The 5th Annual Day of Jen

It's hard to believe but tomorrow, December 30th, marks the fifth anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. Five years ago I was admitted to Mt. Sinai Hospital to remove a large tumor (which we were hoping was benign) from my abdominal area.

In some ways the events leading up to and right after my diagnosis feel like just yesterday. I have many vivid memories that always return to me around this time of year:
• My general practitioner telling me that my blood work was “way off” and ordering a full body CT scan
• The radiologist asking me innocently if I knew I had a big tumor in my stomach (umm…no?!?)
• The uncontrollable coughing fits in the movie theatre on Christmas (the tumor was resting heavily on my diaphragm).
• The bittersweet shock that my clothes were all getting big on me...I was losing weight so effortlessly but why?
• The anxiety leading up to my first surgery (what would happen if I woke up during surgery and couldn’t see?!?)
• My “last supper” before I went through the colon prep for surgery (grilled cheese and French fries which I hardly touched)
• Those first few days post-surgery that were so painful (now I am an old pro at the post-surgery pain).
• Doing “laps” around the hospital with Dave on New Year’s Eve wearing Happy New Year hats (“laps” = very small crawl)

And in some ways I feel like we have been living with my diagnosis forever:
• My team of doctors who once seemed so foreign are now so familiar
• The chemotherapy routine which seemed so daunting is now strangely comfortable
• The fact that I have been wearing a wig for 5 years and don't remember the texture/ color of my real hair
• The process of “watchful waiting” which seemed beyond stressful is now just a way of life…

Many people don’t understand me when I say that cancer is one of the best things that has happened to me. Despite all of the cons (and there are many), I do feel like it has put me so in touch with what’s important in life and what I am here on this earth to do and to contribute. Because of this, rather than make the 5th anniversary of my diagnosis a somber day, it will become a quiet celebration marking my growth as a human being.

On the agenda: a great cycling class with a tremendously motivating instructor (who, of course, will be teaching at Cycle for Survival on January 31st), a manicure/pedicure and massage, and a nice dinner with Dave enjoying some of my favorite foods (the foods I couldn’t eat when I was on treatment).

I will use this day to celebrate all that I have learned in the past five years and to solidify my commitment to how I handle my future. A future that I hope will be filled with good health. And if that is not in the cards, I now know I can take it on.

Cycle for Survival Public Service Announcement

Yeah! Check out the longer version of the Cycle for Survival PSA. So exciting!

Cycle for Survival Public Service Announcement

With just under 2 months to go, Cycle for Survival (cycleforsurvival.org) has raised over $500K and has signed on over 300 teams nation-wide to participate in the fight against cancer. If you haven't already done so, please visit the website and Form a Team, Join the Ride and Support the Cause!
This PSA ran on Regis and Kelly today and will be on ABC all week :)

Making a Difference Feels Great

I don't have much time to write because I am BUSY recruiting teams and individuals for Cycle for Survival 2010 (cycleforsurvival.org). If you are reading this email and have not already signed up to captain or participate on a team, you have no right to be here!!

I wanted to briefly share with you a wonderfully touching and inspiring experience I had the other day. I went to the hospital to meet with a man who has been battling a rare cancer. This man received the sobering news that the chemo regimen he has been on for the past few months does not seem to be working as well as the Doctors had hoped. HOWEVER, he received some much-needed hope...rather than be told that there are no other treatment options to try, he is being put in a clinical trial for a new treatment, which is being funded by the money we raised from last year's Cycle for Survival

I will not share his name to protect his privacy but these are some excerpts from the email his wife and sister sent me after our meeting:

It was so great to meet you yesterday. You are just as dynamic and full of life as your video. A ball of very positive energy! It was good for us to meet you ………just knowing that you made it all this way and continue to pave the path for the rest of us………..you gave us such hope and made us laugh too! Timing is everything and I am so glad you shared that moment with us…….as we learned of Plan B and that your fundraising event is changing lives. Nothing will make us happier than helping this cause.

Cycle for Survival is making a real difference! The dollars we are raising are giving thousands of people across the country more hope! THANK YOU for doing what you do....and keep it up over the next 8 weeks so we can make Cycle for Survival 2010 an even bigger success than in past years!