Emails between a knitter and Vivian.

Hello, Susan how are you doing? How is your friend? We are praying for her.
I will be in Plano on Friday at the nail salon. Do you need yarn?
Let me know.
Vivian
I went down to see Nancy for a few days. She is OK but has been off chemo for a month and needs to start today again actually at MD Anderson. I am very proud at the way she is handling this. I don't think I would have her spirit about it. Her main concern is still helping others. Yes I could use some plain colored yarn or fluffy stuff. I bought some when i was down there and we made mostly the fun fur hats. 1 p.m. friday? See you then - Susan
Fuzzy is best because they are so soft. What I have been doing is mixing the fuzzy either with another fuzzy or a lightweight yarn and they look great and feel great - According to Nancy. She picked out a few colors for herself so I was making hats at her place too.

Note from Finland

Shirlaine from wrote you a message from Finland

It's very kind of you to knit the caps for cancer patients. My aunt has cancer and due to her drug treatments she often loses her hair. Recently, the treatments seem to have helped as the cancer has been in control in some way.

Our prayers go out for your aunt, Shirlaine.

Patterns for Chemo Caps

Here are some patterns to crochet or knit chemo caps: To show the pattern at full size, please click on the picture and the patterns.

Thank You from John, Joyce's son

It is Mother's day, 2009. It has been about 7 month's since my mother Joyce passed away. I miss her dearly especialy on a day like today. I thank all of the volunteers at Joyce's Chemo Caps for what they have done in my mother's memory. God Bless you all.

John

John, we miss your mom a lot too. We went on a trip with the senior center the other day and one of us said that Joyce would have loved to have been with us. We all knew that she was with us, laughing at us and with us. We can all feel her presence at different times.
God Bless you too, John.

Vivian, Jan and Lena

Thank You note received from Susan

Vivian received this beautiful Thank You note today. It brings tears to our eyes to know how our caps touched Mandi's heart.
You can read Mandi's journal at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/mandifisher

Carrie and Mom

Carrie works for Senior Select. Her mother has been making beautiful chemocaps for us! Many thanks to Carrie for delivering the caps to us and to her mom for making them for us!

Great New Book to Read-- Hearing the Stream

Hearing the Stream, A Survivor's Journey into the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer. The foreword of the book is written by Dr. Jodi Chambers, a prominent breast cancer surgeon in Denver , and the back cover testimonial is written by Dr. Tim Byers, Interim Director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. More information is included below and in the attachments.

Hearing the Stream:

A Survivor’s Journey into the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer weaves together the author’s own story of her struggle with breast cancer with those of five others also diagnosed. Through each of their eyes Chambers brings to life the complexities of this disease, from its emotional and physical impact to its sometimes hidden historical, economic, political, and environmental dimensions. Chambers shows how bonds of sisterhood develop among the survivors, ironically bringing a great deal that is positive into their lives.

Because of her grandmother’s and her own experiences with breast cancer, Chambers speaks with authority on this subject. Her research and extensive involvement with survivors and cancer organizations allow her to provide a rich, mature perspective on the many complex facets of breast cancer.

Now available online at www.ellexapress.citymax.com., through Borders, or Barnes & Noble.

Lena, Jan and Vivian at the Allen Health Fair

A Thank You Note

My mother is getting her treatment at UT Southwest. Thank you for the prayer and all the you are doing for everyone. We live in Lewisville. I would love to be able to come to one of the meeting but with work and everything not sure if I would be able to make it. Thanks you for the pattern and the name of the yarn. I will be sending you some cap and yarn. Please let me known if there is anything else that I can do to help.
Alice

Health Fair at Allen Senior Recreation Center

Joyce's Chemo Cap Project had a table set up at the Health Fair yesterday. It was very successful. We displayed some of the caps, our scrapebook was displayed showing pictures of 'cappers' (those that receive our caps, knitters, crocheters, and a signup sheet for those that wanted to join our group. We have seven new knitters or crocheters that requested information and patterns. Mary crocheted two beautiful lap blankets and Lena crocheted one that we donated to the Health Fair for the drawing. All in all, it was a very good health fair and very successful for us.

Wendy's Followup Appointment

When ENT doc scoped me today, he said that my right vocal chord is now completely repaired/restored. I have been a complex case for him because of all the weird complications. When I had woken up from the thyroidectomy surgery and for weeks after, i could barely talk & for awhile I made a wheezing/whistle sound when I breathed. He said I made his day & that it won't regress, so I am very grateful.

Please scroll to see Wendy's story.

Thyroid Cancer

What is Thyroid CancerThyroid cancer occurs in the cells of the thyroid — a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck, just below your Adam's apple. Your thyroid produces hormones that regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight.

Thyroid cancer isn't common in the United States. About 37,000 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Thyroid cancer rates seem to be increasing, which doctors think may be due to new technology that allows them to find small thyroid cancers that may not have been found previously.

Symptoms
Thyroid cancer typically doesn't cause any signs or symptoms early in the disease. As thyroid cancer grows, it may cause:

A lump that can be felt through the skin on your neck
Changes to your voice, including increasing hoarseness
Difficulty swallowing
Pain in your neck and throat
Swollen lymph nodes in your neck
When to see a doctor
If you experience any signs or symptoms that worry you, make an appointment with your doctor. Thyroid cancer isn't common, so your doctor may investigate other causes of your signs and symptoms first.

Cause
It's not clear what causes thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer occurs when cells in your thyroid undergo genetic changes (mutations). The mutations allow the cells to grow and multiply rapidly. The cells also lose the ability to die, as normal cells would. The accumulating abnormal thyroid cells form a tumor. The abnormal cells can invade nearby tissue and can spread throughout the body.

Types of Thyroid Cancer
Papillary thyroid cancer. The papillary type of thyroid cancer is the most common, making up about 80 percent of all thyroid cancer diagnoses. Papillary thyroid cancer can occur at any age, but is most commonly diagnosed in people ages 30 to 50.
Follicular thyroid cancer. Follicular thyroid cancer also includes Hurthle cell cancer. Follicular thyroid cancer typically occurs in people older than 50.
Medullary thyroid cancer. Medullary thyroid cancer may be associated with inherited genetic syndromes that include tumors in other glands. Most medullary thyroid cancers are sporadic, meaning they aren't associated with inherited genetic syndromes.
Anaplastic thyroid cancer. The anaplastic type of thyroid cancer is very rare, aggressive and very difficult to treat. Anaplastic thyroid cancer typically occurs in people age 60 or older.
Thyroid lymphoma. Thyroid lymphoma begins in the immune system cells in the thyroid. Thyroid lymphoma is very rare. It occurs most often in adults age 70 or older.

Joyce's Chemo Cap Project

Brokenness by Wendy Tuttle Jenkins

Last August, 2008, I felt really inspired to write about 6 poems. Very strange, because I never really wrote poetry. Remember, these were written before I had ANY idea of any cancer diagnosis. I used to think they were for someone else, but looking back now, I think God gave them to me to prepare my heart. This was my first one.

Brokenness
We never know what life will bring,
Whether good or bad, sunshine or rain.
We have no control, this is for certain,
For around the next corner, could be a collision.

When dealt life's blows, one can react in anger,
Slam the door on the world to escape the danger.
We can hide our feelings and mask our anguish,
But in the end we become sarcastic and selfish.

WE cannot explain why God allows our brokenness,
To pretend we understand, is the first sign of foolishness.

We could throw our fists in the air as some people do,
Look the creator in the face and ask Him, how dare you?
But what purpose would that serve with what time we have left?
To not ask Him for help would be the ultimate theft.

The nights are full of unrest and the depression is deep,
To overcome them we must turn on the light and receive.
There are those standing beside us expressing they care,
Just reach out and grab their hand and do not despair.
These are the Hands of God in the flesh,
Reminding us that He won't forsake us.

Here is the pearl and key to it all,
God is the first to see the sparrow fall.
If He cares that much to notice a bird,
How much more does He care that your prayers are heard?
He knows the hair on your head and numbers each one,
He sings over you at night and calls you His son.

Each grain of sand is matched to the stars in the sky,
The truth is you matter to God; He’s your biggest ally.
You are special and important and created in His image,
He knows the plans He has for you,
YOU are not alone in your pilgrimage.

~Wendy Jenkins, 08/2008, before any cancer diagnosis.

Please scroll down to read Wendy's story.

A comment sent to us

Wow! You should feel proud of what you do. My Mom had breast cancer a few years ago so these mean a lot to me. Thank-you for helping out others."

Cheryl (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Hearing The Stream By Diane Lane Chambers

Hearing the Stream Reviews
Review by Allan Burns, Editor, Colorado Springs, CO

The Sisterhood of Survivors

Hearing the Stream: A Survivor's Journey into the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer by Diane Lane Chambers

Like everyone else who receives a cancer diagnosis, Diane Chambers was initially shocked and scared. She knew only two people who had battle breast cancer: her grandmother and a judge in whose court she had worked as a sign language interpreter. Both had died. Despite daily flashbacks to her grandmother's tragic experience with disfiguring surgery, horrendous lymphedema in both arms, and burns from radiation, Diane accepted her diagnosis and began making decisions about what route to take with a competent team of doctors. She chose the only treatment that made sense for her: a mastectomy and reconstruction.

Six months later, as treatment and recovery began to fade like a bad dream, Diane began recovering her life. She had worked as a sign language interpreter since 1977 and published an acclaimed account of her experiences, Words in My Hands (Ellexa Press, 2005). but she soon learned that after cancer there was no going back to "life before cancer." There was only "life after cancer," and she quickly discovered it is not such a bad thing. She forged powerful bonds with a sisterhood of survivors--all people who had been through emotions and physical changes similar to her own. From Kim she learned the issues facing young single women with breast cancer. From Pat she learned how older women cope with diagnosis and treatment and from Sue how the mother of a baby struggled to save her own life. From Charlie she came to appreciate what men have to go through when diagnosed with a "female disease."

Above all, from the extraordinary Harriette Grober, who had been on chemotherapy for an unprecedented nine years, she learned about a determination she had never imagined and how to be thankful and happy in each moment. She also learned to take Harreitte's advocacy as a model and became involved herself in raising levels of political and social awareness about the disease. Currently, Diane is an active member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition and the Association of Breast Cancer Survivors and regularly participates in workshops, symposiums, and webcasts on cancer.

Hearing the Stream, the fruit of all she has experienced and learned as a cancer survivor, is an inspiring book that weaves together her own story and those of five others, thereby providing multiple perspectives on a complex disease that can be a different as the individual people dealing with it. As Dr. Tim Byers of the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center says, "Accounts such as this of the human toll of breast cancer motivate me as a researcher--and should motivate us all--to redouble our many efforts to reduce further and someday eradicate this disease."

To purchase this book click:
www.ellexapress.citymax.com/purchasebooks_wordshands_deafblind_brcancer.html