RIP Randy Pausch - The last lecture and how it can impact a breast cancer patient.

Being Earnest...every day of your life! I want to be like Randy!



I have done a similar metaphor of the "brick wall" in Art Therapy sessions with patients in the past...and it's all about visualizing your obstacles, whatever they may be...for me it's breast cancer...drawing the problem or sculpting them...and then generating new solutions to overcoming them...either with an eraser or more clay and creating a way to work through them...this is what life is all about...it's about the journey not the destination...because, we are all going to die some day...most of us just don't know when or how.

BTW...I'm definitely a T-I-double ggh-er

Metaphore for my life...Sandtrap!

what good friends i have here in cyberspace...WhimzyPinzy a fellow EtsyMom has posted a comment at my flickr site about this picture. She has shared some wisdom about this picture and insight into my situation and I am grateful.

Hey Whimz...I see the green and I am only a few shots away! Then I'll come into the 19th hole and have a mudslide and a turkey reuben with the awesome fries that Loudon Country Club is famous for!

Now to return the favor...for those of you looking to knit or crochet some hats for cancer patients (hee hee...I'm sure your local hospital will take donated handmade chemo caps!)...or some socks or some afghans... Whimzy has awesome yarns all hand spun and hand dyed...check her out at Etsy.com and on her own website: WhimzyPinzyCreations.com.
Wow and as an adendum...she added a blog post about me...and a socks for cancer pattern...check it out...but don't forget to come on back to visit me again?!

Find most posts about my Breast Cancer Journey here.
Find more posts about my Breast Cancer Journey and Art Therapy with the kids.

Day 7 Cycle 1 chemo Update

I was smiling on wednesday when they put the IV in me...but by Saturday I was soooooooooooo SAD!!! You know the feeling when you have had a pony tail in your hair for a long time and then you take the pony tail out...and your scalp is sore?
Well...
My whole body felt like that...from my scalp down to my toes...joint achiness, muscle aches, overwhelming sadness....weepiness took over....i was a MESS! I just wanted to crawl into a whole ...and not die...cuz that's what this is all about right?

NOT dying!!!???

so the days since have been a little better without so much achiness but the exhaustion is heavy and the sadness is present all the time...i just want to cry if anyone talks to me....
Calgon take me away....please! The kids are doing pretty good...dd#1 is being perfect....which totally scares me...she's even doing extra homework sheets with out being asked...she needed some extra help with her math...so she is doing it nightly! I'm keeping an eye on her!

dd#2 is a total whiner lately...but maybe she's feeling my pain and wants to just identify with me and my foggy head...she's more absent minded than usual...but they all can't be so well adjusted right?

dd#3 is potty training and is looking for a "TWEET" any chance she can get...a tweet=treat=m&m candies...one for sitting and one for doing her business....she's only 2! well she'll be two in 2 days...my other kids didn't potty train till 2.5 and over 3 years....something is going right!

Gratitude? someone told me to keep a happiness journal...what a good idea, btw!
I am grateful today to have a wonderful friend come up from NY and visit me this weekend. She came on Sunday and left today. It was so comforting to have her close by. My taste buds weren't awful last night and we went out to dinner and i got some yummy mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese melted on top form TGIFridays...worth a try...believe me!

I added the pic from a recent family portrait I had done with my mom and the girls. Obviously this was the old hair...boo hoo. I also wanted to let folks know the comments and wonderful positively positive ideas are priceless...what wonderful gifts! Thank you all so much! ~Jodi

To find more posts about my Art Therapy with my kids as I battle breast cancer...click here.

To find more posts about my journey through breast cancer...click here.

To find more posts about my chemo updates...click here.
(psst...this is the first one...so more to come soon!)

Chemo not so bad so far...sneak peek to hair cut too.

Day one of chemo...right before it started...as you can see..i'm smiling! But even after it was done I was just a little bit tired...not too bad. I'm on anti nausea and steroids that are keeping my energy level up and I had a NuLasta shot today to help stimulate my bone marrow to make more white blood cells for days 7-12 when i will see a dip in white blood cell counts and will be highly immuno-suppressed...it's going to get hard with 3 germy kids running around....but the bright side is that it's summer and not winter in NH with cold and flu season. :)Shirley and Jill were the "comfort cart" volunteers this week. They visit with a cart once a week to the infusion unit. What a nice thing to do...I also got to experience Reiki which is a healing energy art form led by 2 other volunteers...i'll have to update this again with their names...I've misplaced them. The ice cream was a nice start to my chemo regime...too bad I can't get it more often.

To donate to the Breast Cancer program at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center...follow this link.
I'm not sure if you can directly go to the breast care center but this was all done at the infusion chemo room...so many Norris Cotton Cancer patients will benefit :) Thanks in advance!

So here is the new hair do...I haven't had my hair this short since fifth grade when my mom cut my hair to look like Dorothy Hamill...oh back in the day it was all the rage. My oncologist saw my hair cut and said it was still too long and that it might be shocking when it falls out in clumps but...at least it was a good first step....I guess you will all get to see me get the head shave too...I'll keep you posted if I'm not to modest to share them.



about 10 inches went to locks of love...not bad!


Here we were the other day (that's Becky with the medicine/angel/fairy doll) sewing up some new fleece hair...the burlad didn't cut it...and that's Karen with the monster doll with my 6 year old picking out eyes and sewing up the hole in her side.


Find more info about our Art Therapy Project with kids and Beating Breast Cancer, click here!

Sad Today :(

Little old me today...
I got news yesterday that chemo will start on Wednesday. I'm relieved yet terrified at the same time. Sadness is the overwhelming feeling mostly.My friends are helping me work on the dolls today...

the kids and I wrote words and messages to stuff into the dolls a few weeks ago..here are some pics...My messages!
Find more info about our Art Therapy Project with kids and Beating Breast Cancer, click here!

On the right road...

Hi everyone! It's guest blogger Becky writing to you about the recent events. So here goes...

Jodi is amazing. She has such strength even with everything going on in her life. The diagnosis of cancer would send most people for a loop, but not Jodi. When I see her with her kids and the way they look at her I know they are very proud of her (even little Sara) and look up to her. Jodi got a good report today. All the cancer is contained in her left breast and in 2 or possibly 3 lymph nodes. The rest of her body is clear of cancer. She will be visiting Dartmouth Hitchcock on Wednesday for her second opinion and then will find out when her treatments and surgeries will start.

Emily and Elizabeth are off the a great start with the "Cancer Doll" and "Angel" they are making as a form of art therapy. Here is a picture of them; a work in progress. I am sure I can speak for Jodi and say they have been doing a wonderful job writing down their feelings and stuffing them in the dolls. Look for upcoming videos featuring these creations.

With the help of Jodi's parents (they are wonderful!), friends, and an occasional tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, everyone is staying positive. We're looking forward to the words "In remission" in the near future!