Train tickets and egg whites

I am thrilled to report that I finished my radiation treatments this week (Monday, March 23, 2009)! Yep, a total of 38 treatments (7-1/2 weeks’ worth) are now behind me! I am incredibly relieved to have the surgeries, chemo, and radiation parts of my treatment behind me. On my last day of treatment, I brought a Snickers cake to my appointment, along with a card for Dr. K. and his staff. They are a great bunch of people whose expertise, compassion, and humor make a difference in many lives. I wanted them to know how thankful I am for that.

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The Tyranny of Positive Thinking

I’m probably going to step on someone’s toes with this blog entry, but I feel compelled to write it. I touched on this topic once before in my blog, but I feel very strongly that it bears repeating. It’s about the “tyranny of positive thinking.” Jimmie C. Holland, M.D., of Memorial Sloan-Kette ring Cancer Center, coined the term, “the tyranny of positive thinking” in his book, The Human Side of Cancer. Don’ t get me wrong—I believe that having a positive attitude most certainly beats having a bad attitude, especially during hard times. However, there are many people today (including many Christians) , who adhere to “The Gospel According to Oprah.” Basically, it’s a New Age belief (ever read The Secret?) that used to be called “blab-it-an d-grab-it” in Christian circles--the belief that you create any outcome you desire based on positive thinking and speaking.

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I want to live while I'm alive

Sorry for the long hiatus from my blog, but between radiation treatments, work, and family happenings, I haven’t taken the time to sit down and sort out my thoughts. There are so many things I’d love to write about if I could only find the time! I have less than three weeks left to finish radiation. It’s rather ironic: I’m the girl who never tanned and now the upper right quadrant of my body looks like I’ve spent a week in Bermuda. Who knew? All I needed to do was sit under a radiation machine for weeks on end! All I need to complete the look is a flower lei and one of those tropical umbrella drinks.

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