What shall we talk about today? Coping strikes me as a good subject. How do you cope with a life threatening illness? People tell me they don’t know how they’d handle it if they got cancer. Well, I got news for you. You just do. Think about the alternative.

Its that attitude thing again. I’ve learned to laugh at it. Make jokes. Stay upbeat. I never stopped working. I viewed my job as giving me a hellava good reason to get my butt outta bed in the morning. I’ve been fortunate that my employers have been incredibly understanding about my illness and the need for doctor’s visits, tests and those few days when I was just too wiped out to come in while undergoing chemo. We’ve worked out a happy medium. I rarely take the time to go to lunch and they don’t keep track of the time I need to take off. Seems to work … with the office getting the bulk of the benefits. My appointments are generally a couple of hours per month (more if I’m in treatment), but they gain five hours of undeclared overtime per week. That’s twenty hours a week compared to the couple of hours I take off. I don’t have a problem with that because I hold that over their head every once in awhile.

How do you cope? Did you quit your job? Stay at home and feel you could wallow in your misery? Everyone deals with it differently. Only you can decide how you want to cope.

Repeat after me … “YOU ARE A CANCER WINNER”

- People who leave their turn signals on.
- People who don’t use their turn signals.
- Drivers who are inattentive because they’re yakkin’ on their cell phone
- Getting behind city buses
- Potholes
- Drivers who do 50 mph in a 65 mph zone (in the left passing lane)
- Parking space swipers
- Flat tires
- People who weave in and out of traffic thinking they’ll get there faster. (Love it when they hit a red light)
- And my all time favorite … red light runners.

Personally speaking, I want a hood mounted missel for my car. Give me some of your driving annoyances.

This blog started out on the subject of coping with cancer, but there was something that is far more important that need to be discussed.

The Children.

I live in Wisconsin and every year one of the local radio stations (WKLH) does what they call the “Miracle Marathon”. This is a three day radio marathon to raise money for Wisconsin’s Children’s Hospital. Yes, this hospital caters to all children, but as I’m sitting here at work, listening to the radio, they’re interviewing a family whose child was born with Leukemia. It’s enough to put anyone in tears.

Why is it that we don’t think about children with cancer as often as we do adults? I’m guilty of that. Sometimes you just get into this little bubble of self-interest that you forget that there are children who are going through the same thing you are. And probably handling it a hellava lot better.

Don’t know about you, but I’ll be sending in a donation. I would urge other people to do the same. Just go to this link.

Repeat after me … “YOU ARE A CANCER WINNER” and so are the children.

We’re gonna do a top ten favorite drinks today.

- Foster Beer (Australian)
- Wine (White Zin … okay, I’m a cretin)
- Margheritas (however you spell them … they still taste good)
- Lemonade
- Iced Tea

See? Not everything is alcoholic.

- Wine coolers (there’s that cretin thing again)
- Hot Tea
- Water … hmm … more of a necessity
- Diet Coke or Diet Dr. Pepper
- What my husband refers to froo-froo drinks. Anything sweet.

You got a favorite?

When I was first diagnosed, it never sank in that cancer could kill me. The thought just never crossed my mind. I just figured I’d be more likely to get hit by a bus than die of cancer … and that’s an attitude I still have.

Your life goes on. You still get up in the morning, go to work, you have a family and you have friends. Having cancer is just a pain in the ass as far as I’m concerned. After I kicked its butt the first time, I didn’t let it control my life. My husband and I went on to adopt a little girl from China, we both work full time, and I took up writing romances. I’ve since finished four books, have two of them coming out for publication with Samhain Publishing and am halfway through my fifth book. Our daughter is now seven years old and although I’m going through treatment again, I still won’t let this disease control my life. We still go on vacations, do things together, plan parties, visit friends … gee … just like we did before I got cancer.

You control your life … cancer is just a minor inconvenience that intrudes upon occasion. Being diagnosed with cancer isn’t an automatic death sentence. I’m amazed by how many people have that attitude. That goes with the “woe is me” and the wringing of the hands. C’mere … let me give you a cyber slap up the side of your head.

Repeat after me … “YOU ARE A CANCER WINNER”