Category: Family & Friends

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Activities Cancer Cole Family & Friends Me Mothering Running Ryan

Preparing for the Race for the Cure

I have never “trained” for a race, and I hesitate to even use that word. Training sounds serious.  I like the word “preparing” better. 

Last week I was able to start preparing for the Race for the Cure, not at a gym, but at a local playground.  Now you see why I don’t really consider myself “training.” I don’t think serious runners train at a playground. Since I am not a serious runner, but a mom, who also has to watch two little boys most of the time,  while I prepare for the race, the playground is working out for us. 

The first time we went to the playground, the boys rode their scooters.  From our house, it was probably just under a mile.  I discovered there were two bike paths at the park.  The first one was probably not more than half a mile around. The boys did great following me on their scooters as I ran.  

I liked the path, but after four times around, (with breaks), the boys were getting tired, so I decided to take them up to the playground above this first path.  There is a much smaller path I could run on, while the boys played at the playground.  Here it is: (can you hear Eye of the Tiger playing right now?)

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I am guessing this path is probably not more than a quarter mile around.  Since I am not a serious runner and am not training, I don’t have any fancy GPS running watches, or anything like that.  The best feature of this path was the boys were occupied on the playground (they are on the red climbing thing):

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I ran around this path about seven times.  The boys were exhausted by the time we got home- they still had to ride their scooters home. 

On Thursday evening, I figured out that if we drove to the park, the boys could play much longer, and wouldn’t be so tired, which would mean more running time for me!  It worked really well.  They started getting really into it, and would stop playing every time I ran by the playground.  They would stand there, and hold out their hands for me to high five them.  Ryan ran around with me on the path a few times.  I told them I would get them some whistles, so they could be proper coaches. 

I followed the advice Sonja had given me and didn’t try to run fast at all.  I had a lot more energy, and I didn’t get tired and have to walk any of the path.  I ended up running 20 laps.  I ran for thirty-five minutes.  I wasn’t sure how close I was getting to 3 miles, I figured I was at least in the ball-park.

On Friday night, the boys and I went to my dad’s house in Denver to spend the night.  While they were roasting marshmallows, I went on a run.  My dad told me where my sister used to live from his house, was 1.2 miles.  If  I could run there and back, I would be just under 2.5 miles. 

I started to run, and felt great. I had to tell myself to slow down and not run too fast.  I must have had a really good pace because I felt like I could have kept running.  I reached my sister’s old house.  I thought about going a few more blocks, so I could be really close to 3 miles, but it was getting dark, and I wasn’t in an area I was really familiar with.  I headed back to my dad’s.  I only stopped once, and it was to take this picture on the Washington St. Bridge right above I-25:

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About two blocks away from my dad’s house, I started to get tired.  But I was also excited that I had been able to go so far, and realized that I would actually be able to run the 3 miles for the race!  When I got back, I had run 2.4 miles in 35 minutes.  I figured I could do 3 miles in 45 minutes.

On Saturday, my knees and hips hurt!  Running on concrete will do that. Plus, I had been running in really, really, old tennis shoes.  I think they are at least five years old.  I decided even though I am not training, I wasn’t going to spend a fortune on new shoes, but it was time for a pair of actual running shoes.  Here is a old shoe-new shoe picture: (it shouldn’t be too hard to guess which are the old shoes 🙂 )

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Yesterday evening, the boys went to their dad’s house, so it was the first time I was able to time myself, and see how far I could run.  I had measured the distance in the car and measured 1.5 miles from my house.  I wore my new shoes, and it took me a few minutes to get used to them.  I also started feeling really sluggish as I started off.  I couldn’t really find a rhythm.  I was running faster than I wanted to, and had to force myself to slow down several times.

At 1.4 miles, everything started to click.  I reached the 1.5 mile point, and turned around to run home.  I didn’t check to see what kind of pace I was on.  At 2.5 miles, I just sped up.  I felt really good, and decided to run faster.  A car came up behind me that I had seen, and I ran off to the side of the road.  At the last second, (and I mean second) I saw this HUGE hole. I had to leap to get across it, and I just barely cleared it. 

I felt a surge of energy and ran faster until I got to my house.  I looked at the time, and even with starting off slow, having to run off to the side of the road every time a car came, and the dodging-the-hole-episode,  I was thrilled to see that I had ran the 3 miles in 41 minutes!  I was also happy that I didn’t have to stop and walk any of it.   

Race day is in 13 days, and I feel very confident where I am right now.  I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to run/walk 3 miles.  I am going to set a time goal. If I can run the entire distance, and if I can do it in under 40 minutes, then the training preparation will have paid off.

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Activities Cancer Family & Friends Health Running

Running to Defeat Cancer

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Last week I decided to do something I have never done before- I signed up to run in the Komen Denver Race for the Cure on October 4th. 

This is actually my first running race too. Running is not my first choice for exercise.  However, I have always wanted to run in a race, and after seeing my friend, Erika, had formed a team, I signed up on her team.

In March Erika was diagnosed with breast cancer, and because of a strong family history, she opted for a bilateral mastectomy.  Erika finished her last round of chemotherapy in July, and the cancer is in remission now!  Erika has two young children, and while I was recovering from my thyroid cancer surgery, Erika was reaching out to me, and was a great source of encouragement and strength. 

Another friend,Nicole, is planning on running too on Erika’s team, and we are going to run it together.  Even though my first thought was to walk the race, I decided if there was ever a time to push myself, this was it.  Cancer just flat out sucks.  It doesn’t matter what kind it is, or if you have a survival rate or a remission rate.  It is a powerful feeling to have beaten cancer, and it is a gift.  

On a personal level, engaging in an activity (even running) that can help find a cure for cancer, will be empowering- kind of like a “take that cancer!”  It is eerie how many people I know, or have heard about through friends, who have been diagnosed specifically with breast cancer this year.  Most of them are younger women- women in their thirties- with newborns, infants, and toddlers.  These women are so incredibly strong, brave, and inspiring.

Preparing myself to run in a 5k race is nothing compared to just one round of usually five chemotherapy sessions that most breast cancer patients have to endure.  I can prepare for a month, make the 7am race time start, and I am grateful I am healthy enough to do it.

It was a bit humbling to ask my world class triathlete friend,Sonja, who has ran 50 miles before, and just competed in an Ironman Competition, for tips on running 3 miles.  But Sonja has given me some great advice, she will be running in the race too, and will give me a running day pep-talk/advice on the day of the race.  The race is not timed, so my goal is to finish it and hopefully be able to run the entire course. 

I’m having some interesting experiences trying to run 3 miles while watching the boys.  There isn’t a time where someone else is available to watch them, so we are figuring it out. I’ll be writing a few updates on how this experience is going, and how the coaches, (Ryan and Cole) are helping me.  They have been great!  🙂

The Susan G. Komen race for the cure is in hundreds of cities.  You can click here to find a race in your area.  If you don’t want to run or walk, you can donate to the organization or to your local city’s chapter.  If you would like to donate to Erika’s team, please e-mail me and I will provide you with the link.

I am excited to run in this race, and to support the women I know with cancer.  If you have, or are planning to run in your area’s Race for the Cure, I’d love to hear about your experience. 

Cancer is a word, not a sentence.  ~John Diamond

Edited on 9/17/09: Thanks to Mama Bird for reminding me to share the link, in case you wanted to sponsor me, which in turn will go to Erika’s team.  Here is the link.  Thank you!

Categories
Activities Cancer Family & Friends Health Mothering

Celebrating Life

In April I found out that I had thyroid cancer.  If you are a regular reader of my blog, than you know I wrote a number of posts chronicling my experience with thyroid cancer during the past eight months. 

The doctors can tell you when you are done with treatment.  They tell you when you have made the physical shift from a cancer patient to a cancer survivor.  But they can’t tell you when the mental shift will happen-that you can now get out of cancer patient mode, and get back to your life.  

It was important for me to take a series of smaller steps, to get myself mentally out of the cancer patient mode.  I started doing more activities with Ryan and Cole that took us out of the house like going camping, to the zoo and to parks. I have had quality time with my family- all of us together and also spending time with individual family members.  I started exercising and doing activities again like hiking and riding my bike.  As I did these things, I could feel the mental shift happen. 

One step that I had not had an opportunity to do was spend time with my friends.  We all became friends around the time when our first children were born.  We would have playgroups, craft nights, and mom’s nights out together. 

As our children grow, our activities have changed, and we have all become busier.  The time we have to spend with each other has diminished.  But this summer, they put their own families and lives on hold to help me.  They didn’t ask me what I needed- they just did it.  They did everything from cooking meals, to doing housework, yard work, offering childcare, stopping by to say hi, to just being there for me, and offering their support.  Not a day went by that I didn’t hear from one of them- either by phone, e-mail, or cards. 

So when Mile High Mamas, announced they were having a social media event with Mom it Forward at the Warwick Hotel in Denver, last Thursday night, my friends and I were exctied for the night out.  I was also happy that we could spend some time together.  Below is myself with some of my terrific friends, Nicole, Alison, Melissa, Amy, and Julie. 

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Photo credit Amy

The event was a lot of fun, with wonderful appetizers and a wine tasting.  I was touched by several women, who when read my name tag, gave me a hug and told me they had been following my cancer journey, and offered their support.   Several blog posts have been written about the evening- you can read Amy’s, Aimee’s or Amber’s posts for more information (and pictures) on the event itself.

As we were getting ready to leave, the Warwick staff invited us to see the only rooftop pool in Denver, that just happened to be on their roof!   We put our feet in, and that soon turned into splashing, which turned into two of the women, Aimee, and Jyl, jumping in the pool, fully clothed for a swim. 

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They looked like they were having a great time, and as I watched them swimming around, I decided that I was going to go for a swim myself.  It would be the perfect way to remember the evening. 

Julie was ready as well so we grabbed hands, and took the plunge!

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Photo credit Aimee

Shortly after, Amy and Alison joined in too. We were silly, laughing, and having fun. 

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Photo credit Aimee

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Photo credit Amy

The evening was about fun and friends, but also for me, it was a way for me to mark the end of being a cancer patient, and celebrating life with amazing women that are my friends. 

As I jumped into that pool, the shift was completed. I have returned back to my life- healthy and strong.

Categories
Cole Family & Friends Mothering Parenting Ryan

Bullying

I live right next door to the pocket park for the neighborhood.   I can look out the kitchen window and see the playground equipment.  The kitchen window is right where I prepare meals, so many times Ryan is playing at the park while I am making dinner.  I can watch him right from the window.

This evening, as he was playing at the park (he was the only one there at the time), I noticed two older boys arrive at the park.  I try not to stereotype kids, but they immediately caught my attention.  First of all, they were a lot older than the usual neighborhood kids who play there.  Second, one of them was wearing really baggy pants, and his baseball cap was on backwards.  I haven’t seen one kid in the neighborhood dress like this before either.

I watched them as they interacted with Ryan.   I thought it odd they were even talking to a little kid like him.  They were smiling as Ryan was talking to them, but it was like a mocking smile.  Ryan ran up on the playground equipment and the older boy, Baggy Pants Boy, ran right up behind him.  He started to block Ryan’s way.  Ryan turned around, and went down the slide, and then the second boy stood in his way.  I went outside at this point to the backyard, and stood at the fence, where I could still see and hear everything that was being said. There is a tree there, so I wasn’t too obvious standing there.

Ryan said “Let me through,” and Baggy Pants Boy, said mimicking him, “Let me through.”  Then the other boy pushed Ryan on his back, while Ryan was climbing up a ladder.  Baggy Pants Boy got to the top of the ladder, purposely to block Ryan’s way.  Ryan said, “Let me get past you,” and he mimicked him again.  Ryan was trapped with Baggy Pants Boy in front of him, and the other boy behind him. 

I was so mad when I saw the second boy push Ryan.  I don’t want to fight my son’s battles for him, but this clearly was not a case of two similar aged children having a squabble on the playground.  I stepped out from behind the tree and told the boys to get off the ladder.  They looked surprised and stood there looking at me, but moved out of the way.  I told them I had been watching them, and it was not appropriate to treat kids the way they were treating Ryan.  Baggy Pants Boy got off the equipment, and started walking away.  I looked straight at the second boy, and told him he is not to push any child either, and to get away from Ryan.

He stood there glaring at me.  I glared back, with my newly found, hell-hath-no-fury-like-a mother-watching-her-son-being-picked-on-glare.  It seemed surreal I was staring down a young kid.  After a minute he turned away, and ran off to join his friend.

I had Ryan come home and I talked to him.  He said the boys had been mean to him, and one had been repeating everything he had said.  Then he told me another one pushed him.  Then he told me the most disturbing part that I had not heard- he said the boys had told them they had guns, and they were going to shoot him.

I had no reason to doubt Ryan- everything he had told me up to this point was what I had seen and heard happen myself.  I also know that Ryan doesn’t make up stories like this.  Then Cole started crying and said he was scared the boys were going hurt Ryan.  I calmed him down and told Ryan and Cole no one was going to hurt them.  I went outside, and saw the two boys riding their bikes way down at the end of the street. 

I thought about trying to go find their parents, but I wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do.  I went back inside, and we finished eating.  After dinner, my boys went to play in the backyard, and I went outside again.  I saw the two boys still riding their bikes, but they were just a few houses away.  I started to walk towards them. The boy I had the stare-down with was the closest.  When I was sure he would hear me, I called out to him, that I would like to talk to him.

He rode over to me, and I flat out asked him, if he had told my little boy he had a gun and he was going to shoot him.  He said no, and told me he was a good kid.  He said he had only told Ryan he had a toy gun.  I asked him why he had pushed Ryan, and he denied that.  I told him I had seen him push Ryan’s back.  He looked down at his shoes.  I asked him what his name was, and how old he was.  He told me his name, and then told me he was all of eight years old.  I asked him if the other boy (Baggy Pants) was his brother and he said no-they were friends.  He then told me his name, and told me he was ten. 

At this point Baggy Pants Boy rode over.  The boy I was talking to, C., told Baggy Pants what Ryan had said, and he looked very surprised and told me they never had told him they were going to shoot him.  I asked Baggy Pants why he was blocking Ryan, and mimicking him?  He denied that too.  I told him I had seen him do it, and he looked at me sheepishly.   

I told the two boys that they were a lot older than Ryan.  I told them Ryan was only in kindergarten.  I told them that even if they had been talking about toy guns, younger kids don’t always understand when someone is joking or not.  I told them not to talk about guns to Ryan, and I told them that if they ever saw Ryan again at the park and they could not play nice with him, then to stay away and leave him alone.  I told them that if I heard or saw them picking on Ryan or any other little kid, I would have to talk to their parents.  They told me okay, and they nodded.

In the back of my mind, I was thinking that they could possibly be being bullied themselves.  Before they rode off I told them my name, and if they ever needed anything, to let me know.  I thanked them for listening to me and told them to have a good night.  Then they rode off.

I was debating on whether I should tell their parents now, but I think I was very clear and firm with the boys.  I feel like I should make the “I’ll be watching you” sign in that movie, Meet the Parents, every time I see them from now on.  Hopefully by explaining to them what the boundaries are, they will not pick on Ryan or any other child again.

That was very hard to watch, and I just hope the point was taken.  I guess all I can do now is wait and see.

******Edited 9/24/07:  I have an updated post to this situation.**********

Categories
Cancer Family & Friends Health

Thyroid Cancer- Body Scan Results

I received the results to my full body scan on Wednesday- and it is very positive.  My doctor said the scan was clear- the only place cancer cells were still showing up at, were in my neck.  But she said this was expected because surgery alone can’t remove every cancer cell. She said the radioactive iodine will continue to work over the next few weeks, and I will have another blood draw in about a month to measure my thyroglobulin level. 

The thyroglobulin level measures cancerous thyroid tissue in the body.  For someone who doesn’t have thyroid cancer, that level will be at zero.  Before my surgery my level was at 38!  My surgeon said that was very high, and he said it was unusual for the level to be that high.  That translated into I had a lot of cancerous thyroid tissue.  Yesterday the doctor told me what my level is now, just taking the surgery into account, and it is down to 4!   She said it was rare that the thyroglobulin level drops that much just from the surgery.  She said the surgeon did a remarkable and thorough surgery.

So in a month, when I have the level tested again, it will be after the radioactive iodine has had a chance to work so the thyroglobulin level should be even lower.  My doctor said everything else looked great- there was no traces of any cancer elsewhere in my body.

For now, I can take a deep breath and relax a bit.  I am pretty much cancer free, and have an excellent prognosis of remaining cancer free.  It seems a bit surreal, but I’ll take it.  I still have to have my thyroid replacement hormone dosage tested in a few weeks, and twice a year check-ups to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned.  My shoulder is still recovering from the surgery, but I am through the worst part of it, and am so happy the prognosis is so positive.  I couldn’t have asked for better news.

Thanks once more for all the support, prayers, kind comments and e-mails, well-wishes, and love.  I wouldn’t have made it this far without them.  Again, thank you to all my family and friends, who put their lives on hold to help me during these last few months.    I am looking forward to getting my life back to normal, and celebrating with all my family and friends in the coming months.   

One of these celebrations will be very special.  I never thought by sharing my experience on my blog, it would lead another mom to me who underwent thyroid cancer surgery the same day as I did, who had the same recovery time, who underwent radioactive iodine treatment at the same time, who lives about an hour away from me, and who has also been given a clean bill of health.  This is my cancer-fighting partner in crime, and we are finally going to be meeting each other soon, and celebrating that we helped each other beat cancer. 

This weekend the boys and I are going camping with my family- grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  The last time we were all together was when I was in the hospital during my surgery.  It will be great to put that chapter behind us, and and start a new one- cancer free.