Jennifer Goodman Linn You Fearless

Monthly Archives: November 2010

11.28.2010 Posted 4:26 pm

We’re in the National Enquirer!

In the spirit of "all press is good press", we were thrilled to find a great article on Cyle for Survival (http://cycleforsurvival.org) in the 11/29 issue of the National Enquirer. Lodged between stories such as "Who's the Real Mommy?Travolta Wife Egg Donor Shocker!" and "Madonna has Head Lice!" was a really nice, truthful story about the heart and history of Cycle for Survival.

Apparently one of the writers found the website and was very touched by the story. He decided to write the article and publish it over Thanksgiving weekend. We found it by chance (my nail salon found it :). Although the National Enquirer wouldn't naturally be our top place to be, apparently 10MM people read it and pass it along to others so we will take it! Great timing to get more excitement , exposure, involvement and funding!

Dave and I had a very quiet Thanksgiving weekend.  We celebrated the fact that my blood counts were a bit stronger this week and I didn't have to be admitted into the …

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11.22.2010 Posted 7:46 pm

Approaching Chemo Cycle #2 with Hope and Dread

I love the quote, "You can't experience the highest of highs unless you have experienced the lowest of lows". I don't know who said it but I always remember it when I am having a particularly wonderful moment. I realize that the only reason I truly know it is a wonderful moment is because I have had many moments that were the stark opposite. I do believe that the heights of joy and gratitude you can reach are much higher if you have had some sorrow or sadness in your life.

So, the few days before Chemo Cycle #2 started were "the highest of highs". I had great energy, I was more mobile because some of my leg swelling had subsided and I got my appetite back. I actually felt somewhat human. I still was very achy and tired and had to take daily naps but I was able to get out of the house a few times for some meetings that made me feel so great.

I went to …

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11.14.2010 Posted 6:08 pm

Making it Through the Week

I am happy to report that things definitely seem to have improved a bit since I returned from the hospital on Tuesday. I seem to have my pain management more or less under control and my thrush symptoms are definitely gone thanks to the antibiotics. As a result, I am able to really drink a lot more and get some of my strength back.

Dave has become quite the connoisseur at making smoothies for me. Sometimes he combines an Ensure protein shake with some milk, bananas and peanut butter. Sometimes he mixes orange juice with frozen mangos, bananas and protein mix. I am very glad that we decided to invest in our fancy Vita Mix blender a few months ago. It has really made quite a difference.

Although I am happy to report that things are a bit more stable than they were the week prior, things are by no means easy. My symptoms continue to be very unpredictable. Yesterday (Saturday), I was so tired that I literally could not …

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11.9.2010 Posted 2:47 pm

Tilt A Whirling through the Past 10 Days

In my last blog post I mentioned that Dave and I don’t like roller coasters. I have decided in the past week that I would actually greatly prefer a roller coaster to the “ride” that I have been given these past 2 weeks. You see, a roller coaster is scary but you can see what’s ahead of you (When does it rise? When does it fall?). Our ride seems to have no predictability.

I will have one “OK” day followed by one really difficult day. It reminds me of the Tilt-A-Whirl…the carnival ride where you are placed in a freely spinning car that goes at all different speeds and in all different directions.

I am writing from the hospital. I checked in to urgent care this past Sunday when I started to get increasingly nauseous and realized that my body no longer could handle taking all of the medications without a bit of a boost.

The major side effect I have experience from the new chemo we started this past Friday has been …

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