I Gotta Wear Shades...

Okay, I in no way recommend getting cancer in order to have a good time.

but there's life in the old girl yet, and toujours gai, archy. (Ten points if you place the quote**)

Not only that, but there are a few perks that come with the territory. One of which is getting to meet all the lovely new people that I've met this past year or so, on and offline - you know who you are, all of you, and I have no idea how I managed this long without knowing you. Bless you all, each and every one!

This month I am also discovering Pathways. This is a unique program in Uptown Minneapolis that serves those who are dealing with serious illness, giving them access to alternative treatments and programs that otherwise would be prohibitively expensive for many of us. Massage, meditation, Yoga classes, guided imagery, touch therapy, aromatherapy, etc... except for the seminars led by people from out of town, it's all free of charge for people dealing with chronic, debilitating, or terminal illnesses (that includes the 'patient' and their primary support person/caretaker).

I am also attending one of the Infinite Boundaries retreats in September... and if you are living with breast cancer, either as a patient or as a Survivor, you should know about this program. Link to their webpage, they can explain it better than I. They have wonderful retreats for all women who have experienced breast cancer, but they also have special retreats designed specially for young women, women with metastatic cancer, and women who are experiencing this scourge on their own without a partner for support. I haven't yet attended one of these retreats, but they look fabulous, and much of the cost is offset by their fund-raisers and sponsors, so that the cost is very reasonable (they also have scholarships available for folks who otherwise couldn't attend at all).

I feel very grateful to have these wonderful programs available in my area, and want to encourage anyone nearby to either take advantage of them (if appropriate) or support them (if you are lucky enough not to need them). Thanks to everyone who made these programs possible - I, for one, would never have been able to do any of these things without them.


**not for you, mom, that would be cheating!!