Second Opinions
I have vivid childhood memories of being carted from doctor to doctor in order to get a second (and third) opinion. When a child, or anyone for that matter, is diagnosed with something serious, it is only natural to hope the diagnosis could be wrong. After you get past that feeling, reality sinks in, and you come to realize that life is going to change, getting another opinion is not only important but at times necessary. Different doctors sometimes see different things and have other ways to tackle the problem...
Read MoreMoving Home
When they say there is no place like home, they mean it! Four months in a rental home just was not my real home. Don’t get me wrong, the home we rented was really nice – it was comfortable and everything one would need for healing after going through what we have been through this past winter – but it just was not ours. It reminded me of when I was a child spending months in the hospital. Although the nurses and my parents made it as comfortable as possible for me, it just was not my home, not my...
Read MoreMommy Bags
For the past few years, I include my books in things called “Mommy Bags” pioneered by a lovely women from CHOP. She does this project on her own and has people donate personal items to her so that she can make up individual gift bags for about 30 moms who are (kind of) living at CHOP while their children undergo treatments. When she brought me on board it was uncertain if I could actually manage gifting 30 books without any extra fundraising help. I run my foundation very closely and since I am small,...
Read MoreScale Back During the Holidays
We all love the holidays! No matter what we celebrate, we embrace traditions and let them take over our lives. What we should do is overruled by what we are expected to do – can you put yourself into the RIGHT category? My guess is that most everyone struggles to find what is right for them. For us, we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas, not for religious reasons, but with mixed marriages throughout the entire family. We have embraced our own traditions. We mix our traditional foods from all sides of the...
Read MoreHanukkah Reflection
Since we are moving forward through December and all of my favorite holidays, keeping it together during those times is a bit challenging. For me instead of dwelling on my recent issues I feel like a reflection on the past is in order. Try to stay focused during the holidays, even though you are dealing with someone who may be seriously ill. I am reflecting on a time when I was about 17 years old and spent all of the holidays hospitalized for surgery and recovery. Although it was a bit strange for me and...
Read MoreFrom My Heart
You have been through everything anyone could imagine one person can take. You have fought the battle, pretty much won the battle, and now where are you? It is now time to go back to life, be whoever you were before that terrible day, and try to put the past behind you. It is not that easy, and I say this from my heart. After all the experiences I went through, I felt as if I was a different person. I looked at everything differently, not because I chose to, but because I had to. Things that were important to...
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