A number of you have asked if you can help by bringing a meal over. We would love that. My friend Andrea has offered to organize a schedule to help coordinate meals, and if you'd like to be part of that effort, you can let her know. Here is her e-mail address (with spaces between all the letters and dots to fool the spam spiders, so be sure to remove them):
a m m a m m 9 9 @ g m a i l . c o m
Thank you!
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8 comments:
I don't know you or your blog, so these words probably don't mean much. I found you via Mel's lost and found. I just want you to know that if I could help, I would. You and your family are in my prayers.
Emilie, I am saddened to read this news. I just found your blog a couple weeks ago. You are so full of life and love, and I pray for your spirit and your loved-ones right now.
I asked a bunch of sarcoma patients about things that friends could do to help during treatment, and I compiled their answers on this page. Perhaps your friends will read it and get some ideas. I know that it is hard for a patient to ask, or even to know what will help sometimes. And it is equally hard for friends to know what to say or do. No one knows what to do with news like this. And that's okay. Sometimes the people who care the most don't say anything. I tend to say "this sucks" too much! It's my gut reaction, so it's my way of expressing love. I should probably work on a better way. ;)
I understand about people offering alternative ideas. When I was diagnosed, someone I barely know sent me a huge box of books and videos. He really cared and had the best of intentions. I sat down to watch one of the videos, and it claimed that drinking more water was all I needed to do to get my body in balance and cure my cancer. It referred to the surgery that I needed to save my arm with some very violent terms and really upset me. The unfortunate thing that many people don't realize is that sarcoma is not your "average" cancer. If any cancer is going to respond to a completely natural treatment, it probably isn't sarcoma. It's just too aggressive. That is why our treatments are so aggressive. It's not because medicine is brutal, it's because the cancer is brutal. Sometimes you've gotta fight fire with fire.
All of that to say, I am so sorry. And this sucks. Remember that you are ALIVE right now. You could be alive a lot longer or shorter than you think. But you are alive RIGHT NOW. And this is all any of us really has. You are a very smart woman, and you will keep asking your doctors questions. I am sure you will get excellent treatment and care.
Mary, thanks for that great list of suggestions. I'm sure it will help many of us come up with plenty of ideas. And I echo you're "you're alive" comment. That was my Dad's motto up until the end, and it made all the difference to him and us. There is lots of living to do out there, so let's ALL do it.
-Laura S.
Thank you, Mary. That page is very helpful.
O God. Emilie, I hadn't checked in for several days, and I'm in tears at my computer at work. This is so, so unfair. Please let me know if I can help. In the meantime, you have all my prayers and a listening ear/reading eye anytime.
Pat Sirek
pjsirek@stthomas.edu
Mary, thank you for the list of things to do, I think this is very helpful and I know that many of us are looking for ways to help.
You're welcome! Inspired by all of you, I've updated the page and put it in a more prominent location. Just click on What can I do for my friend in treatment?
Hello Emilie--I'm on the Catholic writers list and sent the info on the deacon. I didn't see a "contact" button so I hope you don't mind if I send it through your blog. Just in case you are curious, the church the deacon traveled to to say the Memorare was the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Baronne St. in New Orleans. His son forwarded that info to me a day ago.
You continue to be in my prayers. Suzanne Haugh
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