Check it out!

I am doing some charity sports events this year.  Two are breast-cancer related, one is for Multiple Sclerosis.  I have added one of the links to my Breast Cancer Three Day Walk that will take place in Chicago in August of this year.  The link is to the right.

I will also do the MS150 in September for Multiple Sclerosis. This will be about 150 miles. I am also doing a four-day breast cancer ride in October.  This will be from Hershey, PA to NYC!  It will be approximately 220 miles.  I have lots of training to do and I love it!

Please check out the link.  I will update the blog with the other two links once I get the sites personalized.  Please note, I am not expecting anyone to make donations or anything.  I just want you all to see that this is what living with cancer can look like.  

Cancer is a nasty disease, but I fully believe my health is being restored through all of the surgeries and treatments that we have done.  I work out to create an optimal environment for my body to continue to heal.  I do the races to raise awareness for how things can change for the future...and to empower myself in the fight to make change for others.

Blessings,

Lolo

Gettin' skinny!

One more thing about pH balance.  If you work on these principals (listed in the posts below), you will most likely start to lose weight and keep it off!  I will talk about exercise in another post, but I wanted to mention this point.  "Skinny B*@ch" is a very funny book that is a bestseller and outlines thoughtful eating.  Please note, the authors of this book do curse and they are extreme in their approach.  Remember, I said I take a little of this and a little of that in defining my approach...but I think reading the extremists is part of that process.  I am currently reading the book and will keep you posted on the high points.  

However, if you are in a bookstore, you may want to skim the book and see what you think!  Or get it from the library at some point.  It is pretty popular right now.

Gettin' skinny can be a motivator to gettin' healthy...and that is okay!

Lolo

pH questions

Della asked where you can get tested for pH levels and where you can get the suplements I suggest?  BTW, Della was my neighbor growing up...please say hello to JJ and Crystal!

What I recommend is going to the nearest organic food store and talk to someone about their products.  For me, the store I love is Whole Foods.  Most of the people who work for these stores are extremely thoughtful people who believe in their products.  I just talk to the people working in the store to figure out what they recommend and use.  That being said, there are several pH balance products out there and it can be confusing...so do your own research before you go to a store.  I always do this so I can judge what the salespeople are telling me, and if I am not ready to buy, I don't.  These stores usually let you bring a product back if it doesn't work.  This  may not apply to supplements, but why not ask?  You would be surprised at what you can return.

All that being said, check out the website www.ph-ion.com.  They have books and products that are really helpful.  Don't feel like you need to purchase from them.  You can get pH strips from them to test for acidity, however, the supplement I buy at Whole Foods has strips included in them!  Very convenient.  I buy "pH basic" and I take 2 to 4 pills a day.  I also take "Green Vibrance" daily which is a greens supplement.  This is so if I don't get enough alkalinity in my foods, the supplement will keep me in balance.  YOU DO NOT NEED to buy the exact supplements I do...these are just ideas.  There are many good products out there and organic food stores are extremely thoughtful.  If you believe in the store's philosophy, then try to trust them.  You have to trust someone every once in a while.  I know it is hard as I am true skeptic.

I also have altered my diet considerably.  So what does that mean?What you need to have in your diet is exactly what everyone has told you your whole life...whole foods!  Shopping the perimeter of the store where veggies and fruits and meats are placed is a very smart thing to do.  Unfortunately, many of the processed foods that we eat are acidic.  I know this now so I make sure to take my PH supplements and drink the greens supplement to stay alkaline.   I also avoid white bread altogether...and eat 100% whole wheat.  I try to avoid any breads with "enriched flour".  This is as bad for your body as eating sugar.

I have listed some good books at the top of the blog...to the right.  I think Dr. Graf's book is very easy to read and extremely helpful.  She is a dermatologist so she sought out knowledge in relation to the skin.  But remember, the skin is an organ that is affected by what is in our body.  She learned that digestion and immunity issues are linked to the skin.  www.ph-ion.com also has some great books on their site so take a look at the site.  These books will outline alkaline foods and acidic foods.  But, try to keep it simple and remember it is pH "balance".  If you mess up with some acidic things, it won't kill you.  Just add things that make sense, that work for your life.  Don't dump everything in  your fridge, just start educating yourself.  I started with adding one supplement at a time.  First it was pH balance for a couple of weeks, then I researched a greens supplement, then I started juicing.  More on juicing later.

Some great first steps are to drink mainly water and avoid processed sugar.  If you need caffeine, try tea.  Coffee is pretty acidic, yet if you need it...then just try to avoid acidity in other aspects of your diet.  Unfortunately, this means that reading your labels will be a MUST.  If a label says "sugar" or "enriched flour" in the first FIVE ingredients listed...you my want to consider weaning yourself from this product.  Remember, just because something tastes good...doesn't mean it is good for you.  It will be hard at first.  You will crave the things you dumped, that is how our body works.  But, over time you will FEEL better and you will crave the things that are healthy for you.  Replace the short-term reward of something tasting good with the long-term aspect of FEELING good.  Your taste buds will adjust, trust me.

Please remember, I don't suggest anything that I haven't already done myself.  I have weaned myself from diet dr. pepper and aspartame recently, a nearly impossible task!  I have added nuts to my diet.  I have added the supplements I suggest.  I don't eat processed sugar...or if I do, it is only to be polite at family events.:)  And, I don't eat enriched flour.  

Okay, it is hard to address acidity in one post, but I have written three posts about it and will continue. The truth is it will take three to six weeks to truly alter yourself to an alkaline balance and you will have to keep it in balance continually.  But, you will get there and you will feel KILLER GOOD!  Please let me know if this clarifies things...

Blessings,

Lolo

In Treatment.

So, this is what my weekly treatments look like.  Sometimes Jack comes with me, sometimes friends come with me, sometimes family.  Morgan is mostly in school during treatment time, but she has made friends with all the nurses in the past.  Michael is mostly at work at these times.  I like to preserve his appearances for PET/CT scans and MUGA scans.  He is my good luck charm.

When I first got diagnosed, my oncologist recommended that I get a port-a-catheter.  Because I have had multiple infusions and chemotherapy can be damaging to smaller veins, a port can help nurses and physicians access the larger, central vein, and streamline treatments.  My current infusions range from 45 to two hours, depending upon the  medicine they are infusing.  I get both Herceptin every week and Avastin every other week.  These are my wonder-drugs.

Our good friend, Phil, brought his really great camera and took some pix of Jack and me at treatment so that you could see what it is like.  Like anyone else living with a medical issue, it is just a part of life.  Very doable.

More about my wonder-drugs and the chemistry of the drugs in future blogs!

Blessings, 

Lolo

More acid vs. alkaline stuff...and oxygen!

A lot of what I have learned about fighting cancer was obtained from the VERY FREE web site listed at the right.   It is called www.cancer-prevention.net.  They list 11 theories or approaches to fighting and/or preventing cancer that are very natural ways to prevent cancer.  As I have mentioned before, these theories also help to bolster your immune system, help with digestion and make your skin look killer-good!  It all relates...if you get your cells fixed, then you get everything working appropriately.

I also think the book by Kris Carr, called Crazy Sexy Cancer is exceptional.  Beware, she is a vegetarian!  She may challenge your approach to living, as she did mine.  But,  I welcome that!  Although, I do like to partake in a little chicken and salmon, I think there is much to be learned from studying the vegetarian lifestyle.  She had a very rare cancer and was able to put herself into remission by eating whole foods and juicing a lot of her veggies.  I mean, she was STAGE 4, like me...doctors basically told her there was no hope and she found her own hope!  

Vegetarians have a lot of thoughtful principals at heart.  This is not to say that you need to buy a juicer and start juicing.  For those of us who have cancer, some of us have bought juicers and believe in adding juicing veggies to our lives.  However, I will tell you that I take a little of this theory and a little of that theory.  

I know that I have really great meds that help to fight the cancer cells that want to produce tumors in  me, but I take Green Vibrance twice a day, when the regimen says once a day.  I take pH balance, two pills a night, and a test my pH balance once a week to make sure I am still alkaline.  I am neurotic.  I could test it every day.  

I also exercise a lot.  Why do I do that?  Well, part of it is for vanity because I am just like the rest of the world...I look to feel that I look good.  But, 90% percent of it is because I want to oxygenate my body.  Now you don't need to cycle like I do four days a week, but if you spent 20 to 30 minutes a day just walking the dog or walking on the treadmill...you would notice a huge difference in how you feel.  Your body would be happy.  You would be more"regular" and your body would be able to detox a little better!  Your skin would look better.  You might even glow!

The truth is that oxygenation at the cellular level does help with digestion, immunity and the skin.  Everything is linked!  It is sort of simple, however, it is very difficult to adapt everyone in the house to this lifestyle.  I am the only guinea pig in our house at this point, but I have become alkaline over time so I am working on getting Mo and Jack to take these green veggies that I have for them.  My sis has a vegetarian household and she gets her littlest one to drink a green juice that is very good for him!

Like I said there is much to be learned from the vegetarian lifestyle.  Legumes, nuts,  eggs, etc.   if you have trouble digesting beans, don't let that stop you.  Take beano!  Beans are great for you, an excellent source of protein so please consider them.

Three snacks to consider:

1.  Boil 6 eggs and keep them in your fridge.  Use the hard-boiled eggs for munchies.  I read that Heidi Klum does this (she mostly eats the egg whites to avoid the fats from the yoke) and look how hot she is! I try to keep 6 eggs in my fridge, but I love hard-boiled egs.  2. Add nuts to your diet...pistachios, peanuts, almonds. Nuts are alkalanizing!  They have some fat, but you have to eat some fat in your diet.   I put a snack bag in my purse every day.  3.  Consider stocking your desk at work with Snickers protein bars instead of snickers.  I understand that protein bars aren't always the best for you...but they are better than the candy bar!  This is especially true after a workout.  Always try to eat protein within thirty minutes after a workout.  Your body wants protein...if it can't have that, you will start craving sugar as a substitute.

You don't need to be an expert to start changing your diet so GO FOR IT!  Believe in the little things you can do!  Believe in the restorative power of your body and your mind!

God bless,

Lolo

Orange juice, good or bad?

Okay, so I keep hearing that you all like the pictures, so I will put pictures of my family up!  Here is another picture of Morgan and me.

My friend, Kerri, asked some very good questions on one of her comments.  She said," When you said that cancer thrives in an acidic environment, does that mean that we shouldn't eat acidic foods like oranges?  You also said that cancer can't live in an oxygenated environment.  How much exercise is enough to ensure our bodies are oxygenated?"

First of all, I want to say that pH balance is a very complicated subject.  I have read various books on PH balance and I can tell you that some of them vary based on theories.  The pH balance does not pertain to whether it is acidic before it enters your body, but rather what your body does with it. 

For instance, Dr. Jeanine Graf wrote a book called "stop aging, start living".  She addresses pH balance in her book quite a bit.  This is a very good book to read because she explains the importance of pH balance..and she outlines foods that are alkalanizing, of which ORANGES is one.  She says" Here is where things get confusing for most people.  Some foods that are acidic-tasting(lemons, for example) are actually alkalinizing inside the body.  Some foods that are alkaline outside the body are acid-producing in the body."

Without going into a Chemistry 101 session...which believe me, I would love to do, the Acid-Alkaline balance is not about how things taste, rather it is about how our bodies process food.  I want to explain that pH balance relates to EVERYTHING in our bodies.  Skin, digestion and various auto-immune issues are affected by the pH balance.  Our stomachs can handle quite a bit of acid and use acid to break down and process our foods.  Putting an acidic food in your body is not necessarily a bad thing.  But it is bad when things get out of whack, when the majority of food we put in our bodies produces an acidic environment in our bodies on the cellular level.

So, what does this mean?  I will suggest some books for you to consider.  As I am not a medical professional or a chemist (except for maybe in my dreams), I can not explain things as well as they do.  In the short term, I will tell you what I do.  On a daily basis, I drink DanActive..which is packed with probiotic nutrients to help alkalanize the digestive system and help you become regular!  Very important.  The better your body processes food and gets it OUT of you, the less toxins you will have remaining in your body that might affect your skin or your immune system. 

As Dr. Graf says, the "digestive system, immune system and the skin are all closely linked."  If you are not digesting foods in a timely fashion, think about what that will do to your body.  Will it make your skin break out to get rid of the excess toxins?  Or will it deplete your immune system, making it acidic on a continual basis?  Your stomach is filled with good bacteria and bad bacteria.  These probiotic yogurt drinks are easy to chug and help you get rid of the bad bacteria and keep the good bacteria.  This is a good first step to make.

Other things I do.  I have read books about pH balance.  I will list the really good books to the right.  I also drink a "greens" solution daily.  I use "Green Vibrance" which I get from Whole Foods.  What does this do?  It is filled with 25 billion probiotics each dose.  It is a restorative, concentrated super food!  WOW, right?  What this really means is that it is like taking a vitamin that is sourced from foods.  I would like to tell you that the food you eat is filled with all the right vitamins, but it isn't.

Most of our processed food is acidic in nature.  I am not sure I can really explain this in one blog, but by taking a supplement that is packed with greens and using a probiotic to help with your digestion...your will help you body so much.  I also use a pH supplement called pH balance.  This supplement has pH strips (aka litmus paper) in it and I tested all of my family...from Jack to Michael.  When we are born, we are alkaline and when we die..we are most likely acidic.  So it is no surprise that Jack was alkaline.  He is four, my youngest.  The rest of us, being Morgan, Michael and me were all acidic.  Over the past three months, I have moved myself to Alkaline status.  This helps me ensure that cancer will not grow in my body any more.

I need to go give the kids a bath, but I will answer the oxygen question when I get back from the baths!

With love,

Lolo

Am having trouble...

attaching the story "Someone Else's Disease", but I will create a link to it tonight and add it to the blog!  I talk about the story in the post below.

I also promised two posts, one about  my meds and another about breast cancer.  I will work on this too.

Thanks for reading!

Lolo

The bike and me!

So, here is a picture of Jack and me last year at the MS150.  I had just finished about 81 miles the first day.  Jack was not very cooperative with taking pictures...he and my family and extended family were all there waiting for me for a while.

I did this ride just 5 or 6 weeks after a surgery on my lungs.  I am not telling you this to brag.  In truth, I am really hard on myself.  I wanted to finish the whole thing.  I did the whole ride on the first day and did about 35 miles the next day.  My lungs were still healing and I was still trying to gain strength.

I am only showing you this so you can see what YOU can do with exercise and nutrition.  The surgery was elective on Michael and my part, but we decided early on to be aggressive.  There were two small spots  on my lungs that we had removed.  They were in a hard-to-reach place on the lungs...so the surgery was more extensive.

Regardless, my training for the MS150 before the surgery helped me recover in the hospital.  I had a great surgeon.  He was very encouraging and always reminded me that I needed to get up and out of bed...so that I could heal and get on  my bike.  So, I did just that.  I got up and out of the hospital bed and had my VERY SWEET nurses tape my chest tube and catheter tubes to the epidural cart.  I did laps around the hospital.  Fifteen laps equalled a mile so I would do two miles every day...or 30 laps.

I did it mostly to feel empowered by my experience.  I wanted to feel in control and occupy my mind.  The worst part about my cancer has been the stints of time away from my kids.  I can take anything, but I hate being away from my kids.  My husband is so supportive and we have always worked with family to make sure the process of taking care of the kids is streamlined from their perspective.  However, it was still hard...so I walked and walked and walked.

My training helped me heal and get out of that place after a week, instead of two!  Getting back on the bike was hard, but I did it.  The first ride was five miles.  That was all I could do...before the surgery, I was riding about 30 miles a ride.  I am attaching a short story I submitted for consideration at a magazine.  It is called Someone Else's Disease.  It is about the ride.  I am not going to send it anywhere else for publication...though excerpts may be included in my book.  I just want to share it with you.

I will be published this year, but not on this story.  I will write more about that later because it was a story revealing how my children have dealt with my cancer.  The emotional journey is just as critical as the physical healing that takes place.  Feeling the pain is an important part of letting go of the pain.

Blessings,

Lolo

Did you know....

that books on cancer awareness and prevention are not only for survivors, but for people who don't have cancer...like YOU. :)  I realized this when I got diagnosed.  I purchased every book I could get my hands on...and I bought them so I could take notes in the margins and ask questions to my physicians.  What I realized when I made these purchases was that I should have considered getting my hands on this information prior to diagnosis.  Don't get me wrong...not even my physicians know why I got breast cancer.  There are many genetic and environmental factors that come into play in order for cancer to happen.  I don't regret not having those books, I just want to share this insight with you.

I just wanted to share this bit of information with you.  Understanding cancer will only bolster your knowledge about your general health.  Chronic inflammation is a major contributor to cancer and it also contributes to many other auto-immune disorders (e.g.rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, etc.)  So educating yourself on cancer, which is projected to directly affect 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women over a lifetime, is not a bad idea.  It will only help you understand optimal health for your body.  (Those figures are based on the American Cancer Society.)

I am not trying to scare you because there is nothing to be afraid of...awareness can lead to prevention and/or early detection.  That is my hope for all of you.  Some books to consider are "Dr.  Susan Love's Breast Book" by Susan Love and "It's Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong.  "YOU, the Owner's Manual" by Mehmet Oz is a wonderful book.  It is funny and interesting.  All of these books provide awareness information about general health and cancer-related issues in easy-to-read formats.  Check them out from the library, if you wish.

Just consider being a part of the process.  Michael and I both feel the main thing that has changed my Stage IV status to a chronic condition, from that of a life-threatening condition, is that I decided I was a part of my medical team from the beginning.  I had a good primary care physician, and good ob/gyn.  Both of them led me to great physicians when I needed more care, but both Michael and I took part in this process.  We even made our second-opinion oncologist our ONLY oncologist because he had the same mind-set as we did.  Be aggressive and gain actual knowledge of what is going on in your body.  So we did full-body scans from the beginning and we do them every three months still.

Don't just hang your hat on statistics...if I had only believed in stats, then my story would be very different right now.  I had a small primary tumor that was projected to have no additional growth in my body.  But projections on data mean nothing when it comes to assessing the life of a person.  We pressed on to get accurate information and found out about a small tumor on my liver so that we could treat it IMMEDIATELY.  It was a bummer, don't get me wrong.  But having that information is one of the many steps that saved my life. 

Even though I am math nerd, I realized early on that I am not a number.  I hope you believe the same about yourself...and find your role on your medical team.  Empower yourself with education and knowledge.  If you don't like your doctor, consider another one.  Find one that will listen to you.  There are numerous great doctors out there who want Smart Patients!

Alright, enough for now.  Posts that are on the horizon..."My wonderdrugs and me" and "What's so special about breast cancer?"

Have a wonderful day!

Lolo

Feedback!

Hello friends!

Here is a picture of Michael and Jack, watching the dolphin show at the Shedd Aquarium. Jack is a mini version of his dad...I am sure you can tell.:)

I have already received emails and comments on the web-site. Thanks so much for doing that, it helps me know there is a need for the information that I am providing. I aim to have a 100% purposeful existence and use my experience to help others better their own health.

Please feel free to give me any comments or questions that you have. I appreciate anyone's willingness to post on the blog...because there are no stupid questions. I will continue to push forward with providing basic information about my cancer and treatments so that it might translate to your lives, but please feel free to ASK, ASK, ASK!

Blessings, Lolo

Do I look sick?

Hello friends and family,

Just wanted to send you a brief post with a picture of Morgan and me. We are at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. We had a wonderful vacation with Michael and Jack. I will post a picture of the boys tomorrow.

I thought this picture was particularly telling because it shows Morgan and me, just being ourselves. We love each other. Truly love each other. I feel blessed to have this child. I also feel blessed to have Michael and to have Jack.

This perspective is a gift that cancer has given me. It is not that I didn't appreciate my loved ones before I got diagnosed, but the honestly that arises through disease is amazing. We know the gift of life and we fully believe that I am healing from this disease....on the mend. We hope you can believe this, too.

I have spent my three years since diagnosis working on myself. I have researched causes of cancer and what I can do beyond the general medication that I get from my medical team. The truth is that the meds I take have assisted in purging cancer from my body and staving off new growth. I am fortunate to have gotten a cancer that has received so much media attention and funding over the past 20 to 30 years.

However, I have done many things to deal with the causes. I have altered my nutrition to include acid-alkaline theories of the body. (Cancer survives in an acid environment, it can not survive in an alkaline environment...so this is my on-going goal.) I quit my job to reduce stress and I just work on our home and develop our family and try to get our kids involved at our church.

I am also writing a book and have sold at least one short story at this point. I have created a breast cancer awareness campaign. And, I work out like a fiend because cancer can not survive in an oxygenated environment. Working out increases oxygen intake at the cellular level. I cycle four days a week and am registered to ride in 2 bike rides this year..one is the MS150, the other is a 220 mile bike ride to benefit young breast cancer survivors.

All of these things empower me as a survivor, help me to find my wings in a situation that can be overwhelming to most. I am fully aware of what is going on in my body...even at the cellular level. I know where I have had tumors and how SMALL they have been. They are small, not large. They have not ravaged my body, but have been limited to small-scale growth....they are a nuisance, not a limitation to life.

I will have more detailed information about my specific tumors that I have dealt with in the future. But, for now, please know my health is considered STABLE by my VERY informed physicians! I do think about cancer every day, but in a very positive fashion. I am happy that we caught it when we did, that we got the meds we needed and that I am alive and well.

I get to fly kites with my kids and really enjoy it! I live IN THE MOMENT every day. I am a happy soul. All is well in the Plunkett house.

Blessings,

Lolo

What is cancer?

Cancer is a pretty complicated subject. I am sure most of you realize this. But, I am going to start with the basics to help you understand what has happened to me and to others. So, here it goes...

According to wikipedia, Cancer is "a class of diseases in which a group of cells display the traits of uncontrolled growth (growth and division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood)."

What does that mean? One of the most informative books I have, "Beating Cancer With Nutrition" breaks down the meaning of this wretched disease. The Authors, Patrick Quillen and Noreen Quillen, say that cancer is " a mistake cell that is growing wildly out of control". They compare cancer cells to the movie "Predator" with Arnold Schwarzeneggar. Though I am not a huge fan of his movies, I love this comparison because anyone can relate.

So, I will paint the picture for you. The predator in the movie wore a protective shield that allowed it to mimic its current environment, thus, making it difficult to destroy. Cancer is similar, it can mimic our body chemistry at the cellular level. It can confuse the immune system into thinking it is a normal cell and the body can then allow the cells to grow into a tumor.

There are many theories about cancer, one of which that makes sense to me is the "surveillance theory". The Quillens explain the theory, which says that cancer cells, or mistake cells, show up in our body on a regular basis. DNA replication and cell growth happens multiple times over during the day. A normal immune system will keep the good cells and destroy the bad cells. There are several ways that our bodies can and DO destroy these bad cells all of the time. Our bodies are self-healing mechanisms.

For those of us who actually develop tumors in our bodies, something went wrong with our immune system. It was not able to stop the division and replication of bad cells before they grew out of control.

Once, tumors develop and cancer is identified, there are several ways to treat cancer and help restore the body's immune system. It can be done, but it does take time. That is what I am working on now. I will talk more about these methods in future blogs.

For now, I am sure I have given you a lot to chew on..so let me know what questions you have.

Lolo

Vacation!

The Plunketts are on vacation from March 16th through March 21st..in Chicago!
We hope you had a great spring break, too!

Blessings,
Lolo

Jack!

So, my little boy turned four the other day, March 10th. His first birthday was surrounded by such chaos and turmoil because I was newly diagnosed with breast cancer. We were catapulted from the healthy sector of society to the unhealthy...without any choice. But, knowledge is power...and in my case, life-saving!

I am always sentimental around his birthday because it reminds me of how Morgan and Jack really saved my life. Although hormones didn't fuel my cancer, I do believe the hormones brought about during my pregnancies helped my cancer surface on the breast. This helped us diagnose me immiediately and start chemo to stave off new growth in the liver...thus making my condition chronic and manageable.

I have attached a picture of Jack and me around his first birthday. This was just three months after I had found my own cancer and the same time that I began the first of twenty rounds of toxic intravenous chemotherapy. (I would lose my hair just two short weeks later. Yikes!)

He is a beautiful boy, a true reminder of our family's fighting spirit! Michael, Morgan, Jack and I have each other. Our perspective has been altered, but we are all still here today...thriving!

God bless,
Lolo

Morgan!

Morgan is my touchstone, the emotional force of our family. She lets me know when things are going great...or when things need some work. Although it is against the grain of traditional parenting, I usually listen to her.

Mo started soccer today. It was very sweet. She did a great job, was very focused. I am so proud of her. She is pushing through her fears to achieve her own goals. She has been telling Michael and me that soccer is her sport for about a year..but she has been afraid to commit to it. Finally, we coaxed her into giving it a try. We are both impressed with her ability to overcome her fears and push through them.

I have noticed a change in her since I started cycling. She has really begun to trust herself as an athlete. I hope that this is partly because of my positive influence, but mainly I want it to be because she believes in herself. I want her to feel comfortable with who she is right now. She is embracing the tomboy within her, which is sweet. I can relate! :)

Over the next couple of months I will begin to update the blog with my training for cycling and the Breast Cancer 3-day event in Chicago. Morgan may join me on the MS150 in September. She has expressed a lot of interest in this, but i won't hold her to it unless she is having fun and it will build her confidence. I can envision her there with me. I think she can, too!

Mo is a true blessing!
Lolo

my first post!

So, this is my very first post.  I am ecstatic to be on the web!

Because I am a Stage IV breast cancer survivor and only 35, there are many people who are always wanting to know about my health, my family, my medicines, my exercise, my nutrition.  There is a lot I can say and will say about these things, but for now..i am just excited to be a blogger.

My goal with the site is to raise awareness on breast cancer and help people understand you can LIVE WITH CANCER...truly LIVE!  There is no dying in my house, just living!

Will sign off for now, but keep checking this site out!  It is a happening place!

Blessings!

Lolo