 Dear Wonderful Women! Just a reminder to you that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and if you haven't done it lately, it's time to schedule your yearly mammogram!! Yeah, yeah, it's not fun, but I can tell you from personal experience, breast cancer is a pretty scary experience. And don't think you're safe just because your mother, grandmother, or sisters never had it. No one in my family had had breast cancer, but there I was, with a diagnosis that knocked the wind out of my sails. But I was lucky: It was discovered early - through a routine mammogram - and a radical mastectomy was all the treatment I needed. No radiation, no chemo. It's been 12 ½ years since the diagnosis/surgery, and I'm in great shape. Tomorrow is my mammogram appointment. I hope to see you there! Love and life!! Karen PS: Don't forget regular self exams, too!  Opening Pandora's box 10/05/2009
I’ve always been fascinated with the Human Genome Project (HGP), perhaps because that single effort by thousands of scientists from around the world offered such extraordinary promise to this generation, and to those that will follow. With a map of the genes that form human chromosomes and with an outline of the sequence of all three billion units of DNA that constitute one set of those chromosomes, scientists could begin to actually quantify and describe what makes a human, human. (Not much, it turns out!) They also could point to the miniscule differences that (might) make each of us unique. Those differences might help us succeed as athletes or mathematicians, or could predict how well or poorly our body will respond to the myriad environmental assaults it will endure through a normal life. Every week, we read about research that picks up new connections between genetic combinations or anomalies, and disease. Thanks to the science that went into the HGP, we know there are markers for certain cancers, Huntington’s disease (remember Dr. 13 on House?) and some aspects of cardiovascular disease, among many other conditions. According to a 1997 story in The Judges’ Journal of the American Bar Association, the Human Genome Project has given science a great set of tools to understand and, perhaps, fend off some human suffering caused by disease. Using information gathered from genetic testing, physicians counsel patients on their risk for a number of medical conditions. Sometimes, they can help a person build a lifestyle or find other ways to reduce that inherited risk. Sometimes, they can’t. After all, risk is -- by definition – a numbers game. Within our family, I can think of at least four people – three of them, young – who have considered genetic testing to determine whether or not they carry a marker for a particular cancer. In all cases, a parent’s cancer was considered familial long before there was science to prove it. All four have declined testing. I don’t know why, but this op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times may provide a clue: The New York Times October 4, 2009 Dad’s Life or Yours? You Choose By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF So what would you do if your mom or dad, or perhaps your sister or brother, needed a kidney donation and you were the one best positioned to donate? Most of us would worry a little and then step forward. But not so fast. Because of our dysfunctional health insurance system, a disgrace that nearly half of all members of Congress seem determined to cling to, stepping up to save a loved one can ruin your own chance of ever getting health insurance. That wrenching trade-off is another reminder of the moral bankruptcy of our existing insurance system. It’s one more reason to pass robust reform this year. To read the whole piece, click here Young adult cancer patients have a new weapon against the insidious disease waging war on their bodies: Humor! For a look at what they call "cancertainment," see this week's Newsweek Magazine. Here's an excerpt from A Malignant Melanoma Walks into a Bar...: About 70,000 people between the ages of 18 and 40 are diagnosed with cancer every year, representing about 6 percent of all new cancer cases. About 10,000 young adults die from cancer annually, more than from any other disease. This is not the best statistic to stumble on when you are looking online for hope, as I did in September 2006 after my doctor told me he found a growth in my colon. There I was—nonsmoker, athlete, young—diagnosed with colon cancer, the disease that more commonly afflicts overweight, elderly men. And all I could think was: how inconvenient. I was a travel writer and had just scheduled trips to Rome and Cologne for the following week. Bummer. I would have to reschedule those flights. Read the entire story at http://www.newsweek.com/id/209319 More Shine On 08/10/2009
For all you Daisy Mayhem and May Erlewine fans, we went to a super -- but intimate -- little concert last night up in the hills. Way up in the hills. The event brought together May and Seth from Michigan, with Rani Arbo and friends from various corners of New England. All were in great form. Naturally, they sang Shine On, May Erlewine's stellar anthem. I told her how many Birds on a Wire readers love her song, and that is the truth! She promises to send a video soon for us to post and enjoy. Thanks, May! Sorry all of you couldn't have been there. I know you would have enjoyed yourselves (as long as you were bundled up and dry). The night was cool to begin with, but then it rained on and off. Nobody seemed to mind. The food and music were superb. The evening began with a clambake. An enormous amount of steamers, clam chowder, lobster, barbecued chicken, potatoes, corn, strawberry shortcake and berry pie was consumed. Dave and I might not eat again for a week. I promise to put up video as soon as I can edit it but, in the meantime, here are a few shots I took of the festivities. Enjoy!            Support Relay for Life! 06/12/2009
This is the weekend to get out on the track and walk as a survivor, raise money with a team, or write a check to support cancer research. Shine On 05/21/2009
Here are the lyrics to Daisy May Erlewine's song, Shine On. I think you'll see why I find it perfect for all survivors, even those of us who simply made it to a certain age. Couple of daisies, lots of mayhem 05/21/2009
 We went to hear Rani Arbo and her band Daisy Mayhem, the other night. As usual, we were not disappointed. | Blogger Profilereporter, writer, wife, mother, stepmother, grandmother, photographer, singer, knitter, swimmer -- not all at the same time click here for stories about
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