i need to post some pics so u can get an idea of what it's like---gonna take a video today n ill try to get that up asap...may take a while :o/ just amazed at how *quick* the treatment takes!! I'm basically in and out in FIFTEEN minutes!! (w only a few minutes under the "beam"!)  it's crazy.

i almost freaked out yesterday when i thought my hair was falling out *already* but later realized it was only due to the fact that i raced out of the house w/o my hair done...so i should have a few wks left to enjoy my hair :O))  and really i havent felt any different at all (aside from my cold) AND i've been waking up super early! as in before my alarm!! (which if u know anything about me, that is unheard of)

But yea-everything has been GREAT...happy happy! :O))  Been doin some super fun stuff and hanging out with people i LOVE-my dad came into town over the weekend, had a lovely picnic in the park with some fabulous ppl....it was amazing....

so today is my "doctor day" where i meet w Dr. Rockhill and he goes over stuff--not much to go over i feel like at this point because i have no real symptoms to discuss...but yea...should be fun (and by fun i meet good food afterwards...w friends...in SEATTLE...in the SUMMER :O)) <3
well-just tried uploading a bunch more pics...will have to figure it out later...peace.

ps-that [scented] thing under my nose was an attempt at distracting me from "the smell" that occurs when they deliver the radiation ....so attractive :O) (and that mask is screwed into the table ensuring that my head is in the exact same position day after day) ....ok im done-this is giving me a headache.

Mon, 08/09/2010 DAY 5--lovely.

Greetings!

Ok so this is my 1st post actually on this blog...the others i copied from fb just to save time.  This blog totally isnt anywhere near where i would want it to be for having ppl read it...oh well.

Started this mostly for myself, as typing seems to be faster and more efficient form of journaling.

So, today was actually my 1st official day of radiation!  If u havent read any previous posts...i was diagnosed w brain cancer when i was 22 (im 24 now) and had 2 brain surgeries in 2/2008 and 12/2008...i have a grade 2 oligoastrocytoma (making up about only 2% of all brain tumors)  Currently, i am being seen at one of the BEST medical facilities specializing in brain cancer research etc w (literally) the most amazing team of docs one could hope for! I'm at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA (tho i live in Tacoma, WA).  My NeuroOnc is Dr. Marc Chamberlain (Neurosurgeon-Dr. Silberguild :O)) and my new Radiologist is Dr. Rockhill!  Didnt have the greatest experience at Tacoma General Hospital w Dr. Harris as my surgeon...may go into all the history at a later time or if anyone is interested :O))

So my last scheduled day of radiation (traditional Radn, using 4 "beams" ..on basically the whole front half of my brain) is Sept 9...they say my hair will start "hurting" next wk and then fall out...which doesnt really bother me that much--just as long as it grows back!! (i think it will)...  Major symptoms is fatigue, headaches, and change in appetite.  my "brain cancer treatment 101" post goes into more of these details...just wanted to say a quick hello on day #1!! only 27 more to go! piece of cake ;o)) feelin good...happy...looking forward to the future!! so much i could say...just came down w a cold over the weekend n definately need to get some sleep!!

pics to come...