20 Minutes and Counting

Leave it to me to wait until the last minute! As many of you know, I am off to Ecuador today. For those of you who don't know, sorry about the last minute surprise. Just keeping things interesting here.

After my last scan that showed the cancer had spread to my lungs, I had heard about a holistic doctor in Ecuador from one of my friends that I met at Hippocrates. She had gone down to see him for six weeks and had really good results. Having an adventurous side, I thought why not. No one will ever accuse me of not tyring everything. I booked my ticket and have been anticipating this day for a while now.

I would have talked about it earlier but to be honest I think I have been a little bit in denial. Throwing the benefit for Erica really kept my mind off of this trip. The details are a little bit of a mystery right now. I know the doctor works out of his house so it is not a fancy facility or program. My friend Julie will be overlapping her trip with mine by one day so she will show me the ropes before she returns to the states. I am set to return on Nov 6th if all goes well. At this point I am just trusting life and my gut instincts and going for it. If I don't like it I can always come home early.

I am not going to lie. I am scared. Not of the doctor or the treatment but more of the time lost with my family, friends and Ryan. I do have a really positive attitude, but I am also realistic. If this doesn't work then I miss out on 6 weeks when I could have been here with all of you. Life is fleeting, especially for a cancer patient. (Please don't make any comments like, "don't think that way and you can do it..." BLAH BLAH BLAH!) I still make my own diagnoses everyday and believe in my heart that I can beat this but no one really knows what will actually happen. It is all a mystery -- similar to this trip I am about to take. Caring friends have been asking lots of questions for the last three weeks and to be honest I made up half of them to make them feel better about me going. I am definitely rolling with the punches. You have to admit, it is pretty exciting? When is the last time you just got on a plane and had no ides where you were headed. It should be interesting so stay tuned. I plan on writing as often as possible and I will be checking my e-mails as often as I can, so don't be shy. I also have unlimited texting on my phone so I can text for free. Can't wait to tell you all of the stories. Sending Big Love to all,

Kristine

Paying It Forward

Our little benefit for Erica was a big success. Of course, it is because of all of you who so generously donated to support her. It is amazing how much a little from everyone adds up fast. When I told her about your total contributions she broke down in tears. She just kept thanking me for putting this together, but honestly I am just doing what others before me have done for my benefit. I know how overwhelming it is to have people who don't even know you stand up and give support. I told her that someday when she was well she could pay it forward and do the same for someone else. Then she will understand why there is no thanks to give. It really is better to give then to receive. I guess I should be thanking her.

Erica has written a thank you letter that I have included below:
_____________________________

Dear Friends,
From the bottom of my heart…THANK YOU ALL for attending tonight’s event. On behalf of me and my husband, Tim, we are truly blessed and so very appreciative of your support and complete selflessness and generosity. It completely humbles us to witness so many people willing to “pay it forward” and it certainly honors us to have met, know and love Kristine, and be able to call her our friend.
As of today, and following 3 rounds of chemotherapy, my numbers regarding my cancer are decreasing, which is indeed welcomed news. My Doctors would like to see me continue with a few more rounds of chemo and continue with more radiation treatments. I am contemplating my options as to how I would like to proceed. I am trying my best to stick to my raw/vegan diet, though I sure do wish I could be with you all tonight, as it sounds like the restaurant you are at is FABULOUS! YUM!
Overall, I am feeling okay. I get very tired, very easily, but I know having a good attitude and positive outlook is at least ½ the battle, so I do the best that I can to keep my chin up. What a fantastic role model I have to look to in that department; in Kristine, herself. She is simply an amazing woman inside and out. Her ability to keep her sense of humor and determination is a true testament to her strong will and character. She inspires me every single day, as I am sure she does you, as well. We are ALL better people for knowing her and having her in our lives. She is an Angel sent from Heaven above, no question.
Please enjoy your evening of friendship, food and fellowship, and please accept this as a small gesture of our sincerest thanks and appreciation from both myself and Tim. We will never forget your kindness and hope one day we may meet to thank you, in person. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

What Goes Around Comes Around

Being a cancer patient can be a very interesting journey. I have been extremely lucky to have made many good friends along the way. I know I have shared with you some of my friends stories and news. Today I will do so again.

I met my friend Erica at Hippocrates. Something just clicked between us right away. We had the same attitude about our lives and our cancer. We chose to laugh and be happy in the moment. I think we spent hours just comparing our funny cancer stories with one another. We talked about writing a book together about how cancer doesn't have to be so doom and gloom and how sometimes you can find a silver lining even in the worst of times. Whenever we would fall off the "raw" bandwagon we would compare who ate the worst thing. You ate lamb chops??? Well I ate curly fries!!! We would laugh and realize that no one is perfect and in each other we had a real support system. Someone that understood. We have taken each others news harder then we have taken our own. We each put on our brave faces when it is happening to us but when it is happening to our friends we feel helpless. Probably very similar to how all of you feel watching me go through this experience. It becomes too real.

I recently received a letter in the mail from Erica's family. She is fighting so hard and she is seeing lots of changes. Some good ones. Some not so good ones. I can hear her doctors now telling her that chemo is the only way. I know because that is what they say to me. I also know that her decision to restart chemo was extremely hard. I know in her heart that it is not what she wants but she will do whatever it takes to win. Who wouldn't? Unfortunately chemo isn't the only thing that Erica needs to worry about. The past two years have been extremely tough on her family financially. They are doing everything to keep it together. The letter I received was a call to help lift the financial burden that cancer has created. I immediately got my check book out to help. Before I started to write, I realized that I could do more. When my financial burden was heavy I didn't even have to send a letter. My friends and family threw benefits to make my life easier and I didn't even have to ask. I really feel like it is my turn to help someone else.

With that being said I have decided to throw a benefit for Erica on Tuesday September 23rd. I have only a couple of weeks to pull this together and I hope that it is a great success for Erica's sake. We have created a separate site for this event where you can buy tickets or donate to the cause (see below for the address). We will be doing a silent auction to raise funds as well. If any of you have something that you would like to contribute to the auction, it would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me directly on my personal e-mail. I will thank-you in advance for all of the love and support. And to Erica who is reading this, stay strong my friend. We will beat this together, laughing the whole way of course!!

Kristine

http://benefitforerica.blogspot.com/