Support this effort: Aid for Aidan

Have you heard this story? Five-year-old Aidan is going through treatment for leukemia. He also loves all things monster. To offset some of the costs of ongoing treatment, his family prints and sells his drawings on Etsy. What an amazing kid! Every blog and Facebook update shows him with a huge smile on his face as he endures so much. Learn about his story here and here. And check out his artwork here. 

Keeping up the good work!

On Friday, I took one bizarre trip to Kellogg Cancer Center. I left with just one tiny vein poke, NO nausea, and a 3-month stamp of approval. My blood work showed that everything is in (nearly) working order. My white blood cells are not quite as strong as they should be, but they're on their way back. And every sneezing, nose-picking two-year old I encounter helps the cause.

GOOOO REMISSION!

New Updates to Health Care Reform!

On September 23, new legislation brought better assurance of coverage to Americans including young adults-an overwhelmingly under/uninsured population. Kairol Rosenthal's Everything Changes blog covers the key details here.

Imerman's Angels Benefit

Fantastic organization + Amazing clothes + Lush urban setting =

Forget-Me-Not

At three and half months out of chemo, it's probably safe to say that the drugs have, for the most part, evacuated my body. My eyebrows are back, I've got serious energy and The Hair Tracker is in full swing. While the hideous side effects of six months of treatment will never be forgotten, hopping back into "real life" has displaced them from their usual position at the top of my list of things to obsess over. So I've occasionally been surprised by some of the minor but to-be-expected results:

Age spots Really?  Thanks a lot, chemotherapy. Time to bust out the exfoliator and start caring what Retinol is.

Peripheral Neuropathy The tiny shock that spontaneously occurs in my feet never gets old.

Heartburn Not even comparable to during treatment, but still happens occasionally.

Yes, that's correct. Three and a half months out of treatment!

Dance Power! Yeah!

After a long hiatus from self-centered posting, let's talk about me. Today I began my sixth season at Zephyr Dance. While the beginning of each consecutive year leaves me marveling that I am yet another year out of college, entering number six feels truly commemorative. For several months I've wondered how I would fare through a busy teaching and rehearsal schedule without vicious invaders messing with my energy level. Here's my opportunity to test that theory. In fact, I'm so eager to prove I'm right that I agreed to teach on Friday nights this year. I'll need that reminder as I trudge through inbound traffic this winter...

I can only hope that as I round the corner on season 7 I'll be up for this:

Another great article link

On one of my new go-to blogs (NOT the wedding kind), I discovered a link to an article by Vanity Fair contributor Christopher Hitchens that details his personal travels through cancer treatment. It contains a perfect balance of clarity and flourish that makes me keep going back to read it.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/09/hitchens-201009