The dogs in this video are definitely showing their true feelings as they welcome home their buddies from deployment. Warning: if you’re an animal lover – and in particular, a dog lover – this one’s going to bring a tear (or two or three or forty) to your eyes.

–

Tell me your eyes didn’t at least water a little! Well, if they didn’t you are obviously made of steel. :)

Blessings,
♥Rachel

Recently, her dad took on a challenge of his own. On May 5, Mike ran the Pittsburgh Marathon…while blindfolded.

Mike’s goal was to raise awareness and funds for the Vision Research ROPARD Foundation. He enlisted the help of a friend to be his guide for the run and get this – they finished in 3:38:51. Impressive? Oh, yeah.

I don’t know about you, but running 26.2 miles would be challenging enough with eyes wide open! The mere idea of running a marathon blindfolded seems outrageous to me. But this father allowed his love for his daughter and his desire to understand her world to push him to the finish line.

What will love motivate you to do today? You might not have to go to the lengths this dad did, but there might be someone in your life who needs you to go one extra mile for them today.

Let your love for them motivate you to step out of your comfort zone, push aside your excuses, and be bold. Love big today.

Blessings,
♥Rachel

Charleston’s Rainbow Row

One of the places we visited last week was Charleston, SC on a vacation/health-related trip. I had an appointment with a Scleroderma specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina and I’m thrilled to report that the results of that visit were better than I expected.

I haven’t mentioned this yet on the blog because I wasn’t sure what to say or how to explain it. For years, I’ve had an issue with my hands & feet where they turn red and I get a burning sensation in them. Sometime during the past year, this began change to the extent that it started happening more frequently and with greater intensity. In addition, they also started turning white/cold/numb before the redness and burning would occur.

I mentioned this to my oncologist who immediately said “Raynaud’s” and suggested I see a rheumatologist. The labs came back positive for an autoimmune disease called Scleroderma and he felt like I had the limited variety of it. He also suggested that I might want to go to MUSC to see a Scleroderma specialist there to get confirmation and discuss it with him.

The first thing they had me do was an echocardiogram to make sure my heart is functioning as it should (and it is). Then I did a breathing test so they could make sure my lungs were functioning as they should (and they were). In fact, the doctor said she hadn’t seen numbers that good in a long time. :)

Then we met with one of the resident doctors as well as Dr. Silver, the head of the Rheumatology/Scleroderma Center at the hospital. Dr. Silver felt that I have the mildest of mild forms of limited scleroderma, and even stated that if my labs had not tested positive for it he’s not sure he would even diagnosis me with it. This made me very happy since the more serious forms can be pretty awful. He ordered some more labs so they could have their own numbers as a baseline, suggested we treat the Raynaud’s, and monitor the Scleroderma with yearly visits.

I felt great about this, very pleased to have a mild-mild form of it as well as a plan for dealing with the sometimes painful and always annoying Raynaud’s symptoms. But then . . . the news got better. The resident doctor called Friday to say the labs they did came back NEGATIVE for Scleroderma and with that in mind, they did not feel that I should be diagnosed with it at this time! Woohoo!! They have officially diagnosed me with a General Connective Tissue Disease, which would be Raynaud’s.

If you noticed the title, you may be wondering what this has to do with elevators. Well, for the first (and hopefully last) time in my 44 years of living, I got stuck in an elevator! Barry and I were going from the building where the echo test was done to the building where the breathing test would be done and got stuck with a plastic surgeon, a nurse, and three other people in an elevator for 30 minutes. The longer we were in there, the warmer it got. The warmer it got, the more anxious I got. But thankfully, no one freaked out and they managed to get us out, and we made it to the next appointment only five minutes late.

The funniest part was when they said the elevator would have to go back up to the second floor before it could come down the first and that they wanted us to ride back down to the first floor so they could get our names for their records. Ha! Fat chance. We all got off that elevator on the second floor, took the stairs, and never looked back. :)

And that’s where things stand with me right now. What about you? How are things in your corner of the world?

Blessings,
♥Rachel

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. – Matthew 5:14

There’s enough darkness in our world. We need to be the light, the good, the blessings for others. Make a commitment right now to be the light in your corner of the world today.

Blessings,
♥Rachel

This is me around 3 or 4 years old – in the aftermath
of Christmas at my grandparent’s house.
I’m pretty sure those pants weren’t supposed to be
cropped pants, but hey – I was rockin’ them!

Whenever we got into the car to go home, I would cry because I didn’t want to leave them. Even as I grew older, as a teenager, my eyes would tear up as we pulled off that gravel drive and headed down the street to travel home. I always felt like a part of my heart was staying behind.

Barry and I visited my parents a few weekends back and I experienced the same feeling as I hugged their necks and got into our car to go home. The tears started to form and I tried with all my might to choke them back refusing to let them leave my eyes. But then as we drove down the driveway, I saw my folks standing there waving goodbye. And the tears came.

I’m not a kid anymore, and I still don’t liked goodbyes. Most of us don’t, I suppose.

My sweet cousins are having to say a very difficult and painful goodbye to their dad this week and my heart hurts so badly for them. I want them to have more time, give more hugs, and create more memories. But, sadly, that is not to be.

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
Psalm 56:8

Goodbyes just stink. And it seems like our hearts are never ready for them.

Those who believe in God and have accepted Him as our Father have hope. That hope can lessen the pain of loss because we know that although the goodbye feels permanent, it is not. But today, hope is struggling to break through their pain. Right now, the pain is fresh and harsh and breathtaking at times. And it hurts.

If you are someone who prays, would you mind saying a prayer for my cousins today? It would mean so much to me.

Blessings,
♥Rachel

Who cares, right? Not me.

Tell me about the victims, the brave ones who are still fighting for their lives in the hospital. Tell me about the heroes, you know the true heroes who rushed toward the smoke before they even knew what was happening. Tell me about the officers who poured their heart and soul into finding these people. Tell me about the ones who lost their lives to yet another senseless act of violence.

But don’t tell me about the criminals. I don’t want to know their names, where they’re from or why they did it. I don’t care what their friends think about them, how great they did in school, or if their neighbor thinks they were “very American.”

I wish they would focus on the good ones. Focus on those who have courageous stories to tell – give them the spotlight (if they want it).

Before I knew it, I was all worked up about the media and their incessant coverage of this event (and how they just run every single tragedy/disaster into the ground).

And then I saw this:

And I realized I needed to look at this another way. I could remain annoyed by the ridiculous amount of media coverage of this event or I could be grateful because:

• I have ears to hear and eyes to see it.
• I have a brain that works (most of the time!) and can comprehend what they are saying.
• I have a heart that feels compassion for the victims.
• I have numerous ways to watch the news – TV, computer, phone.
• I am alive and well and safe today.

There are an unlimited number of things that can annoy and frustrate us on any given day . . . if we allow them. If you find yourself becoming aggravated today, try to stop your complaints before they grow too big and look at it another way – from a heart of gratitude.

Blessings,
♥Rachel

And I thought, not again, Lord. Please, not again.

[Mumford & Sons, "After the Storm." Image Source: Pinterest]

The tragedies seem to come in waves. We, as a country, are knocked down by the waves of shock, sadness and grief only to stand up, spit the water out of our mouths, and keep moving forward. Before we know it, another wave comes along and knocks us down again.

I’m at a loss for words today. Not because what happened in Boston on Monday was the greatest tragedy to every occur – although it was and is a horrendous act of violence. I’m at a loss for words because this “stuff” continues to happen, I don’t understand why, and I don’t know how to stop it.

I mean, I do understand why things like this happen. I know there is evil in the world and that, at times, the evil wins – even if only for a brief moment – before love rises high enough to heal the broken hearts. I also know that no matter how good God is that freewill can result in tragedy and devastation. And I do believe that God is good and that He will ultimately use these events for good.

So, I sit here thinking.

I think of all the runners who trained and worked and pushed themselves to get to the point of not only running in the Boston Marathon, but nearly completing it . . . but who didn’t get to. And without regard for their own feelings of disappointment, stepped up to help those who had been injured.

I think of the young boy, Martin Richard, who truly had his whole life ahead of him, but now that life is gone. And his family. A sister whose leg had to be amputated. A mother in critical condition. And a father, running in the race, who is most likely numb with shock.

I think of the others who were seriously injured and I see their pictures in my mind – pictures I wish I’d never actually seen.

And I think, not again, Lord. Please, never again.

Father, I pray that you will heal the bodies of those wounded in Monday’s explosion. I ask you to please heal the hearts of those grieving loss of life and loss of limb. Please comfort those families who are preparing to bury someone they love. Ease the emotional and physical pain being experienced by those recovering in hospitals and provide strength for their families as they support them through the challenging days ahead. Most of all, Lord, I pray that you would show us how to love each other in such a powerful way that it squashes the hate. Teach us how to care about and for those around us, compel us to be compassionate, and show us how to be sensitive to those you place in our paths. May your love, expressed through us, be so powerful, so big, so consuming that it swallows up all anger, bitterness, and hate in the world.

Because hate never wins. Love always does.

Blessings,
♥Rachel

[This beautiful print is available in Katie Daisy's Etsy store.]

I have numerous people in my life who bring me happiness – even joy – and I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for their presence in my life. My husband is one of them. My parents are two others. I got to spend time this weekend with my husband and my parents and the garden in my soul is blooming with beautiful, vibrant flowers today!

There’s something about holding my husband’s hand, looking at my mother’s beautiful face and feeling my dad’s hug that just simply makes my heart smile. I realized how truly blessed I am and what a treasure it is to know I am loved.

If you are blessed to have people in your life who bring happiness and joy into your life, please do two things today: 1) say a prayer of thanks for them and 2) let them know how much they mean to you.

Hope you have a beautiful day!

Blessings,
♥Rachel

[Photo by Christiana Care]

The effects of sequestration on Medicare are very serious for cancer patients. According to an article in the Washington Post, as of April 1, funding to cancer clinics has been significantly reduced forcing some clinics to turn away patients. This consequence of sequestration was unanticipated, but that does not diminish it’s negative impact. According to the article:

Medications for seniors are usually covered under the optional Medicare Part D, which includes private insurance. But because cancer drugs must be administered by a physician, they are among a handful of pharmaceuticals paid for by Part B, which covers doctor visits and is subject to the sequester cut.

It’s not a matter of these clinics fearing they won’t make any profit or being heartless by turning away patients. It’s a matter of these clinics not being able to administer some of these drugs because the amount of funding they get from Medicare for the drugs is less than what it costs to purchase them. It’s simple arithmetic.

Cancer medicines are incredibly expensive…and yet, the are extremely necessary. The Rituxan drug I receive every eight weeks costs more than $9,000 per treatment. My firstline treatment of Bendamustine + Rituxan ran more than $23,000 per treatment.

So, what are Medicare patients doing? If their clinic is not able to treat them anymore, they are now forced to go to hospitals to receive their treatment. This is not the worst thing in the world, however, there are problems with it:

1. The hospitals are going to reach max capacity in treating patients.
2. The cost of hospital cancer treatments can often exceed the cost of treatment in a private cancer clinic – and these extra costs will most certainly be felt by the Medicare patient.
3. The hospitals may not be as convenient as the clinic where the patient currently goes. And let’s not forget the emotional toll of having to switch treatment centers mid-stream.

To someone who does not have cancer, switching treatment facilities might not seem like a big deal. But when you’ve developed relationships with the doctors and nurses who are treating you – when you’ve developed that trust relationship – leaving them would be hard. They are part of your survival support team. Leaving them and starting over with a new team can be traumatic – for patients who have already experienced enough emotional and physical trauma.

We have a lot of problems in this country when it comes to healthcare (we also have a lot of good things like great doctors and nurses and excellent medical facilities). Some of these issues will take time to fix well, but this is one issue that needs to be corrected now.

What can you do about this? Sign this petition. We need 100,000 signatures by April 27. Will you be one?

And let me lastly say, I’m not here to debate or argue politics. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and, as a cancer patient, I have a strong one on this issue. :) But I think we can all agree that no matter what our views are, we all want the very best care for 1) all cancer patients and 2) our senior adults.

Thank you for reading and for signing the petition (if you choose to do so). :)

Blessings,
♥Rachel

The video, below, was all over the news this weekend. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, be sure to watch it here. You will be glad you did. I promise.

Jack Hoffman is a 7 year old cancer patient with a brain tumor. He is a huge Nebraska Cornhusker’s football fan. During Nebraska’s scrimmage on Saturday, Jack got to not only go on the field, but take the ball and run it 67 yards for a touchdown!

This first video is of the coach and quarterback going over the play with him.

–

This second video is where you might get a little choked up. I did.

–

Yes, friends. There is still good in this world. Even though we are surrounded by cynicism, pummeled with problems, and overwhelmed by ornery, cranky people (at times) – moments like this remind us that good people do still exist and things like this big-little act of making a dream come true are what truly matter.

Blessings,
♥Rachel