January 2008 eNewsletter

Sitting through a chemotherapy treatment can be a lonely, long and depressing process for most cancer patients. Plan a "chemotherapy party" for the patient with two other friends. Offer to pick up the patient, drive them to their treatment, and spend the time doing something fun and unusual to get their mind off their current situation. Bring cards and play bridge or "500"; rent a funny movie, pack a picnic basket with glasses for sparkling grape juice or bubbly 7-Up. All wear the same t-shirts or matching hats. The nurses and doctors will get a kick out of it, and all the other patients may join in your festivities! Your friend or loved one will feel the time whizzed by, and just think--another treatment over and done!

To cancer patients:

Check to make sure your treatment center won't mind if you bring visitors. Then pass the time with friends or family that you wouldn't (or couldn't) ordinarily spend time with. Your treatment will whiz by quickly, and who knows... you may have a lot of laughs!

"There are three things which are real: God, human folly, and laughter. The first two are beyond our comprehension. So we must do what we can with the third." --John F. Kennedy

Touted by Virgil as "heaven's gift," honey has more recently suffered a bad reputation. "Empty calories," sniff nutritionists. "No better than sugar." But May Berenbaum, an entomologist at the University of Illinois, was delighted to learn that the mellifluous condiment contains antioxidants-- chemicals that counter cell damage and help ward off illnesses including cancer. Berenbaum discovered the darker and more pungent the honey, the more it brims with antioxidants. To sweeten your next cup of tea or batch of cookies, Berenbaum recommends reaching for the bee instead of the bowl.

Dear Cancer Club,

There was nothing funny about that breast cancer diagnosis and then that double mastectomy. Then came that agonizing decision about chemo. About the only laugh I had that month came when my college-aged daughter and I went for my fitting for a double protheses. As I was leaving the store, I wanted to tell if those protheses felt normal, so I reached out and felt my daughter's breasts to compare them to mine. We both howled with laughter, but my daughter said, "Mom, don't do that again."

At the same time, I picked up a bathing suit, and went with her next door to a shoe store. It was my first outing except for doctor's or physical therapy visits. I told my daughter, "Thanks for a wonderful day--a normal day for a change." My daughter Holly answered, "Mom, it's not normal to go out and buy breasts."

Marilyn Holasek Lloyd, Fredericksburg, VA

Dear Cancer Club,

Wednesday, I arrived for Jury Duty. Harris County has a one trial, one day Jury policy with very few exceptions. Since it was my "off week" (from chemo), I had to show up. After spending several hours of "hurry up and wait," I was finally herded into a courtroom with 36 other poor souls. After the obligatory speeches from the attorneys, the judge asked if there was anyone among the panel who could not sit and judge this case fairly. My hand shot up without hesitation.

The judge then called me to the bench where he sternly asked me why I could not sit on this jury. Did I have some preconceived prejudices against the plaintiff or the defendant? I said, "No, sir. I am a cancer patient who is undergoing chemo and I'm libel to throw up at any time." Well, the judge sat there looking at me, then his mouth started to twitch, and he burst into laughter. "That's got to be the best reason for getting out of Jury Duty I've heard in a long time!", he said. Needless to say, I did not get picked.

Elizabeth Ingram, Spring, TX

Dear Cancer Club,

Before losing my hair, I took a walk in the park with my six-year-old Maria. "Mom," she said, "I saw a baby with no hair today, and you're gonna be really ugly!"

Later, when my hair started to fall out, I overheard her telling her friends, "I'm selling tickets to see my Mom's bald head!"

Sandy Drescher-Lehman, Richmond, VA

ABOUT...THE PINK ROTATOR: For Shoulder Rehabilitation™ ? If you've had breast cancer surgery, had your lymph nodes removed and are suffering from "frozen shoulder", the Pink Rotator can help. Simple to use, economical, portable and effective. Call (334)444-4468.

ABOUT...NEW PATIENT EDUCATION MATERIALS FROM NCI™ ? Written in plain language, with larger fonts and formatted for easy photocopy, the NCI has updated Chemotherapy and You and Radiation Therapy and You. To order your free copies, visit http www. cancer.gov. Or call 1-800-4CANCER.

Subconsciously feeding elderly people positive images of aging-- words such as "wise" and "astute"-- instead of downers like "dependent" or "diseased"-- was all it took to pick up their walking pace, suggesting that stereotypes about getting old can significantly affect how people function.

The Journal of The American Geriatrics Society suggests the mind plays a powerful role in people's perception of aging. In a study conducted by lead researcher Jeffrey Hausdorff, at Boston's Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center, and Becca Levy, an assistant professor at Yale University, positively influenced people walked 9% faster than those fed negative words. Think positive and put new pep in your step!

"I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful."

--Bob Hope

The Cancer Club™, based in Minneapolis, MN, was created by Christine Clifford in 1995 in response to her diagnosis of Stage III metastatic breast cancer at the age of 40 in 1994. Christine, whose mother died of breast cancer at 42, found during her own treatments that while family and friends were supportive, noone ever gave her anything to make her laugh.

Needing a lift, Christine began to search for signs of humor in herself and her predicament. She found them daily. The more she laughed, the stronger she grew, and The Cancer Club™ was born.

The critically acclaimed Cancer Club™ is the first organization to offer hope and support to cancer patients, their families and friends through the healing power of humor. A dynamic speaker, Christine has traveled the globe with her keynote presentations and seminars on using humor to get through life's adversities.

Christine is married to speaker/author Harry Beckwith (co-authors of You, Inc. The Art of Selling Yourself) and is the mother of five boys: Harry, Jr., Tim, Walter, Brooks & Cole; a daughter Cooper, a cat Simone and grandmother to a Siberian Husky named Skylar. Call The Cancer Club™ today or email us to book Christine for your next event. Don't forget to laugh! ™

We hope you've enjoyed this edition of The Cancer Club™ eNewsletter. We'd like to thank our FABulous illustrator Jack Lindstrom of FAB Artists!

If you have a humorous or interesting story about cancer, send it to us at: P.O. Box 24747 Edina, MN 55424-0747 or email us at: Christine@cancerclub.com

Visit us online at www.cancerclub.com

See you next month! Don't forget to laugh!™