[Dailydrool] Thanks, All!

[Nadine Mysker]

MANY dozen fellow droolers contacted me both on and off drool
regarding my five year milestone.  A sincere thanks to all who took
the time to do so - each and every one of you are amazing.  Many of
your stories touched my heart.  Thanks for running, walking, praying,
fundraising for a cure.  Together we will continue to make a
difference.  Had I been diagnosed just two years sooner I would not be
here today.  My therapy hadn't yet been discovered.  It seems like for
every nanosecond that goes by someone is diagnosed, another is
treated, and another gets the great news of remission or cure.

Allow me to tell you my story, for those who haven't heard it before.
In January of 2003 I retired from a job I adored because of
uncontrollable full body rheumatoid arthritis complicated by lungs
affected by the disease.  Every day was a struggle.  Finally, in
September of 2003 checking the lung fibrosis by xrays was discontinued
and a CT scan was ordered.   The diagnosis was suspected benign tumor
on the outside of  the right lung.  The surgeon felt he would excise a
tumor and be done with it.  Once my chest was opened it was obvious
the entire lung was involved and had to be removed.  The
adenocarcinoma had "jumped" the chest as had covered the pericardium,
a double walled sack around my heart.  My pericardium and chest wall
was rebuilt with surgical grade Gore Tex.  25 of 37 lympnodes tested
positive for cancer and there were mets to the liver and spleen. I was
given 3 - 4 months without treatment and less than one year with.  I
opted for treatment.  In March of 2004 I was in remission.  That is
not to say there were not many setbacks since then, from pulmonary
embolism, mini strokes, to renegade infections and a two week coma.
Lymphedema is occasionally bothersome but under control as is the
rheumatoid arthritis.  In September of 2005 I was considered a two
year survivor but still looked and felt quite ill.  I plodded along
for year fairly lost.

By the fall of 2006 I still felt used up and dead tired; lack of
oxygen was an ongoing problem but there was still a spark inside of me
and  I began looking for a new passion.  In my  "old normal"  life I
had co-founded our local food pantry, a charitiable foundation for
ancillary expenses of kids in treatment for cancer, had served on the
School Board, Board of Review for the Village, ran the Chamber of
Commerce and make it a vital part of the community, increasing its
membership from 50 to 180 in two years-- you name it--I was the
non-profit queen of fundraising--the do gooder--the get it done
person.

Fast forward to "new normal.  I was no longer able to keep up with
that pace of old normal, my kids were all raised, I had finally gotten
my BS and I was bored out of my mind. And along the way due to mini
strokes, chemo, radiation and old age I had lost valuable
communication (read: verbal) language skills.  Thank God they have
come back though I still have memory lapses and slow response time.  A
former board member of Basset Buddies Rescue had approached me more
than once to foster or adopt.  I decided I would foster.  Jill the
Bagel came to live with us--only for a few weeks I told my family. . .

>From the second we met Jill was mine.  She followed me and was my
velcro dog.  I HAD to get up in the morning; the little brat wouldn't
go outside for anyone else.  I HAD to go for walks because she
wouldn't behave on a leash for anyone else.  I HAD to trade in the
sports car and buy a station wagon (okay, a really nice station wagon
with Turbo but still a station wagon).  Suddenly, because of Jill, I
was doing things. Dog biscuit runs became grocery runs, finding money
in the budget for vet visits and dog toys became making investment
decisions, learning new computer software, walking, walking and more
walking, mucking out (oh, joy!), vet runs became taking myself for
scans and lab work, shopping (referred to in our family as Spending)
(remember, I even bought a car), became redecorating the house
(somebody had to install Pergo with our new boarder).

Jill truly got me over that final hump from ill to well.  Thanks,
Kathy Z and Basset Buddies, thanks Jill and thanks God for a job very
well done!

Nadine Mysker, Slave to Jill the Bagel